ARUNDO DONAX L. (GIANT CANE) AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR BIOENERGY AND GREEN CHEMISTRY

Arundo donax L. or giant cane is a second-generation energy crop that could be used as a feedstock for bioenergy, i.e. biogas, bioethanol, combustion, and in green chemistry as raw material for several industrial sectors. The genetic characterization of A. donax plants revealed that, because of its asexual reproduction, low genetic variability could be detected between plants; the studies on the inflorescences also confirmed the agamic reproduction of the plant. Nevertheless, it could be speculated that some genetic characteristics could be hereditable and a selection of clones could be carried out. The clonal selection showed to be a crucial factor also for the choice of the propagation techniques and their final costs. A. donax biomass conservation by ensilage was possible without using inoculum. The preservation of giant cane could be performed by the two most used silage techniques, trench and silo-bag; the silo-bag technique was more efficient in preserving the biogas potential than trench one. The potential biogas production of A. donax silage in comparison to corn silage was tested by simulation of real-scale anaerobic digestion plant with lab-scale trials. The A. donax biogas production was lower than the one obtained with corn due to the chemical characteristics of biomass and the absence of starch but, thanks to the higher biomass yields, achievable biomethane and electric energy referred to the cultivated surface area were much higher than corn and other traditional energy crops.