MISCANTHUS Practical Aspects Of Biofuel Development

INTERIM REPORT

ETSU B/W2/00618/REP

DTI/Pub URN 02/1512

Contractor Energy Power Resources Ltd

Prepared by Amber Jenkins & Robert Newman

Subcontractors Bical Ltd Northern Straw IACR - Rothamsted

The work described in this report was carried out under contract as part of the New & Renewable Energy Programme, managed by ETSU on behalf of the Department of Trade & Industry. The views and judgments expressed in this report are those of the contractor and do not necessarily reflect those of ETSU or the Department of Trade & Industry. _____

First Published March 2002 © Crown Copyright 2002 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Description

To plant and establish an energy crop of Miscanthus, monitor and record its growth then harvest the fuel, bale it and deliver to a suitable power station for combustion trials. Thereby demonstrating the commercial potential and suitability of Miscanthus as a biofuel.

The project was started in April 1999, with a duration of 48 months and is due to be completed in May 2003.

This document summarises the progress of work to date, observations and recommendations for the second half of the project.

Background

The government has set its objective for a 10% contribution from renewable energy by 2010, it is clear that if the UK is to achieve this then biofuel utilisation will have to increase substantially. EPR is a leading UK developer of renewable energy projects and is actively seeking to encourage and assist with the development of commercially viable alternative biofuels. With it's 36MW straw fired Elean Power Station, at Sutton, near Ely, EPR could offer Miscanthus growers the opportunity of a long-term fuel supply contract if Miscanthus could be shown to be a suitable replacement or supplement straw, without adverse restrictions on the operation of the power plant.

Miscanthus is one of the most researched and most advanced, non-straw, biofuel crop. It has high yield, perennial growth and good disease resistance, although this has not been proven on a commercial scale. As a C4 crop it is an efficient converter of solar radiation to biomass energy under the right conditions.

To promote the use of Miscanthus, it is essential that its production, storage, handling and combustion be demonstrated on a commercial scale. This project aims to achieve this. The integration of biofuel crops and energy conversion has presented a unique opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of Miscanthus to potential UK growers and a wider international, technical audience.

Summary of Work and Results to date

Work on this project to date has concentrated on two main areas:

• Modification of EPR's Elean plant to accept and use miscanthus as a fuel • Planting, growth monitoring and future harvesting of the miscanthus fuel.

ii Plant Modifications

Modifications were required in the design of the Elean plant to enable the power station to accept miscanthus as a fuel.

Two options for introducing miscanthus into the facility were identified and evaluated. Each option was designed and costed.

Both options were investigated thoroughly, with the advantages and disadvantages of each being considered. Key factors in choosing the most appropriate option included: the efficient use of storage, transport costs, ease of handling, impact on power plant and firing techniques, impact on control systems and fouling potential and perhaps most importantly financing implications.

Option 1 - Chopped Miscanthus Option 1 was to modify the plant to accept chopped miscanthus. Provision would be made for a covered loading area with a large storage pit and a purpose designed conveying system delivering metered volumes onto the straw feed lines and into the combustion system.

This option however has its limitations at Elean in that the quantity of chopped fuel that could be used would be limited to a maximum of 25% of the total at any time due to the existing furnace feed design.

The introduction of an independent chopped fuel mechanism would create the need for a much more complex control system and flame protection system. However, obtaining even combustion rates across the furnace could not be guaranteed. The potential for slagging and fouling was identified which could lead to localised high temperature zones which could prove detrimental to plant performance and availability.

The capital cost to provide this system in its entirety was prohibitive as it would be close to the original total budget for this project of £270k and furthermore a change to the planning permission would be required due to the need for a revised building layout.

Option 2 - Baled Miscanthus The second option considered was to introduce Miscanthus in baled form into the plant. To achieve satisfactory operation, the design of the entire straw fuel handling system had to be modified to accommodate the physical differences between Miscanthus and cereal straw, i.e., the material bulk density and its abrasion characteristics. The crane system and feed conveyor design needed to be up rated to accommodate the denser 850kg Miscanthus bales.

This design was inherently integrated with the existing plant layout and did not therefore require any planning revisions.

The capital cost to achieve this modification was £190k.

iii By moving miscanthus in bales and firing as such into the main bale burners, any combination between 0 and 100% firing of miscanthus could be theoretically achieved.

Evaluation of the miscanthus combustion trial was considered to be much easier with direct comparison being made between baled straw and baled miscanthus.

Perhaps the most important consideration in the selection of the feed system for miscanthus was that of finance. At the time this was considered EPR could not obtain approval for the provision of an extra £1.2 million in plant costs, as the market for chopped miscanthus was clearly not established and still isn ’t.

In light of these considerations it was decided that the project would go ahead with the upgraded bale handling system. However, the designs for the chopped miscanthus handling systems have been retained and should the market for chopped miscanthus develop could be reconsidered for future plants.

Modifications for the receipt, transport and introduction of baled miscanthus into the combustion process with modifications to the crane and feed system, to allow for denser, heavier Hesston bales, were implemented during the last part of the Power Station construction.

Production of miscanthus.

A suitable site for the trial plot was identified close to the Elean Power Station. The field is 12ha in total and had been in continuous wheat production for a number of years. Two hectares of the field were set aside for the Miscanthus trial. The soil type is a clay loam, from which the usual spectrum of agricultural broad-leaved weeds, couch grass and some wild oats was expected. The original plan was to establish the 2ha plot for miscanthus, grow for 2 years, and then use the rhizomes to plant a larger area to give sufficient biomass for a combustion trial.

Conditions at the time of planting were poor. It was late in the season with dry weather and followed a recent wheat crop. In August 1999 planting commenced at a density of about 2 to 2.5 rhizomes/m2.

By November 1999 monitoring of the trial plot was underway. At this time, some plants showed reasonable growth but evidence was recorded of grazing by rabbits or hares on the young plants and new shoots. The plant population was spread unevenly over the 2ha and there were some patches where no plants existed.

In February 2000 the 2ha trial plot showed substantial growth is some areas but was still patchy in others and there was little or no growth in the remaining areas. A definite need to replant certain areas was identified in Spring 2000 and a new plan for replanting was produced by Bical.

iv The 2ha plot was replanted by Bical in May 2000. This resulted in some improvement. Weed control was improved although not 100% successful, and the plants appeared healthy, but the field remained somewhat patchy.

By the late summer and autumn periods of 2000, a 3.1 increase in the height of plants and a 5:1 increase in the number of emergent shoots were recorded. But growth rates were seen to slow down during the following winter period when plant survival rather than growth is of importance.

There was encouraging progress with some substantial growth over the summer of 2001. It will be interesting to see how the plot progresses in the spring of 2002.

Since crop establishment has been less successful than anticipated on the 2 ha plot it has not yet been possible to plant the full 12 ha of miscanthus. The trial plot itself will not provide sufficient miscanthus for the combustion trial even by 2003. It has been decided to overcome this shortfall by harvesting miscanthus from a variety of other sites in the area around the Elean Power Station and to bring the combustion trial forward a year.

