Biomass project DanubEnergy: Floodplain grassland preserved through use

Central European floodplains are among the most ecologically valuable areas on the continent. A process developed by the University of Kassel should enable commercial use of part of their biomass - and thus contribute to their conservation.

The floodplains of Central Europe are home to extensive, ecologically extremely valuable grassland vegetation. "To preserve them, careful use is needed," says Prof. Dr. Michael Wachendorf, head of the Department of Grassland Science and Renewable Resources at the University of Kassel. "Because without utilization, these areas will grow over and forest will develop." However, grassland has been used only to a small extent so far. One reason is that the biomass of these grassland communities of moist sites is difficult to harvest and the harvest is technically difficult to utilize. However, the IFBB process (Integrated Solid Fuel and Biogas Production from Biomass), which was developed by the University of Kassel, makes it possible to generate environmentally friendly energy from the mowing of these wet areas. This process uses mashing and subsequent pressing to produce a solid, high-quality press cake that is processed into a storable fuel.

The European Union's DanubEnergy project now aims to lay the foundation for commercial implementation of the process, which has been tested on a laboratory and pilot plant scale. The first industrial-scale plant of this principle, which is currently being commissioned in Baden-Baden, will serve as a model object. In this project, the Department of Grassland Science and Renewable Resources at the University of Kassel supports the European partners with technological and ecological know-how and with the operation of a mobile prototype, which is used at the partner sites for research purposes and demonstration.

Together with the partners, studies on regional feasibility in the target regions in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are being prepared.

The project is led by the Energy Agency of the Regions in the Austrian Waldviertel and has a total budget of 1.8 million euros, with a grant of 1.4 million euros from the European Union under the Central Europe Programme.

For more information, visit http://danubenergy.eu/ and http://www.central2013.eu/

Info
Prof. Dr. Michael Wachendorf
University of Kassel
FB 11- Ecological Agricultural Sciences
FG Grassland Science and Renewable Resources
Tel.: +49 5542 98-1334
E-Mail: mwach@uni-kassel.de