Rees, Stephen (2010) The potential for utilising disturbed and contaminated sites for the production of willow short rotation coppice forestry. MSc(R) thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1888/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the Author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Potential for Utilising Disturbed and Contaminated Sites for the Production of Willow Short Rotation Coppice Forestry Stephen Rees MEnvS University of Strathclyde BSc (Hons) University of Wales, Swansea Submitted in fulfilment for the degree of MSc to the Chemistry Department, University of Glasgow, July 2008 © Stephen Rees, July 2008 1 Er cof am Dadcu a Mamgu annwyl Mr William Jones ‘Will Typicca’ & Mrs Lilwen May Jones ‘Mam’ “A garwyd mewn bywyd, a drysorir mewn cof” Also in memory of Mrs Mary Campbell and Ollie 2 3 CONTENTS LIST Page DECLARATION............................................................................................................. 18 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... 19 ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 1 - THE RECLAMATION AND RESTORATION OF DISTURBED AND CONTAMINATED INDUSTRIAL SITES......................................................... 22 1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 22 1.2 Background History to the Restoration and Reclamation of Disturbed and Contaminated Industrial Sites....................................................................................... 23 1.3 The New Contaminated Land Regime: Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990........................................................................................................................ 26 1.4 Guidelines Used to Determine Whether Land is to be Classed as Contaminated in the UK........................................................................................................................... 27 1.5 Treatment Technologies Currently Employed for the Restoration and Remediation of Contaminated and Disturbed Industrial Sites ........................................................... 31 1.6 Willow Short Rotation Forestry.............................................................................. 36 1.7 Using Willow Short Rotation Coppice to Phytoremediate Contaminated Sites..... 40 1.8 Additional Opportunities from Growing Willow Short Rotation Coppice on Disturbed and Contaminated Industrial Sites ............................................................... 43 1.8.1 Site Enhancement & Stabilisation .................................................................... 44 1.8.2 Sewage Sludge Disposal................................................................................... 45 1.8.3 Carbon Sequestration........................................................................................ 46 1.8.4 Amenity and Wildlife Havens .......................................................................... 47 1.8.5 Reduced Management Costs............................................................................. 48 1.9 Conditions Required For the Successful Establishment and Growth of Willow Short Rotation Coppice................................................................................................. 48 1.9.1 Site Selection and Preparation .......................................................................... 49 1.9.2 Planting ............................................................................................................. 49 4 1.9.3 Weed control..................................................................................................... 51 1.9.4 Fertilisation and Irrigation ................................................................................ 52 1.9.5 Harvesting......................................................................................................... 53 1.10 An Evaluation of the Potential End-Uses for Willow Short Rotation Coppice.... 54 1.10.1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 54 1.10.2 Existing and Potential End Uses for Willow SRC Biomass........................... 56 1.10.3 Energy Related uses - Bioenergy.................................................................. 57 (i) Direct Combustion ................................................................................................ 58 (ii) Gasification.......................................................................................................... 60 (iii) Pyrolysis.............................................................................................................. 61 (iv) District Heating................................................................................................... 62 (v) Fuel Cells ............................................................................................................. 63 (vi) Non-Thermal Conversion Processes................................................................... 63 (vii) Combined heat and Power (CHP)...................................................................... 64 (viii) Densified Fuels/ Briquetting/ Pellets ................................................................ 65 (ix) Green Electricity ................................................................................................. 66 1.10.4. Non-Energy Related Activities...................................................................... 67 (i) Biomass Refining.................................................................................................. 67 (ii) Feedstock for the Forest Product Industry........................................................... 67 (iii) Other varied and miscellaneous uses.................................................................. 67 (iv) Combined Projects .............................................................................................. 68 1.10.5 Conclusions..................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 2 - ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD TRIAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 77 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 77 2.2 The Field Trial ........................................................................................................ 78 2.2.1 The History of the Hallside Steelworks Site..................................................... 78 2.2.2 The Proposal ..................................................................................................... 80 2.2.3 The Solution...................................................................................................... 81 2.3 The Hallside Field Trial.......................................................................................... 86 5 (i) The effect of weed control treatments upon the SRC yield. ................................................................................................................................... 86 (ii) The use of inorganic fertiliser to promote coppice growth and subsequent yields. ................................................................................................................................... 87 (iii) The implication of stool spacing upon yields. .................................................... 87 (iv) The influence of coppicing upon yield................................................................ 87 2.4 Fertiliser Application .............................................................................................. 98 2.5 Weed Control.......................................................................................................... 98 2.6 Measurements & Harvesting................................................................................. 100 2.7 Additional Clone Testing...................................................................................... 102 2.8 Growing Medium Analysis................................................................................... 107 2.8.1 Sample Collection, Preparation and Analysis................................................. 107 2.9 Heavy Metal Analysis of the Plant Tissue............................................................ 108 2.9.1 Sample Collection, Preparation and Analysis................................................. 108 2.10 Preparation of Calibration Standards.................................................................. 108 CHAPTER 3 - RESULTS ............................................................................................ 111 3.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................