Page 75 - Biofuels Refining and Performance

58 Chapter Two

Figure 2.9 Panicum. (Source: www.biology.missouristate.edu/
Herbarium/Plants. Used with permission.)

ethanol for petrol replacement. The low ash and alkali content makes
it a suitable fuel for combustion.
Switchgrass has been identified to be a good model bioenergy species,
due to its high yield, high nutrient-use efficiency, and broad geographi-
cal distribution. Further, it also has good attributes in terms of soil
quality and stability, cover value for wildlife, and low inputs of energy,
water, and agrochemicals. Evaluation of the use of switchgrass with
coal in existing coal-fired boilers and the handling, operation, combus-
tion, and emission characteristics of the co-firing process have been
studied. Switchgrass has supplied up to 10% of the fuel energy input.
In comparison to the use of corn for the source of bioethanol, switchgrass
has been found to generate 15 times more efficiency of energy produc-
tion, and it is predicted that switchgrass may entail more profits than
conventional crops for a specific area [10].

Hemp. Hemp is a member of the mulberry family that includes mul-
berry, paper mulberry, and the hop plant (see Fig. 2.10). It has a cellu-
lose content of about 80% and has been grown for the production of
medicinal, nutritional, and chemical production. Hemp is the earliest
recorded plant cultivated for production of textile fiber. It has a low-moisture
content for biomass feedstock [11].

Artocarpus hirsute and Ficus elastica. Stem and leaf samples of A. hirsute
and F. elastica have been evaluated for their potential as a renewable
energy source. Stem and leaf samples of F. elastica and A. hirsute were
evaluated for polyphenol, oil, and hydrocarbon contents. F. elastica