Some harvesting at these other sites was undertaken in October 2001, with baling undertaken within a few weeks of this. To date the yield from these other sites has not been confirmed but has been estimated between 7-9 t/ha. Material is currently being compiled and stored on hard- standings near by the trial plot prior to the commencement of the combustion trial.

It is anticipated that harvesting of the trial plot will begin in early Spring 2002 and the final report for this project will describe the harvesting, what happens to the miscanthus subsequently and will include the time taken for harvesting and baling and the costs associated.

The intention is to burn the miscanthus at the end of March or early April 2002, at the Elean Power Station.

Including other sites, between 8 and 12 hectares of miscanthus can be provided for the trial burn. These sites include EPRL's site at Mepal, a similar ADAS site at Mepal and an Anglian Straw site in Peterborough. This will produce between 30 to 40 tonnes of material. Bales will be collected on site and if possible stored in a nearby barn. The fuel delivery costs will be estimated using existing data on these three sites.

Findings to Date:

Commercial production of miscanthus

• The problems experienced with the establishment of the 2ha trial plot has illustrated that good quality rhizomes, stable soil conditions and appropriate commercial planting techniques are essential for good establishment. Rhizomes should be young, stored and transported under temperature-controlled conditions and they need to be kept cool to retain their quality. Good establishment is critically important.

v • A muck spreader distributed the rhizomes reasonably well however no other spreader types were used and therefore direct comparisons cannot be made with alternatives. A problem noticed at the site was that the spreader knocked off developing shoots and this might have been avoided if the rhizomes had been less advanced in shoot development at the time of planting. The planting method needs to be developed further.

• Plough design and depth control may not have been adequate for the conditions at the site. The late decision to go ahead with planting meant that the soil was prepared quickly, just before initial planting, without proper levelling and settling, which probably did not contribute to successful planting. The plough method used offers a cheap, quick and simple method of planting but more experimentation is needed to test the methods and to identify potential improvements.

• Weed control measures are particularly important in the early stages of establishment.

• No significant pest or disease problems where identified, however inquisitive grazing by rabbits or hares was a problem in the first yearof establishment.

Next steps

• The true costs and yields resulting from the field scale planting, propagation and growing of Miscanthus will be determined.

• Likely storage and transport costs of the baled product and the cost sensitivity to moisture levels will be determined.

• Changes, if any, in the calorific value and moisture level characteristics of the crop during storage under typical conditions will, where practicable, be identified.

• The combustion trial will test whether Miscanthus in a baled format is a practical and cost effective method of fuel handling.

• The combustion trial will also test that Miscanthus in commercial quantities does not impose unacceptable operational or financial constraints on a conventional biomass power station.

Benefits

Results at the end of this project should serve as a practical demonstration:

a) To the farming community of the techniques and associated costs to successfully grow Miscanthus on a commercial scale.

b) To the renewable energy industry of the practicalities of handling, storing and burning Miscanthus.

vi c) To assist in the development of the biofuel market through the establishment of an alternative fuel combustion capability.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Biofuels - sources of energy derived from non-fossilised plant matter.

Biomass - the weight of all the plant material forming a given plant population.

C4 - The term ‘C4’ refers to plants, which have an additional metabolic pathway, for the transport of carbon dioxide, in the process of photosynthesis. Plants without this extra pathway are called c3, and include all U.K. crops except maize. C4 plants photosynthesise with greater net efficiency than C3 at high light intensities and high temperatures. They may also utilise water with greater efficiency. However at low temperatures, C3 plants may often photosynthesise with greater efficiency, although there are possibilities for genetic selection of C4 plants with improved cold tolerance.

GSA - This is a Danish an acronym and refers to a specific type of acid gas cleaning system used at the Elean Power Station. It is capable of both dry and semi-dry scrubbing of acid gases (SOx and HCL etc.).

MCR - Maximum Continuous Rating; this refers to the level of any plant criteria when operating at full output. e.g., steam flow, fuel flow, air flow etc.

Miscanthus - A wide variety of Miscanthus types exist throughout the world although only a few species are available in the U.K. The most common of these and the species referred to throughout this report is Miscanthus Giganteus.

Photosynthesis - synthesis of organic compounds in green plants from water and carbon dioxide using energy absorbed by chlorophyll from sunlight.

Rhizome - underground stem, baring buds in axils of reduced scale-like leaves. Serving as means of perennation and vegetative propagation.

Vegetative - growth of plants by production of leaves, stems and roots prior to the formation of reproductive organs.

vii CONTENTS Page

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... ii Project Description ...... ii

Background ...... ii

Summary of Work and Results to Date...... ii

Plant Modifications ...... iii

Production of Miscanthus ...... iv

Next Steps...... vi

Benefits ...... vi

GLOSSARY OF TERMS...... vii

CONTENTS...... 1

INDEX OF TABLES...... 3

INDEX OF FIGURES...... 3

1.0 What is Miscanthus? ...... 4

2.0 The Elean Power Station ...... 6

2.1 The Process...... 6

2.2 Plant Performance ...... 10

2.3 Impact on Straw Production ...... 10

2.4 Miscanthus Trials...... 10

3.0 Power Station Modification ...... 11 3.1 Options Considered ...... 11

3.2. Summary of considerations...... 12

3.3. Consents ...... 13

1 3.4. Modifications 13

4.0. Establishment of Miscanthus ...... 15 4.1 Site details ...... 15

4.2. Details of seed and site preparation ...... 15

4.3. First Phase of Planting ...... 16

4.4. First Phase of Miscanthus Establishment and Growth Characteristics...... 17

4.5. Second Phase Preparation and planting ...... 17

4.6. Second Phase of Miscanthus Establishment and Growth Characteristics...... 18

4.6.1. November to April 2001 (197 to 336 days after planting)...... 19

4.6.2. May to August 2001 (336 to 427 days after planting)...... 21

4.6.3. October to November 2001 (520 to 555 days after planting)...... 21

5.0. Harvesting, Baling & Storage...... 24

6.0. Combustion Trial...... 25 6.1. Test Procedure ...... 25

6.2. Sampling and Recording Requirements ...... 26

6.3. Recorded Data...... 26

7.0 Programme...... 28

REFERENCES...... 29

APPENDIX 1 Operating Details of Ely Power Station ...... 30

APPENDIX 2 General Comparison of fuels ...... 31

APPENDIX 3 Details of subcontractors ...... 32

APPENDIX 4 Key Staff...... 33

APPENDIX 5 Grower Guidelines produced by BICAL...... 35

2 INDEX OF TABLES

Table 1. Rhizome weight variation ...... 16

Table 2. Growth Characteristics...... 18

Table 3. Assessment of Rhizomes...... 20

Table 4. Changes in shoot density between November 2000 and May 2001 ...... 21

Table 5. Change in shoot number (m -2) between June 30th and 10th November 2001...... 22

