Assessment of Comminuted Biomass Behaviour during Arundo Donax Storage

Arundo donax L. belongs to Poaceae family and is a perennial grass. Giant reed is one of the most promising crops for energy production in the Mediterranean climate of Europe and Africa, where it has shown advantages as an indigenous crop, with a durable yield and sufficient resistance to long drought periods. In the last years Arundo donax L. has represented an important attractive as bioenergy source. Several studies have been carried out to improve the destruction of the lignocellulosic fraction and facilitate the sugar release with scope to bioethanol production. On the other hand, few experiences on storage of A. donax biomass have been carried out. Little is known about the specific environmental factors that regulate A. donax growth, phenological changes and seasonality of storage that may affect its suitability as energetic source. However, the calorific value depends to the storage period and is also affected by fertilization and plant density. In order to improve knowledge on giant reed and to foster the diffusion of energy crops in cropping systems, the study is based on different types of storage and assessment of biomass behavior.