Assessment of comminuted biomass behaviour during Arundo Donax storage

Dedicated energy crops can play a key role in providing substantial amounts of lignocellulosic feedstocks equired for the second-generation biofuel production chain as well as heat and electricity production (JRC EC, 2011). Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) has already been recognized as a high yielding, stress tolerant crop suited to marginal lands and low-input cultivation, which could be encompassed in land-saving and environmentally sound bioenergy supply chains. For instance, giant reed has been proposed for bioethanol, biogas, and thermochemical conversion. Although considered for bioenergy throughout the world, this crop has received particular attention in the Mediterranean, where promising yields have been achieved in mid-and long-term field trials.