Table 6. Changes in stem height (cm) between June and November...... 22

INDEX OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Miscanthus ...... 4

Figure 2 Pattern of Branching in the growth of Rhizomes...... 5

Figure 3 Straw Delivery at Power Station Fuel Barn ...... 6

Figure 4 Schematic of Ely Power Station ...... 7

Figure 5 EPR Ely, Straw Fired Power Station ...... 9

Figure 6 Reinforced Transfer Conveying System at Ely...... 14

Figure 7 Miscanthus plot at Witcham showing Ely Power station in the background ...... 15

Figure 8 Original Planting and Replanted growth after 2 Years...... 19

Figure 9 Large Rhizome, 2001...... 20

3 1.0 What is Miscanthus

Miscanthus, sometimes called ‘elephant grass’, is a woody perennial that can be harvested annually. Because of its efficient photosynthesis mechanism, it has a higher yield potential than most other plant species grown in the UK with yields up to lOdt/ha. The crop takes approximately 3 years to mature in the UK and yields do not reach an optimum until this point. It also considered to have a low nutrient requirement and relatively low moisture content on harvest.

Figure 1. Miscanthus (ref: Wood Fuel Now, Oct 1993)

4 Miscanthus is a genus of woody, perennial grass that originated in South-East Asia. The rhizomes make up a highly branched storage system and the roots usually penetrate at least a meter into the soil. Even though much of the bellow ground growth takes place in the first year, the crop usually does not reach maturity until after two or three years. This crop does not make many demands on the soil and therefore is able to grow on different types of land.

There are 14 species within the genus Miscanthus (Hodkinson et al 1997), however only 2 or 3 species are potentially useful for biomass production. Miscanthus is indigenous to Asia, geographic range from 50°N in North Eastern Siberia to Polynesia 22° and west to Kashmir and Nepal. Four species are found in Africa (Hodkinson et al 1997).

Miscanthus was introduced into Denmark in the 1930’s from Japan, and has since found its way into the U K. as an ornamental plant. The type of miscanthus used in this study is a naturally occurring interspecific species called ‘giganteus’.

The grass has woody stems that die back in winter and in spring new growth is regenerated from buds on underground rhizomes. In the UK and continental Europe most of the research has centred on M. giganteus. This is a naturally occurring interspecific triploid (N=57) hybrid between M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis. M. giganteus is sterile and requires vegetative propagation to generate plant stocks. It possesses the C4 photosynthis pathway that makes it more efficient in the use of nitrogen and water than many temperate cereals and grasses (Brown 1978). Stems elongate very rapidly reaching 2-3 m in height in mature plants, taking several years to reach optimum yield.

A few varieties of M. sinensis have been evaluated, mainly in Europe. This species is a tufted perennial and stems grow l-2m. It is a flowering species producing an attractive flower like plume. Seeds can be fertile but present a very low level of establishment because they cannot ordinarily survive the winter conditions. However, M. sinensis is considered to be better adapted to cooler conditions than M. sacchariflorus.

Figure 2. Pattern of Branching in the growth of Rhizomes (Rutherford 1992)

5 2.0 The Elean Power Station

Elean is a 36 MW electrical generating station consuming around 200,000 tonnes of Hesston size baled straw. Situated near Ely, Cambridge it is the UK's first and only large-scale power station burning straw. It is Equipped with two large, fully enclosed, straw barns with weighbridges; automatic crane offloading and a fully automatic fuel feed system. It is a thoroughly modern Danish biomass design.

2.1 The Process

Straw is collected from farms within a fifty-mile radius of the plant. Anglian Straw Ltd manages deliveries to the plant. A truck will arrive at the power station every half an hour, the fuel is then automatically tested for moisture content and weighed as the bales are craned from the delivery trucks as shown in Figure 2. The on site barns are capable of holding a total of 2,100 tonnes of fuel, sufficient for up to four days of operation.

The process involves cranes that automatically unload and feed the fuel conveyor system, serving the twin cutters and bale shredders en route to the four screw fed stoker burners. Straw is burned on a two-stage grate. Volatiles are liberated on the initial stationary phase with the balance of combustion occurring on a secondary vibrating grate. Ten percent of the energy supply is provided by two natural gas fired burners, which are automatically controlled and provide a stabilising heat source to ensure even furnace temperatures throughout the range of straw moisture levels, as fired.

Flue gases pass through an economiser and are neutralised by lime injection prior to their passage through a bag filter to remove particulates and acid gases. The resultant fly ash is rich in potassium and phosphate salts and is the basis of an organic fertiliser.

Figure 3. Straw Delivery at Power Station Fuel Barn

6 The boiler plant is a high temperature and high-pressure water tube design. A two second residence time at temperatures in excess of 850°C is maintained to ensure complete combustion and to ensure the destruction of dioxins and furans. Steam from the boiler is superheated to 540°C and 92 bar. The superheated steam flows to a high efficiency two stage- condensing turbine. The low-pressure turbine exhaust steam is then cooled and condensed in an air-cooled condenser unit. This unit operates under vacuum at an average 70mbar varying 50 to 90mbar, winter to summer, controlled by the ambient air temperature

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Figure 4. Schematic of Ely Power Station

Electricity is generated at 11,000 volts, some of which is used to run the in-house Power Station load (for fans and pumps etc), the remainder is sent to a step up transformer for export to the grid at 33,000 volts. The parasitic, in-house load is less than 3MW and the export capacity is 36MW, varying 32 to 38 from summer to winter.

Fig 5 EPR Ely, Straw Fired Power Station

7 8 9 2.2 Plant Performance

During June and July 2000 the Ely Power Station began receiving conventional Hesston bales and undergoing commissioning. It began the final stages of reliability and performance testing early in 2001.

The Power Station passed its MCR (Maximum Continuous Rating) test and achieved a significant level of efficiency above design, from 32% design value to 35% overall.

Despite the supply problems caused by extreme wet weather in its first year, the power station continues to operate at full power, exporting electricity for 8,000 hours per yearat an availability of up to 91.3%.

2.3 Impact on Straw Production

The quantity of straw produced per year around the Ely Power Station prior to construction was: 25 mile radius approximately < 700,000 tonnes

75 mile radius approximately <4,000,000 tonnes

Three quarters of this straw was baled.

Prior to the power station around 80% of the straw was used as livestock bedding. The 200,000 tonnes of Hesston bailed straw used at the power station has reduced this figure to 75% and has had, otherwise, little impact on the overall straw market. It is hoped that the introduction of miscanthus will help to redress this small change.

2.4 Miscanthus Trials

Combustion trials will be undertaken at the Elean Power Station. The reasons for choosing this plant is firstly that Miscanthus is believed to burn in a similar fashion to straw, indeed it has a similar fuel analysis. The Power Station is strategically placed in a potential large scale growing area for both straw and miscanthus and it is currently the only suitable recipient for the Miscanthus fuel.

Full details of the miscanthus trials are provided in section 6.0.

