Why has switchgrass been selected?
The US DOE and Oak Ridge National Laboratorys Biofuels Feedstock Development Program have identified switchgrass, a warm-season grass, as a model herbaceous energy crop. Switchgrass possesses a number of favorable features that led to its selection. These features include its native origin in North America, genetic diversity, adaptation to a wide range of climates and soil types, effectiveness in carbon sequestration and soil improvement, and value for other uses such as forage for livestock and wildlife habitat. In terms of characteristics related to its quality as a biomass fuel, switchgrass has ash and alkali contents indicative of a low slagging potential in coal-fired combustion systems, sulfur and nitrogen contents that could result in lower sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions than coal, an energy content which is comparable to that of wood, the most well-suited biomass fuel for cofiring, with significantly lower initial moisture content, and the capability of producing h
