Page 1/3 Factsheet Version 01 Issue date : 23-03-2020 Miscanthus giganteus Revision date : 23-03-2020

Introduction Research into Miscanthus giganteus production and use has been conducted for more than 30 years. Miscanthus giganteus’ perennial nature, its ability to grow on marginal land, its water efficiency, non-invasiveness, low fertilizer needs, significant carbon sequestration and high biomass yields have sparked a lot of interest among researchers.1)

Origin and Distribution Miscanthus giganteus, also known as Elephant grass, is a perennial C4 grass – plants that are nature’s most efficient means of converting sunlight to biomass energy. C4 grasses are especially good at capture of carbon and converting energy with limited water availability and at high temperatures, and provide higher yield than C3 grasses.2)

Growth and Lifecycle Miscanthus giganteus grows stems from a rhizome. Autumn frost stops annual growth. Harvest is typically in winter or early spring after drying out, allowing nutrients (nitrogen) to move into the rhizome (reverse juice flow) for use by the plant the following season. The crop has a productive life of 15-25 years.3)

Herbicides and Nutrients The growth and maintenance of Miscanthus giganteus requires no fertilizers or pesticides. The plant is able to recycle nutrients into the rhizome at the end of the growing season. As a result, nutrient removal at harvest is very low.4)

Soil and Site Availability Miscanthus giganteus is adapted to many soil conditions, including marginal land.5) About 250.000 ha of agricultural land in Europe has been abandoned that can be used for growing Miscanthus giganteus. Currently 20.000 ha of Miscanthus giganteus are commercially grown in Europe.10)

Biodiversity Miscanthus giganteus is a non-GMO crop, and provides better biodiversity than other crops, providing cover for a variety of natural life in and underground.8)

Greenhouse gas sink Miscanthus giganteus takes up over 4 times as much carbon as trees do. It is one of the very few crops worldwide that reaches true

CO2 neutrality and functions as a CO2 sink, absorbing 30 up to 44 tons of CO2 per ha per year while providing 20 up to 33 tons of dry mass per ha per year. Miscanthus giganteus has greater potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions during cultivation than crops like switchgrass or corn.5)

Nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are important greenhouse gasses (many times stronger than CO2) and have drawn extra attention for their roles in global warming. Miscanthus giganteus shows a high Carbon sequestration under ground, slightly higher

CH4 uptake and up to 3x lower N2O emmisions compared to other crops, even compared to regular grass, due to low Nitrogen requirements for growth.6)

These characteristics make Miscanthus giganteus a particularly attractive crop in the light of climate change mitigation options.

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FS Miscanthus giganteus Version 01 Issue date : 23-03-2020 Revision date : 23-03-2020 Water efficiency These days, plants requiring little, or almost no water to grow are considered very beneficial. Compared to other crops Miscanthus giganteus fields also lead to significantly better water quality because of less Nitrate leaching.7) The moisture content of harvested material is typically 15-16%. With such low moisture contents the harvested and chopped Miscanthus giganteus does not need to be dried before further processing.

Composition The typical main elemental composition of Miscanthus giganteus includes 48 % C, 5.5 % H, and 43 % O. This reflects the variation of the three main lignocellulosic elements (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). Mineral composition includes low values of K, N, Cl and S which is important for the combustion quality of Miscanthus giganteus (low ash content).

Proteins Proteins in materials have a negative impact on their stability. Miscanthus giganteus is unique in that at time of harvest the protein levels in the stems are extremely low (1-2%). Proteins are stored in the root of the plant. This makes Miscanthus giganteus very suitable for materials such as plastics, bio-concrete and paper & cardboard.

Safety Miscanthus giganteus is of a non-toxic nature if eaten by animals.9)

Applications The main use of Miscanthus giganteus is as an energy crop (bio-energy plants, pellets for furnaces, biofuels). High-quality applications of Miscanthus giganteus include specialty paper & cardboard, building materials like light-weight bio-concrete, animal bedding and bioplastics materials.

Quick facts of Miscanthus giganteus ______• Grows on marginal land • High yield

• Captures up to 44 tons of CO2 per ha per year (up to 4x more than trees) • Low greenhouse gas emissions • Improves soil and water quality • No herbicides or fertilizers needed • Useful life up to 25 years after planting • Very low protein content • Is not invasive • Positive effect on local biodiversity • Thrives in most weather conditions • Natural defense to weeds • Is the only crop harvested at the time of year • Has multiple applications • Is safe as animal feed

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FS vibersTM Miscanthus giganteus Version 01 Issue date : 23-03-2020 Revision date : 23-03-2020 References 1. Eric Anderson et al., Growth and agronomy of Miscanthus x giganteus for biomass production, Biofuels, 2 (1): 71–87 (April 2014). 2. Jeanette Whitaker et al., Consensus, uncertainties and challenges for perennial bioenergy crops and land use, GCB Bioenergy, 10 (3): 150–164 (March 2018). 3. E. Sacala, Miscanthus - unusual grass: biochemical and physiological characteristic: a review, Ecological Chemistry and Engineering, 18 (12) (January 2011) 4. Miscanthus Crop factsheet, NNFCC (2011). 5. Emily Heaton et al., Giant Miscanthus for Biomass Production, Leaflet, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (January 2010) 6. Jia Mi et al., N2O and CH4 emission from Miscanthus energy crop fields in the infertile Loess Plateau of China, Biotechnology for Biofuels,11, Article number: 321 (2018) 7. Mark A Thomas et al., Modeling Water Quality Impacts of Growing Corn, Switchgrass, and Miscanthus on Marginal Soils, Journal of Water Resource and Protection 6 (14):1352-1368 (January 2014) 8. Barry Caslin et al, Miscanthus best practice guidelines”, Agriculture and food development authority in Ireland (Teagasc), Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (April 2010) 9. David M. Burner et. al., Dual-Use Bioenergy-Livestock Feed Potential of Giant Miscanthus, Giant Reed, and Miscane, Agricultural Sciences 8 (8): 97-112 • (January 2017) 10. E. Hatna et al., Abandonment and Expansion of Arable Land in Europe, Ecosystems, 14 (5), 720–731 (August 2011)

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vibersTM Jupiter 410 2675LX Honselersdijk The Netherlands +31 (0)174 - 725812 [email protected] www.vibers.nl www.vibers.nl