10 3.0 Power Station Modification

To provide a suitable Miscanthus fuel supply in a form that can be readily accepted and easily burned required the fuel to be processed in some way prior to delivery to the Power Station. Two possibilities for introducing Miscanthus into the facility were evaluated. The first option was to modify the power plant to allow it to accept chopped Miscanthus. The second was to modify the bale handling facilities at the plant to allow it to handle the extra weight of the denser Miscanthus bales. For either option it was important that the modifications would prevent damage and not restrict the plant.

3.1. Options considered

The two ways of introducing Miscanthus into the facility were considered according to the form in which the material was to be presented, i.e., chopped or Hesston baled. Both methods were considered, designed and priced as suitable alternatives.

OpAbn 7 - CHOPPED MZSCAVmL#

The scope of this design extended beyond the horizon of just miscanthus. The provision of a complete facility for the acceptance of a chopped fuel would make it available for a number of other fuels such as wood chips and processed fuels such as RDF.

The chopped fuel design required the provision of a covered loading area with a 100m3 capacity storage pit, to provide capacity at weekends and periods of no delivery. Once in the pit, a horizontal auger would convey the fuel onto a series of elevating conveyors to a balancing silo (day hopper) located above the main straw feed system. From this silo, metered volumes of fuel would be fed into the central straw feed lines and into the combustion system via interlocked air sealed fire dampers.

The additional building required to house the loading area and storage pit would have required a significant change to the Planning Consent, which presented an unacceptable time delay to the project and added to the cost.

The capital cost to provide this system in its entirety was very expensive and close to the original budget of this project, £1.2m. This would have left no money to complete the rest of the miscanthus work. This option was thoroughly investigated, however, in light of the considerations outlined in section 3.2. , it was decided that the project would not go ahead with this system.

OpfroM 2 - &4EED MTSCAVZEL#

This option assessed the requirements and cost benefits of integrating baled Miscanthus into the existing straw feed system. In order to achieve satisfactory operation, the design of the entire straw fuel handling system, from reception and storage to the furnace, had to be modified. This was required to accommodate the fundamental physical differences between Miscanthus and cereal straw, i.e., the material bulk density and its abrasion characteristics.

11 The crane system and feed conveyor designs required up rating from the 650kg cereal straw bale maximum to accommodate a possible 850kg Miscanthus bale. The structures were stiffened and high specification bale breaking screws were incorporated to mitigate the possible affects of increased material abrasion.

This design did not require any special planning revisions.

The capital cost to achieve this modification was £190k.

3.2. Summary of considerations

Both options for plant modification were investigated thoroughly, with the advantages and disadvantages of each being considered. There were several key factors that were deemed to be important in choosing the most appropriate modification option. These included: the efficient use of storage, transport costs, ease of handling, impact on power plant and firing techniques, impact on control systems and fouling potential and perhaps most importantly financing options.

It was agreed that on site farm storage of bales would be easier and utilise existing straw based equipment. Storage of chopped miscanthus on a farm would be difficult, it would take up valuable land space, require covering to prevent a wind blown nuisance and protect it from heavy rainfall.

A different high-sided road transport vehicle would have to be used to carry a load of lower density. Transport cost for chopped miscanthus would therefore be much more expensive.

By moving miscanthus in bales and firing as such into the main bale burners, any combination between 0 and 100% firing of miscanthus could be theoretically achieved. The chipped fuel option would be limited to a maximum of 25% due to the existing furnace feed design.

The control system and flame protection systems for an independent chopped fuel feed supply would be much more complicated and obtaining even combustion rates across the furnace could not be guaranteed. With the potential for slagging and fouling any localised high temperature zone could prove detrimental to plant performance and availability.

Evaluation of the miscanthus combustion trial was considered to be much easier with direct comparison made between baled straw and baled miscanthus. Particularly if straw can be stored and fired from one barn whilst miscanthus is stored and fired from the other barn.

One of the most important considerations in the selection of the feed system was finance. EPRL could not obtain clearance from the project investors, within the timescale available, for the provision of an extra £1.2 million, as the market for chopped miscanthus was insufficiently established.

12 In light of these considerations it was decided that the project would go ahead with the upgraded bale handling system. The designs and costing for the chipped system have been retained should the market for chopped miscanthus develop.

Modifications for reception, transport and introduction of baled miscanthus into the combustion process with modifications to the crane and feed system, to allow denser, heavier Hesston bales were implemented during the last phase of construction of the Power Station.

3.3. Consents

The design for taking chopped miscanthus, as an alternative fuel source, had to be fully integrated with the main plant facility including the civil engineering implications, overall site layout and vehicle movements. This information was submitted to the local Planning Authority, East Cambridge District Council, for approval in mid June 1999.

Planning approval was granted in July, without any additional conditions for the use of baled miscanthus.

3.4. Modifications for the Baled System

The plant design was modified to accommodate the heavier Miscanthus bales and the equipment was installed in the spring of 2000. This included:

Upgrade of cranes and associated equipment Upgrade of conveyors and stiffening of steelwork Smart card system to differentiate bales of Miscanthus (allowing for greater flexibility) Upgrade of weighbridge

This new arrangement should allow for miscanthus in baled form to be directly fired into any of the existing four bale burners without adversely affecting combustion or output of the plant. The combustion trial will determine the effectiveness of these modifications.

13 Figure 6 Reinforced Transfer Conveying System at Ely

14 4.0 Establishment of Miscanthus

4.1 Site details

An appropriate field was selected to hold the trial plot. It is situated on the outskirts of the village of Witcham, towards the village of Mepal, in Cambridgeshire. The field is in an ideal location as it adjoins the site of the El can Straw Burning Power Station.

The field is 12hectares in total and had been in continuous wheat production for a number of years. 2 hectares of the field was set aside for the Miscanthus field trial. The soil type is a clay loam, from which the usual spectrum of agricultural broad-leaved weeds, couch grass and some wild oats were expected.

Figure 7 Miscanthus Plot at Witcham, Showing Ely Power Station In the Background (after 2nd phase of planting)

4.2 Details of seed and site preparation

Preparation of the site took place at the end of May 1999. The existing wheat crop was cut and baled for silage in order to remove all the green material that could hamper planting.

The soil was dry, as there had been very little rainfall in the preceding weeks. Moisture conservation was, therefore critical, particularly as it was late in the season for miscanthus planting.

The soil was disc harrowed five times in alternate ways in order to create some tilth. The miscanthus rhizomes needed to be in contact with fine soil particles to maximise take up of available moisture. The site was then power harrowed and rolled using a Cambridge ring roll.

The rhizomes were supplied by BICAL and were of the Giganteus variety. The rhizomes originated from the Dominican Republic and had been refrigerated en route from abroad and in

15 storage in the UK. MAFF phytosanitary requirements for cleanliness and contamination were adhered to. The weights of the rhizomes were extremely variable. A random sample of 27 rhizomes saw a variation in weight of 1 to 60g (Table 1). The average weight of the rhizome was 17.1g, and the majority of rhizomes weighed within the range 1 to 20g.

