Elephant grass is a crop that you can use to heat your home. It is cheaper than fuel oil and has a higher yield than wood. 10 to 20 tons of elephant grass can be harvested on one hectare of land, for 15 to 20 consecutive years. The plant grows well in places with a lot of rainfall. Miscanthus is harvested, chopped, stored and used. Just like with fuel oil, you can simply fire your central heating with and use the thermostat.
What is miscanthus?
Miscanthus is a type of grass that comes in different varieties. The variety we are talking about in this article is the Miscanthus x giganteus or elephant grass. This Dutch name was not chosen by accident. The crop can reach a height of over 3.5 meters. That produces a large mountain of dry matter every year. This dry matter is created by the processing of the culms and has many applications. In contrast to bamboo, there is no problem with elephant grass with roots that grow very far. With bamboo, the roots grow meters under the ground and many new shoots develop on these rhizomes. Elephant grass is different: it produces pollen. The propagation takes place via rhizomes, these root parts are planted in the spring.
The cultivation of Miscanthus
The crop needs to be fed every year but does not deplete the soil. This means that if the cultivation of Miscanthus is stopped after 15-20 years, the soil retains a good structure and a reserve of nutrients. For example, nutrients are stored in the roots of the plant and remain there during the winter. The leaves, which fall off in the autumn, also form a protective layer and compost layer.
The first year the yield is not great. Usually there is therefore no harvest. Harvesting is possible from the second year and from five years the yield is more or less continuous. Harvesting is usually done by chopping the crop after which it can be stored and used. In addition to all these advantages, there are a few less visible advantages. This makes Miscanthus a good plant for to remediate contaminated soils. He absorbs the pollution after which everything can be processed. The extensive root system also ensures good soil retention prevents loss of structure and nutrients. Since the crop lasts until after the winter, it also provides a shelter for animals. It also helps to maintain biodiversity.
uses of Miscanthus
The chopped crop already has many applications and more are regularly added. To burn of the chopped crop is certainly profitable. It has a higher yield than wood, namely 4,300 to 4,700 kWh per ton, whereas for wood this is 3,300 kWh per ton. Micanthus can be harvested annually so that the storage can be calculated on one year of consumption. Suppose you use approx. 2500 liters of fuel oil every year. You could replace it with 5 tons of Miscanthus. I read that the farmer of a company in Zeeland gives 100 euros per ton, so for 5 tons about 500 euros. The fuel oil is now about 0.8. If you multiply this by 2,500 you get 2,000. Let it be clear that these numbers are indications.
The crop makes few demands on the soil, which means that unused land is eligible. This cultivation can become a local affair where a local farmer takes care of the crop and sells it to people who live nearby. The farmer can also apply for subsidies for this crop. The crop is CO2 neutral, which means that it is cataloged as biomass and can serve as an ecological method of heating. There are already many companies that make combustion plants that can burn Miscanthus and some even make these combustion plants so that they can burn all kinds of biomass products. This makes you independent to make your choice for the biomass product that suits you best that year. The purchase of such an incinerator is expensive. Prices hover around € 20,000. The ash that is released during combustion is a good nutrient that can be returned to the ground without any problem. Burning Miscanthus does produce a lot more ash than, for example, wood. 2.8% for Miscanthus and only 1% for wood combustion. Fermentation is also possible, but less obvious. Other possibilities are the production of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel.
There are also applications in other areas. Shredded Miscanthus can be used to make building material. The shredded mass is then mixed with a glue-like substance, creating a solid mass that is also good insulating. Miscanthus can also serve as bedding for animals instead of straw. This chop can also be used as an additive in clay plaster.
Conclusion about this crop
The first heat farmers are currently at work in Germany. They are planting large plots of Miscanthus and investing in storage, heating equipment and insulated underground pipes to bring the hot water to the homes. The people of the neighborhood, village, city pay the heat farmer for heating their house. The heat supplier guarantees a price that is 10% below the price of gas. For major consumers of fuel oil from 30,000 liters per year, the payback period is currently 3 years. It seems that Miscanthus can become part of our heat supply.