Information Resources

Slides from Prof. Yit Arn Teh's informative talk on multifunctional landscapes, biomass crops, and end-uses. His talk focused on how to design farms that are multifunctional, and the benefits and trade-offs of multifunctional landscapes.

At our Newcastle Demo Event on 3rd July 2024, Prof. Jeanette Whitaker, project lead for Biomass Connect gave an overview of the Biomass Connect project, emphasising the need for more homegrown biomass feedstock for renewable energy for heat, power and transport, and other end-uses.

This field report follows on from the previous winter bird surveys conducted at two farms, one in Devon and the other in Somerset. One farm had a mixed age willow crop, while the other had a Miscanthus crop.

A double-sided factsheet with infographics showing the end uses of biomass crops and their potential for CO2 removal.

These guidelines are written with the expectation that Reed canary grass (RCG) is being grown for the energy market. However, reference is made to other uses.

This case study features a successful farm-scale Miscanthus growing enterprise.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Dr. Rebecca Rowe (UKCEH) presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event. The presentation outlines the SFI Biodiversity Scheme

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Judith Ford (University of Leeds) presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Mark Needham presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation about the potential end-uses of biomass crops. By Jeanette Whitaker from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

This report outlines a three-day bird survey conducted at two farms, one in Devon and the other in Somerset. One farm had a mixed age willow crop, while the other had a miscanthus crop. The aim of the surveys was to record and map the birds seen at each farm to see what benefits each crop may have for different species.

This case study features a successful farm-scale community heating scheme using short rotation coppice (SRC) willow as a fuel source. The project has been cost-effective and provided a range of benefits, including energy self-sufficiency, reduced carbon emissions, and potential biodiversity enhancements.

When incorporated into agroforestry systems, biomass crops contribute in various ways, including, support for pollinator populations, biodiversity enhancement, flood risk reduction, minimized runoff and soil erosion, improved water quality, increased soil carbon sequestration, improved soil health and contribute to climate change mitigation

Uses, Benefits, Establishment, Cultivation, Harvesting, processes and economics of Switchgrass.

This Consultation Workshop Report identified the main challenges for the industry, the major opportunities and made recommendations to Biomass Connect on how to improve its continued support of the industry. The report took the comments and core points from the workshop, expanded on them and took into consideration other factors to provide a fuller picture to a broader audience.

Burlerrow Farm is a 303-hectare mixed farm based in Bodmin, Cornwall. It is run by James Mutton who has been growing miscanthus since 2002. Initially, the crop was used to produce miscanthus rhizomes, but since 2009 they have been producing premium equine and animal bedding.

Willow as a biomass crop - All the information in an easy-to-read Factsheet.

Uses, Benefits, Establishment, Cultivation, Harvesting, processes and economics of Reed Canary Grass.

Everything you need to know about growing hemp for industrial biomass: its biology, agronomy and its credentials as a biomass crop. All in a factsheet that is easy to read and easy to share.

Food and bioenergy need not compete for land, instead, biofuel crops should be integrated into existing landscape and agricultural lands in a multifunctional approach to offer multiple benefits including use as fuel and for other ecosystem services.

Food vs Fuel Factsheet

Hemp has great potential to become a promising commodity crop for producing both biofuels and value-added products. It is an excellent rotation crop that fits well with food and feed crops and improves the yield of the subsequent crops due to the beneficial effects of hemp on the soil.

Efforts to reduce harvesting costs by improving the performance and reliability of the harvesters and chip collection system are essential for the profitability of the willow biomass production.

A number of Eucalyptus species have been identified as having great potential as a short rotation forestry (SRF) or coppice (SRC) species in the UK. Eucalyptus is suited to short rotation forestry due to its fast growth rate and high biomass yield, which can exceed that of other native species.

Eucalyptus as a biomass crop - All the information in an easy-to-read Factsheet.

Wider adoption of Biomass Buffers could help better manage landscapes to be more resilient to the effects of climate change, mitigate flood risk, and reduce the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture.

A buffer strip is an area of land which is either left uncultivated or planted with perennial grasses, shrubs and trees. Planting strips or alleys of perennial biomass crops on existing agricultural land can provide a number of important benefits in terms of flood management, soil recovery and improvements in biodiversity, in addition to providing a harvestable resource. Wider adoption could help better manage landscapes to be more resilient to the effects of climate change, mitigate flood risk, and reduce the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture.

This article explores the critical issues in the biomass pelletisation process, biomass pellet characteristics and the standardisation of high-quality biomass pellets for energy production.

Things to consider when harvesting willow

BECCS could provide an important mechanism to reduce emissions and remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. However, full life-cycle assessment of biomass production and supply will be critical to ensure BECCS is truly net-negative and does not result in other deleterious effects on our natural environment or food production systems

In this article, we provide insight into the dynamics of interaction of SRC willow and its effect on plant and animal biodiversity.

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is formed from the interaction of ecosystem processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition of SOM. Soil carbon provides the benefit of enhancing soil quality which is essential to sustain and improve food production, increase supply and quality of water, enhance biodiversity, and reduce atmospheric CO2. For these reasons, planting biomass crops help to improve soil quality, provide resilience to physical soil degradation and help mitigate climate change.

Find out how planting biomass crops provides a mechanism to enhance soil carbon.

The utilisation of solid biomass as a fuel in generation of heat and power has seen a significant increase over the last ten years as many coal-fired power stations converted to using biomass. This article provides a summary of the data reported by BEIS and OFGEM specific to solid biomass use in the UK heat and power sector over the last 5-10 year period.