Table 1. Rhizome weight variation

Rhizome Weight 1-10g 10-20g 20-30g 30-40g 40-50g 50-60g 8 18 22 37 60 10 15 26 58 7 13 25 10 17 10 20 6 11 9 18 7 14 4 16 1 13 6

A further sample of 48 pieces was checked for size and number of buds. The mean length was 140.8mm (range 21-373mm), with a mean diameter of 7.8mm. The average rhizome and number of buds per rhizome was 1.88. No link could be observed between length of rhizome and number of buds present on the piece. There was on average 1.46 branches per piece, 42% were unbranched.

4.3. First Phase of Planting

Planting took place in May 1999, with a seed rate of 2.5 rhizome/m2 or 25000 rhizome/ha. A rear discharge, hydraulic floored muck spreader was used to plant the rhizomes, calibrated to spread the required seed rate. Calibration was calculated using the forward speed, width of spread and speed of the floor given that a box contained 400 rhizomes. The floor slatting was set at 300mm, although the recommended rate was 500mm. Gearing was adjusted at alter the bed speed to compensate.

The seed rate varied between 2 to 2.5 rhizomes/m2. This was measured by checking plant density in three positions behind the spreader:

1. Immediately behind the centre line 2. 1.5m from the left wheeltrack 3. 1.5 m from the right wheeltrack

After each pass of the spreader the rhizomes were ploughed into a depth of 10cm using a seven furrow shallow plough, in order to prevent them drying out. The time period between spreading and ploughing in was between 30 - 45 minutes. The soil was then rolled immediately to further conserve soil moisture. The previous soil cultivations made it difficult

16 to maintain direction and depth of ploughing. This has created some patches of unevenness in the tilth around the field trial. Inevitably some ends of rhizomes are left exposed.

At planting the weather conditions were 16 - 18°C, sunny with overcast periods, windy, good drying conditions. Within 5 days of planting 37mm of rain had fallen soaking the soil to a depth of 10cm.

4.4. First Phase of Miscanthus Establishment and Growth Characteristics

Monitoring from between 45 and 164 days after planting identified an emergence that continued to be patchy with some plants up to 70mm tall, but with many others less than half this height. The achieved establishment was therefore not as good as originally anticipated. The crop was sparse and would require several years to increase density sufficiently to cover the whole of the field. Plant population was not evenly spread and there were areas where no plants existed. The overall effect was unsatisfactory.

The plot had long suffered from inquisitive grazing, by hares, that were attracted to the young plants and new shoots. Weeds were recognised as a problem but their treatment at this stage was deemed unnecessary since winter was approaching they would die down naturally and those that didn ’t would help to provide some protection from frost and snow.

It was decided in February 2000 that the growth had been good in some places, patchy in others with little or no growth in the remaining areas. The main areas for concern were the centre of the field and the competition from weeds.

It was agreed that the whole plot would be re-planted with the addition of new rhizomes from a European source. BICAL were asked to present a plan ensuring best practice for site preparation and planting.

Replanting was scheduled to take place by mid April 2000, a much better time for planting. The impact of the poor initial establishment and the need for replanting of the 2 ha is that sufficient rhizomes for replanting and expanding the plantation will not be available until early 2002 and subsequently the earliest crop from that extended plantation would not be available until 2004, which is later than originally programmed for the combustion trial. However, if sufficient miscanthus crop can be obtained from alternative sources, the combustion trial is to be rescheduled to take place in 2002.

4.5. Second Phase Preparation and planting

Preparations were started earlier during this second phase in order to try to get better planting conditions. The weed killer Gramoxone and 17.17.17 fertilizer was applied in March 2000, prior to replanting, the existing rhizomes were ploughed in and the ploughed land was rolled. Planting of the new miscanthus rhizomes took place in May 2000 at a rate of approximately 3 rhizomes/m2 and ploughed in with a shallow plough to 2-4 inches deep. The land was rolled with a tractor on terra tyres. This was undertaken four weeks later than planned due to the poor weather conditions.

17 Grower guidelines were produced by BICAL, this provided the basis for the growing and tending regime (Appendix 5).

4.6. Second Phase of Miscanthus Establishment and Growth Characteristics

Monitoring between 35 and 79 days after planting (June and July2000) showed the replanting exercise had been successful. Growth had been successfully established and the field was in better shape overall than in the previous year. Rainfall was high over the spring, which may have affected growth. The plant population was about 0.5 plants/m 2, this was variable over the site.

Progress between days 79 and 196 (July and September) was encouraging, all plants looked healthy and vigorous with no evidence of disease. There was no significant change in the number of plants but shoot height had increased from 39cm to 100cm, an average of 0.9 cm per day. Some fully emerged leaves were more than 100cm in length and 2.5 cm wide, at mid leaf point. There are many young shoots present.

There were still bare patches in the field; with the main areas of concern being the centre of the field, the northern edge along the hedge and the main entry point of the field. There were many un-germinated rhizomes half submerged and lying on top of the soil in the bare patches. There were plants still emerging, but the majority of the plants are in the range of 1.0 - 15 m tall.

Table 2. Growth Characteristics

Date of Measurement July 22nd September 27th Plants m2 0.33 0.33 Shoots m2 0.56 3.68 Height cm 39.1 100.4

18 Figure 8 Shows Original Planting and Re-Planted Growth after 2 years (Yardstick shown is to a height of 1.35m)

4.6.1 November to April 2001 (197 to 336 days after planting) From November to April the site remained wet for most of the winter. There was extensive surface ponding, some ponding was present over a significant period of time as algae were present in the puddles. This did not appear to effect growth considerably as plants were found to be growing even in areas that had been waterlogged during the winter.

Most plants showed evidence of frost damage to shoots and a small number of non-labeled plants were in a poor condition. These plants were generally small.

A rhizome assessment was carried out during this period. Six rhizomes were dug from random points in the field. The plants were selected as single stand plants. Rhizomes were washed to remove soil and weighed to obtain fresh weight. Four plants were dried in an oven at 80°C and dry weight determined. Two plants were kept whole and the number of shoots were counted. The rhizomes were photographed. The purpose of the assessment was to establish the rhizome size and weight one growing season after replanting. At replanting in 2000 the fresh weight and dry weight of thirty pieces of rhizome were measured.

The assessment can only be compared with caution to the earlier measurement because the rhizomes dug in 2001 were of two different ages (1999 & 2000) but it does give a general indication of how much the rhizomes had grown during the year.

19 Figure 9. Large Rhizome 2001

Table 3. Assessment of Rhizomes

Rhizome Fresh weight (g) Dry weight (g) Moisture % 1 734 9 155.7 78 8 2 32E3 73.1 77.2 3 463 4 102.4 77.8 4 232.2 47.5 79 5

5a 147.6 - -

6a 6892 - - MEAN 431.4 94? 78]P a photographed plants b average of 4 plants

A shoot assessment was carried out and winter survival assessed from plants tagged in the autumn of 2000. The number of plants in each plot was counted and the number of shoots present was determined from 5 plants on each plot.

