What is shrub willow?
Shrub willow is a short-rotation woody crop that provides multiple bioenergy products and environmental benefits, especially in more northern climates where other energy crops do not grow as well. They grow very well on underutilized and marginal fallow land and can improve soil conditions and microbial diversity.
Is willow an energy crop?
Willow can produce large quantities of renewable green energy. Growing willow for energy contributes to sustainable development in rural communities. Willow yields a fuel that can be stored until needed, and then used to generate heat and/or electricity. Energy crops are generally high yielding and carbon neutral.
What is Salix crop?
Salix alba var. caerulea (Sm.) Sm.; Salix caerulea Sm.) is grown as a specialist timber crop in Britain, mainly for the production of cricket bats, and for other uses where a tough, lightweight wood that does not splinter easily is required.
Why do farmers grow willow trees?
Not only can willow provide farmers with an income on land that may not have returned a penny, there are plenty of other benefits: Horizontal growing roots help reduce soil erosion and improve soil infiltration. Can generate income from poor quality land, so is a good diversification option.
What does a willow shrub look like?
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, are a genus of deciduous trees or shrubs, Salix, comprising 400 species. Gardeners love them for their long, slender and often drooping branches, which look like strings of leaves, often silver or green but of many other colors too.
Is Willow sustainable?
Willow is a renewable and sustainable crop annually harvested from a stump in withy beds. It is the ultimate green product absorbing carbon from the atmosphere as it grows.
Is Salix alba dioecious?
White willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Its twigs are slender, flexible and grey-brown in colour.
How long does Salix alba live?
Salix alba L. (white willow) is a fast-growing dioecious broadleaved tree. It is one of the largest of the willow species and can reach heights of up to 30 m and a diameter of 1 m or more1. It is not long lived: usually surviving only 20-30 years2.
Is willow good for biofuel?
Willow is particularly effective in producing biomass – giving up to 15 or more tonnes of oven-dried material per hectare per year, with relatively small inputs of labour, fertiliser etc. It can be grown on soil that is not suitable for arable or pasture.
How do you make money growing willow?
Growers are selling dormant willow stems to florists for arrangements, as live cuttings for plantings, and as value-added products such as furniture and crafts. Willow stems are sold directly to crafters, at farmer’s markets, to retail and wholesale florists, even on the internet.
Is there a difference between a willow tree and a weeping willow tree?
Most varieties of willows grow best in full sunlight. While some smaller shrub willows grow well in mass plantings as hedges and borders, weeping willows prefer open areas that provide an abundance of light, although they can grow in very light shade.
Are algae biofuels a viable alternative to fossil fuels?
Algae biofuels may provide a viable alternative to fossil fuels; however, this technology must overcome a number of hurdles before it can compete in the fuel market and be broadly deployed.
What is the importance of algal biofuels?
Importance & challenges of algal biofuels. The global economy requires fossil hydrocarbons to function, from producing plastics and fertilizers to providing the energy required for lighting, heating and transportation. With our increasing population and expanding economy, there will be increased fossil fuel use.
How fast does algae produce biomass?
Algae can produce biomass very rapidly, with some species doubling in as few as 6 h, and many exhibiting two doublings per day [16,17]. All algae have the capacity to produce energy-rich oils, and a number of microalgal species have been found to naturally accumulate high oil levels in total dry biomass [18].
How much oil does algae production require?
In 2008, the USA alone required 19,497,950 barrels of oil per day [32]. For algae, or any other biofuel feedstock, to impact this number, significant acreage must be dedicated to production facilities, with estimates suggesting that 30 million acres will be required to meet US oil demand.