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SUMMARY:The European potential to produce Bio-energy: Miscanthus potential
  for current and future climates - Mr Astley Hastings - University of Aber
 deen
DTSTART:20090205T160000Z
DTEND:20090205T170000Z
UID:TALK16078@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:3901
DESCRIPTION:Using bio-fuels\, such as bio-ethanol or bio-diesel in transpo
 rtation\, or biomass in power generation reduces CO2 emissions as the carb
 on is fixed by the plants from the atmosphere and saves the equivalent fos
 sil fuel.  The perennial rhizomatous C4 grass Miscanthus has one of the hi
 ghest energy intensities per hectare of land in Europe. Here we model the 
 future potential of Europe to produce Miscanthus with four different futur
 e land use and climate change scenarios and conclude that up to 17% of Eur
 ope’s current primary energy consumption could be provided by this bio-e
 nergy crop by the year 2080 but that inter-annual variation of crop yield 
 can be more than 20%. We conclude that that the highest greenhouse gas mit
 igation from bio-energy can be achieved by growing a Miscanthus crop on ex
 isting fertile and degraded arable land and not on land with a currently u
 ndisturbed ecosystem. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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