20 Table 4. Changes in shoot density between November 2000 and May 2001

Measurement September 2000 May 2001 Plants m2 0.33 0.31 Shoots m2 169 2.68

In November 2000 thirty live plants were labelled in order to assess their over winter survival. In April all of these plants were found to be growing, this is encouraging since a number of the plants were located in areas that had been waterlogged during the winter. A plant count confirmed this result; the plant population was approximately 0.3m2 table 4.

4.6.2. Mayto August 2001 (336 to 427 days after planting) In May the shoot height averaged 64 cm but there was a threefold difference between the shortest and tallest shoots. In June there was a 21% increase in the number of shoots recorded. Stem height had also increased.

Shoot numbers continued to grow into August, with an increase of 19% recorded. Stem height also increased by an average of 36%. Weeds were identified as a continuing problem and walking within the crop had become difficult. Insects and butterflies were abundant, feeding on the flowers and weeds. There was a covey of partridge and a few pheasants in the field.

4.6.3. October to November 2001 (520 to 555 days after planting) By October a high proportion of plants in the field are starting to flower. All accept one of the marked plants have flowering stems.

Stem height has increased by an average of 38% and there has been a small increase in the number of shoots since the last measurements.

In November, the soil surface was moist and there are small areas of waterlogging in the lower part of the field.

Most of the larger weeds were dying but there were many small seedlings that may require control before next year. Small birds were feeding on the seeds. Game birds were using the field as cover.

There was no change in shoot number since the last measurement in October and the shoot population has stabilized at 9.2m "2. The plant population, however, was still 0.31per m2, this is much lower than anticipated. It would appear that the plants that have established are doing well, but some areas are sparse where there is still a weed problem. So the main problem still appears to be the rate and evenness of establishment.

Stem height had increased, the measurement of stem height was made on the tallest stem on the plant and these are normally those that have a flower; non-flowering stems were about 60cm shorter.

21 Table 5. Changes in shoot number (m 2) between June 30th and 10th November 2001

Measurement/date June 30th July 21st August 18th October 6th November 10th Shoot m -2 6.2 7.5 8.9 9.3 9.2

Table 6. Changes in stem height (cm) between June and November

Area 1 2 3 Average June 30th 68 47 47 54 July 21st 99 89 63 84 August 18th 130 108 105 114 October 6th 194 183 178 185 November 10th 199 222 212 211

22 Misca nth n s Gr

350

300

^ — ------#

250 E o ■C O) "53 200 e^e X ■ y E /

|* 7 50 / / / / 0 4 >

D 50 1(DO 1'50 2(DO 2'50 3(DO 3'50 4( DO 4' 50 5(DO 5'50 6(DO

Days After Planting

23 5.0 Harvesting, Baling & Storage

The objectives of this part of the project are to provide commentary on the various harvesting, baling, transport and storage aspects of baled miscanthus. There will also be an evaluation of how miscanthus compares with conventional straw bales in terms of:

• Ease of baling • Baled density • Baled moisture • Ease of handling at the power station • Ability of cutter for feeding the furnace • Burning rates

Further work will be undertaken, as a logistical study, into the likely storage and transport costs of miscanthus and the cost sensitivity to moisture levels

Work is continuing on this aspect of the programme, which has unfortunately been delayed due to replanting of the miscanthus rhizomes. Further, the trial plot itself will not provide sufficient miscanthus for the combustion trial; this difficulty will hopefully be overcome by harvesting miscanthus that is currently growing on a variety of other sites in the area around the Elean Power Station.

Some harvesting of these other plots was undertaken in October 2001 using a mower conditioner and rape swathe, with baling undertaken within a few weeks of this. The swathe left stubble that ranged from 10-20 cm tall. To date the yield has not been confirmed but has been estimated to be between 7-9 t/ha. Material is currently being collected ready for the combustion trial.

There is currently between 8 and 12 hectares of miscanthus available that can provide material for the trial burn. These sites include EPRL's site at Mepal, ADAS sites at Mepal, Elton and Boxworth plus an Anglian Straw site in Peterborough. This will produce between 30 to 40 tonnes of material. Bales will be collected on site and, if possible, stored on site in one of the adjacent barns. The fuel delivery costs will be estimated using existing data on these three sites.

While harvesting, trailers, balers and lorries used to handle straw can cause soil compaction, particularly in a wet year. Compaction can have a major impact on yield that may not be possible to remedy in one year, leading to loss in yield for two or even three years. It will be important to ensure that this impact is minimised, as far as is practicable, for the trial plot as miscanthus is a limited resource which cannot be easily replaced or improved. Harvesting of the trial plot has therefore not been undertaken as yet due to current weather conditions. Harvesting is however anticipated for early March, weather permitting.

24 6.0 Combustion Trial

The objectives of the Combustion Trial are:

• To confirm that Miscanthus in baled format can provide a practical and cost effective method of fuel handling

• To confirm the combustion of Miscanthus in commercial quantities does not impose any operational constraints, or result in adverse financial impact. This will be achieved by substituting up to 50% of the total straw feed to the plant, for the duration of the burning trial. Using up to 50% miscanthus in the fuel for the test period is appropriate as this is the maximum proportion of miscanthus EPR foresee using in the fuel during normal plant operation.

Sufficient stocks of Miscanthus are being amassed and full-scale combustion trials will be undertaken at the end of March 2002. The trial plot itself will not produce enough miscanthus for the trial burn; therefore miscanthus will be harvested from various other sites nearby the Elean Power Station. Material already harvested is currently being stored on hard-standings near the trial plot sight. March has been chosen as the best time to undertake the combustion trial, since this is when the amount of miscanthus available is likely to be at a maximum. Completing the trial at this time will also allow the trial plot to be harvested in suitable weather conditions prior to the trial burn.

The trial burn should demonstrate that miscanthus is a suitable alternative fuel for the Power Station, that it can be harvested, baled, transported and handled by the plant equipment in the same way as straw. It is hoped that the trail burn will also confirm that miscanthus is comparable to straw in terms of maintaining plant efficiency and out put. Performance of the plant, particularly in terms of efficiency and emissions, will be continually monitored and the results trended to identify any deleterious affects resulting from the introduction of Miscanthus. Additionally, any abnormal plant disruption, additional manpower requirements or evidence of poor combustion will be reported.

It is proposed that sufficient miscanthus is to be provided for a standard combustion test, using a combination of power station straw and miscanthus on a nominal 50:50 basis. This allows one barn free to supply normal straw and the other barn to supply only miscanthus. On the basis that 10 odt (12 actual tones), of miscanthus per hour will be required.

