Possible feedstock The wetland reed could be eradicated by harvesting it for methane production
RIDGETOWN, Ont. – Researchers at the University of Guelph’s Ridge-town Campus hope to put an invasive weed to good use.
Environmental engineer Brandon Gilroyed and masters’ candidate Kurtis Baute are working with phragmites australis, a wetland reed species native to parts of Europe and Asia. It is now found throughout the Great Lakes region, often in such abundance that indigenous species are choked out.
“Wherever you have something that grows that well, heaven or hell, it may be that there’s some potential in it,” Gilroyed said.
Read Also
Working groups established to address challenges in the containerized and bulk movement of commodities
CN is working with the pulse and special crops sector on resolving challenges in shipping those commodities.
Gilroyed and Baute are focused on the plant’s possible use as a feedstock for methane production. It would be harvested green, mixed with other material such as manure, and put through an anaerobic digestion process.
“This is exploratory right now. We’re working at the beaker stage,” Gilroyed said.
Phragmites could also be used as a source of dry biomass for combustion. A Manitoba company has expressed interest in using it as a feedstock for pyrolysis to make bio-oil and bio-char.
Baute said there’s currently more interest among researchers in North America in finding ways to eradicate the species.
In some cases it’s been removed using a combination of rolling, burning and herbicides, but the species is a tough customer.
“My personal view is that we will probably never completely eradicate it from Ontario,” Baute said.
In Eastern Europe, specialized tracked equipment is used to harvest the plant for thatched roof construction and, to a small extent, as a source of biomass. It thrives in wetlands, including areas of shallow, brackish water.
“That’s one reason why you see it along the roads. We suspect there’s salt from the roads in the ditches,” Baute said.
Baute and a couple of summer students harvested small patches of phragmites in three locations, including the Walpole Island First Nation, located within the delta at the mouth of the St. Clair River.
There are 2,600 acres of phragmites on the First Nation, where it’s viewed as an ecosystem threat.
Baute said eradication isn’t likely, but it may be possible to manage the species with a regular harvest and derive a benefit at the same time.
Data collected last year shows phragmites will produce a yield between those for switchgrass and miscanthus, two purpose-grown biomass crops produced in Canada.
“I’ve been looking at harvesting it in July versus October and also looking to harvest in July and October to see if it will re-grow,” Baute said.
Gilroyed said phragmites is also efficient at pulling nutrients from water, which is an environmental plus from a plant that’s usually viewed as a problem.
