Abstract

With advances in biogas technology, lignocellulosic material may be increasingly included in feedstock due to the abundance of raw materials. The main goal of this study was to evaluate fertilizing and soil amendment effects of digestates based on lignin-rich feedstock. The digestates originated from reactors fed with manure co-digested with Salix, wheat straw or sugarcane bagasse, respectively. In pot experiments with three different soils, Italian ryegrass and reed canary grass were grown with 120 kg ha(-1) total nitrogen or 150 kg ha(-1) available nitrogen, respectively, given as either mineral fertilizer or digestate. Soil chemical and physical characteristics were determined after ended experiments. Additionally, an incubation study was carried out to estimate N mineralization from one digestate over time. Digestate addition resulted in similar yields compared to mineral fertilizer, varying from 0.5 (loam) to 1 kg dry matter m(-2) (silt) for Italian ryegrass and 1.2 (loam) to 2.3 kg m(-2) (silt) for reed canary grass. Digestates contributed to a favourable pH for plant growth, reduced bulk density in the loam and improved water retention characteristics in the sand. Biogas digestates based on lignin-rich feedstock appear promising as fertilizers and for soil amelioration but results have to be verified in field experiments.

Keywords

Lignocellulosic material; biomass production; Italian ryegrass; reed canary grass; soil physical properties

Published in

Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science
2018, Volume: 64, number: 3, pages: 347-359

SLU Authors

• Schnürer, Anna

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Management
Energy Systems


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2017.1352086

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/90864