A 50:50 split represents the maximum acceptable firing ratio, on a batch basis, that the Ely plant could reasonably maintain and should provide sufficient proof of at least a 20% Annual Capability. Splitting the fuel to separate barns will save on logistic problems of storage and handling within the barn. Further, a 50:50 split will allow direct comparison of conventional straw and miscanthus at all stages up to combustion.

6.1. Test Procedure

The combustion test will be undertaken generally in accordance with DIN 1942, a Europe wide accepted test code, for a minimum period of three hours continuous duration (as long as

25 sufficient fuel is available). This will require the supply of at least 40 odt of miscanthus in the fuel barn and will be provided well in advance to be ready for use. The plant will be maintained for a period of several hours on conventional straw prior to change over to duel fuel firing. At MCR any changes in output, fuel requirements or operating conditions are unlikely to occur for any protracted period but operation on duel fuel shall be continued for thirty minutes prior to the start of the test. The test shall continue until the miscanthus runs out and the plant is forced to return to full straw firing, this should provide approximately four hours operating data. Data logging should continue for a further hour to record how the boiler recovered and any impacts on performance due to the miscanthus when compared with the pre test values.

6.2. Sampling and Recording Requirements

• Plant - Data shall be continuously recorded by the plant plc system during the test and printed out at the end. A steady operating period of three hours shall be selected from the data and used for analysis.

• Fuel - Fuel shall be sampled from both the straw and miscanthus on a regular basis during the test and aggregated (independently), for the analysis period.

• Ash - Samples shall be taken and aggregated in the same manner.

• Emissions - Data shall be recorded and trended showing IPC requirements before, during and after the trial.

6.3. Recorded Data

The following trended and manually recorded data shall be reported: -

Steam Flow tph Pressure bar Temperature oC

Feed water Flow tph Pressure bar Temperature oC

Blow down rate (if applicable) % of steam flow Total Air Flow m3/h Air Temperature oC Air Humidity kg/kg dry air (or rh) Fuel tonnages (from crane) tonnes Moisture %wt Economiser Gas Exit Temperature oC Economiser Gas Exit Oxygen % vol Fly ash collected tonnes Bottom ash collected tonnes

26 Electrical Export Gross MWe Electrical Export Net MWe Plant power load MWe

Plant Emissions NOx mg/Nm3 at 11% O2 ref SOx HCL CO Particulates

Laboratory Analysis:

Conventional Straw Ultimate Analysis + GCV/NCV Miscanthus Ultimate Analysis + GCV/NCV Fly Ash Analysis Carbon in ash/loss on ignition Bottom Ash Analysis Carbon in ash/loss on ignition

The trial burn will generate data and information to allow Miscanthus to be compared with straw as an alternative fuel. The trial burn should allow for the identification of any variations to normal plant operation that could improve its efficiency when accepting Miscanthus.

If Miscanthus is found to be a suitable fuel for use in plants similar to Elean, it could not only underpin the fuel resource potential for this existing plant, but also open up this potential energy resource for further biomass plant development in the UK. The use of this fuel would reduce the dependency and risks associated with the use of only one fuel type. It could potentially allow alternative periods of the year for harvesting, when equipment is not being utilised elsewhere.

27 7.0 Programme

The following programme was established before the start of the growing trials and has been adjusted to allow for the replanting of the trial plot. The end date was notionally kept the same since a four-year period was seen as sufficient to meet the project objectives.

Activity 1999 2000 2001 2002 Quarter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Power Station Modification *** *** *** *** Establishment *** Weed Control *** *** *** *** *** General Agronomy *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Monitoring Growth *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Harvesting *** *** *** Storage & Transport *** *** *** Combustion Trial ** *

START COMPLETION

Shaded Area Represents Completion Status

Start Date: April 1999 Due Completion Date: May 2003 Project Duration Four Years

28 References:

Brown R A (1978). A difference in N use efficiency in C3 and C4 plants and its implication in adaptation and evolution. Crop Science.

Christian D G & A B Riche. (1999). Establishing fuel specifications of non-wood biomass crops. Department of Energy Contract Report B/U1/00612/REP. Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU), Harwell, Oxford, UK.

Christian D G, A R Riche & N E Yates MC. (1999). Monitoring growth and yield of crops grown as biofuels. Department of Energy Contract Report B/W2/00548/11/REP. Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU), Harwell, Oxford, UK.

Hodkinson T R , Renvoize S A & Chase M W. (1997) Systematics of miscanthus. In Bullard M J; Ellis R G; Heath M C; Knight J D; Lainsbury M A & Parker S R (eds), Biomass and energy crops. Aspects of Applied Biology, 1997.

Rutherford & MC Heath. (1992). The potential of miscanthus as a fuel crop. Department of EnergyContract Report B 1354. Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU), Harwell, Oxford, UK.

FEC Ltd (1988) Straw Firing of Industrial Boilers. Department of Energy Contract Report ETSUB 1158. . Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU), Harwell, Oxford, UK.

Garstang J.R. (1994). The Analysis of Straw. ADAS Cambridge. Department of Energy Contract Report B/M3/00388/39/REP. Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU), Harwell, Oxford, UK.

29 APPENDIX 1

OPERATING DETAILS OF ELY POWER STATION

Name: Elean Power Station

Location: Sutton near Ely, Cambridge

Site Size: approximately 4.5 ha (10 acres)

Technology: FLS miljo Vibrating Grate / Whole bale burner

Main Furnace Temperature: 850°C

Number of Furnace Lines: 4 feed lines to separate burners on a single furnace

Plant Capacity: 200,000 tonnes of straw per year plus 10% Natural Gas by energy Input

Net Electricity Output: 36 MWe Normal, 38 MWe Winter Condition

Net Thermal Input 103 MW thermal, Normal

Overall Cycle Efficiency 35.0%

Steam Turbine: 2 stage condensing

Steam Conditions: 92 bar/540°C

Cooling: Air-cooled condenser

Stack Height: 43.5m

Plant Residue: Potash and phosphate rich ash

Emissions: IPC ref. S2 1.05 Limits Typical

Particulates < 25 mg/m3 < 1 mg/m3 SOx <300 mg/m3 60 mg/m3 NOx <300 mg/m3 250 mg/m3 HCL < 30 mg/m3 18 mg/m3 CO < 250 mg/m3 120 mg/m3

30 APPENDIX 2

GENERAL COMPARISON OF FUELS

Fuel Type Typical Straw Miscanthus Coal Wheat & Barley Anticipated Daw Mill

Proximate Analysis, as received

Moisture % range 11.8-22.4 12-25 % Ave 16.2 16.0 7.2

Ash % range 3.2-8.2 As Straw % Ave 5.5 5.5 6.2

Volatile Matter % range 57.2-69.7 As Straw % Ave 63.5 62.5 34.1

Fixed Carbon % range 14.8-16.0 As Straw % Ave 15.2 16.0 50.5

Ultimate Analysis, dry basis Range Range Average

Carbon % by weight 40.9-48 43-48 68.7 Hydrogen % by weight 5.3-6.4 5.6-6.2 4.5 Nitrogen % by weight 0.3-0.9 0.2-0.6 1.1 Chloride % by weight 0.1-0.6 0.2-0.9 N.D. Sulphur % by weight 0.2-0.4 0.02-0.40 1.5 Oxygen (by difference) % by weight 36.9-39.1 38-42 8.8

GCV dry basis kJ/kg 17,840-18,600 18,000-20,000 31,057 GCV dry ash free kJ/kg 19,260-19,600 19,500-20,500 33,110

Ash Fusion Temperatures

Initial Deformation Temp °C 800-1400 1000-1150 1225 Hemisphere Temp °C 930-1430 1200-1350 1265 Fluid Temp °C 1100-1440 1300+ 1320

Note: Ash content, due to soil inclusions, mayvary considerably according to ground conditions at time of harvesting.

