Energy crop

An energy crop is a plant domesticated for use in agriculture or is produced as a harvest to be used to make biofuels or to exploit its energy content.

Dendro energy

Dendro energy is energy generated by burning plants grown for the purpose. Energy crops are used for firing power plants, either alone or in combination with other fuels such as waste wood, oils, and coal. Alternatively they may be used for direct heat production.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology can be used to improve the plants, so they can yield more to produce biofuel, their cultivation cost less, uses less water, they are fast-growing or grow quicker.

Energy crops and anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digesters are either fed with biodegradable waste materials or can be supplemented with energy crops. Energy crops can also be grown to generate biogas directly from high yield crops or to boost gas yields where feedstocks have a low energy content.

Biobutanol

Energy crops for biobutanol are grasses.

See also

• Agricultural byproduct
• Anaerobic digestion
• Biobutanol
• Biodiesel
• Bioethanol
• Biogas
• Short rotation coppice
• Short rotation forestry
• Vegoil
• Switchgrass

External links

• Center for New Crops & Plant Products, at Purdue University.
• http://www.treepower.org/
• http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/bioen96/graham2.html
• http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=36456
• http://crop.scijournals.org/
• http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/ National Non Food Crops Centre

Ceresis the leading developer of dedicated energy crops, such as switch grass and miscanthus