Re: GAS-L: Gel Fuel and much more from cattails

[Harmon Seaver <hseaver@cybershamanix.com>]

On Sun, Sep 15, 2002 at 11:03:32AM -0400, LINVENT@aol.com wrote:
> Dear Cattailers,
>     What would be a reasonable yield per acre? I am willing to say that it 
> isn't much because of the spotty growth and moisture content harvested.

   I thought I posted this before, but here goes again:

 http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Typha.html

   Be sure to check out the "Yields and Economics" section:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Typha.html#Yields%20and%20Economics

I'll try to get some of the papers I've found scanned and on the web when I get
back from Oregon in a few weeks. But in one, "Energy Potential of Cattails
(Typha spp.) and Productivity in Managed Stands", Journal of The Minnesota
Academy of Science, vol. 44, No. 2, 1978 by N.J. Andrews & D.C. Pratt, they
carefully ovendried all samples and got a dry weight of 2,566 g/sq.meter for
shoots, and dry weight of 1,467 g/sq.meter for rhizomes. However, total biomass
from August on was fairly constant at about 2,800 g/sq.meter (28t/h) "as the
below ground portions increase in weight at the expense of the shoots." 
   These were in managed plots, and elsewhere they found that the natural stands
far out produced the managed plots even tho the latter were fertilized, "natural
stands often exceed 40 t/h without the costly additions of fertilizer." And "In
both managed and natural stands the productivity of cattails exceeds that of
high yielding corn by about 50 percent." 


> Other 
> questions such as heating value, silica content, overall ash content also 
> come to mind for gasification. 

   From the Purdue site:

"Roots of Typha latifolia contain 30% starch, 7.8% crude protein, 1% crude
sugar, 0.7% glucose, 0.7% oxalic acid. Aerial portions contain 1.5?3.5% fats,
7?12% crude protein, 38?48% carbohydrates. Leaves contain quercetin-3-
neohesperidosid, quercetin- and kaempferol-3-glucoside, quercetin- and
kaempferol-3-galactoside. The pollen, used both as a medicine and foodstuff,
contains 19% crude protein, 17.8% carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, arabinose,
rhamnose, xylose) and 1.1% lipids. In the seed oil, linolenic acid and
glycerides predominate. The plant is said to be rich in vitamin B1, B2, and C."

   Which doesn't really answer your question, but gives some idea of the plant
makeup.


>     I would suggest an airboat to harvest them. That way you are not 
> destroying the below water rhizosphere and all of the other ecology and going 
> from one area to another is very easy. 
>     If one is going to harvest them for "cropping" like production, you would 
> not want to destroy the roots and allow regrowth from the roots after 
> harvest. Cutting them at water or just below water level would get the upper 
> plant and the lower would regrow if you want fuel value for gasification. If 
> the roots are to be used, then not cutting but pulling them up would work. 
>     In seeking analysis the statement that the roots are high in starch was 
> made if this is known, then what about the other values or analyses of the 
> plant?

  See above. 


-- 
Harmon Seaver	
CyberShamanix
http://www.cybershamanix.com

Gasification List Moderator:
Tom Reed, Biomass Energy Foundation,  tombreed@attbi.com Biomass =
Energy Foundation, www.woodgas.com
List-Post: <mailto:gasification@crest.org>
List-Help: <mailto:gasification-help@crest.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:gasification-unsubscribe@crest.org>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:gasification-subscribe@crest.org>
-
Gasification List Archives http://www.crest.org/discussion/gasification/200202/
Bioenergy 2002 http://www.bioenergy2002.org/
200 kWe CHP Discussion
http://crest.org/discussiongroups/resources/gasification/200kWCHP.html
Gasification Reference http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975339_7.html

>