31 APPENDIX 3

DETAILS OF CONTRACTORS

Energy Power Resources Ltd. Energy Power Resources is a leading UK developer of renewable energy projects. It has a proven track record and a diverse portfolio; including chicken litter, straw and wood burning projects. Currently, EPR has two biofuel power stations constructed and in operation with three further schemes at planning approval stage.

Northern Straw Northern Straw is the largest specialist straw baling contractor and trader in the UK, baling approximately 100,000 tpa. The company, formed almost 20 years ago, is based in Goole, East Yorkshire and employs @ 40 staff. Northern Straw’s Managing Director and co-founder is David Johnson a very well known figure in the industry and the President Elect of the UK Hay and Straw Merchants Association. Over the years Northern Straw has undertaken and contributed to a number of research studies on the straw market and its utilisation, including ETSU report B/M4/00487/16/REP

Anglian Straw Ltd. Anglian Straw is a subsidiary of EPR Ely and is the UK’s largest biofuel logistics company. The company specialises in providing ‘just in time’ deliveries of biomass, particularly straw, from farmers and suppliers to end users such as energy producers.

IACR — Rothamsted The Institute of Arable Crops Research (IACR) has three main research laboratories and three research units. The Institute is grant supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

IACR’s scientific objective is the provision of basic information for improvement of yield consistency, quality, production efficiency and competitiveness of major arable crops in sympathy with environmental considerations.

The Institute ’s multidisciplinary expertise operates from cellular level to field studies. The staff complement is about 800 with 500 working at Rothamsted.

Annual income is about £27M of which about 40% is derived from non-government sources i.e., industry levy boards and European Commission funds.

Bical Bical was established by a group of West Country farmers in England 1998. Bical offers a practical understanding of establishing and marketing this crop, with its own well qualified technical staff and agronomists. It also employs a team of practical farmer members who visit all new growers and provide a close, practical based advisory service on each and every farm.

32 APPENDIX 4

KEY STAFF

John Hewson: EPR Ely Project Director Qualifications: MSc Energy Engineering BSc Environmental Science

Previous Experience: John lives in East Anglia and was specifically recruited by EPR to deliver the £60m Ely Straw Power Station Project. He was responsible for negotiating the contracts associated with the scheme and managed the project through to financial close and he continued to be involved with the project throughout its construction phase. He is responsible for the establishment of Anglian Straw, which is the UK’s largest straw logistic company. Before joining EPR, John worked for AEP, the development arm of Compagnie Generale des Eaux, the world ’s largest operator of EFW plants. As Project Manager he spent 6 years developing MSW Waste to Energy and Biomass plants. Prior to this, he spent 10 years working for a leading environmental consultancy group, culminating in the project management of two landmark Refuse Derived Fuel power plants.

Dudley Christian: IACR Project Leader Qualification: BSc

Previous Experience: Dudley is project leader on energy crops research at Rothamsted Experimental Station. He has been conducting research on herbaceous energy crops since 1993. He has participated in the EU funded Miscanthus network and currently in both the EU funded Miscanthus Improvement Programme and the EU Switchgrass Evaluation Project. He has also participated in a number of ETSU funded projects. Prior to these he conducted research on soil cultivation, agronomy of cereals and cover crops, control of volunteer cereals and the dynamics of N uptake in barley. He has a BSc. in agriculture and HND in agricultural engineering.

Robert Newman: EPR Ltd., Technical Manager Qualifications: BSc Mech Engineering

Previous Experience: Robert has over 30 years experience in engineering, with the last 20 years being directly involved in energy and design. As a senior engineer he has specific expertise in combustion, fuels, fuel handling, control systems, the efficient use of energy and has designed and built energy systems world wide.

Amber Jenkins: EPR Ltd., Energy Development Executive Qualifications: BSc Environmental Geology

Previous Experience: Amber has sound experience in environmental engineering, spending the last 5 years directly involved in renewable energy development, particularly in biomass

33 applications on a variety of scales. Amber is currently completing her MSc in Renewable Energy Technology with CREST at Loughborough University and is specialising in biomass fuels and technology. Amber joined EPRL in December 2000 and has a role that covers areas such as plant procurement, project development, and the preparation of IPPC applications and Environmental Impact Assessments. She currently manages several grant-aided biomass (energy crop) projects and is part of the team developing a biomass project in the South West of England.

Nigel Viney: Director European Renewables Ltd. Project Manager Qualifications: H.N.D Agriculture

Previous Experience: Nigel has been involved in agricultural merchandising since leaving Shuttleworth Agricultural College. He gained a wide experience dealing with all aspects of arable farming and trading, whilst working for Sidney C. Banks plc Five years ago, Nigel progressed to become Arable Manager for Banks Agriculture. During this period he was responsible for the overall management of that company’s involvement in both wood and straw firing of power stations.

Nigel is a Director of European Biofuels Ltd. and European Renewables Ltd.

34 APPENDIX 5

GROWER GUIDELINES PRODUCED BY BICAL

Management plan for ETSU site at Mepal

This plan outlines a proposed course of action to produce a commercial quality stand of Miscanthus as a demonstration facility at the Mepal site, Cambridgeshire. The stand shall have a minimum plant population of one plant per m2, as agreed, planned to be achieved, (and confirmed by independent assessment of emergence,) in May 2003.

The proposed actions have been divided into two areas, remedial work on the current stand, and maintenance work following this action.

This work is to be carried out once above ground growth has become dormant, it is proposed this would occur alter November, but a decision will be made based on grown during this growing season.

• Harvest of above ground cane, to be baled and stored in the field for collection by EPR Ltd.

• Herbicide application to remove residual weed populations.

• Cultivation of the demonstration area to re-establish current stands in homogenous manner, the area will then be rolled to ensure soil-rhizome contact Additional rhizomes will be established if appropriate.

Maintenance work

• Agronomic inputs of fertilisers and agrochemicals will be determined by visits to the site, and presented in a detailed programme giving required compounds, rates and time of application.

• Crop diary maintained for all inputs into the crop, to be supplied if requested when demonstration facility is used.

• Access to BICAL telephone help line and technical staff for advice on me maintenance of the site to commercial standards,

Lead Director; DrJ.P.ACarver.

35