Biomass yield and biofiber properties of select industrial fiber crops in Lithuania

The versatility, flexibility, design, and lightness of plastic are the most attractive features that enable its useability in our daily life. As production of disposable plastic increases, so does the amount of waste. Plastic waste is nondegradable. Its accumulation over time increases the risk of environmental pollution and contributes to environmental hazards. This has resulted into finding more renewable sources that could replace plastics. One renewable resource is agricultural plant biomass rich in cellulose. This work is aimed at evaluating the chemical composition and structure of industrial fiber crops. Three types of crops were selected: Miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus), Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita Rusby), and mugwort (Artemisia dubia Wall.). Their properties were compared with wheat straw (Triticum spp.). The industrial fiber crops and wheat straw were fertilized with mineral fertilizer at 90 kg ha(-1). Experiments were performed to evaluate chemical and physical composition and biofiber parameters of crops. The highest cellulose content of 54.5 +/- 2.17% was in mugwort with the lowest value of 42.5 +/- 1.31% in Miscanthus. The carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio was the lowest in mugwort (114.8 +/- 3.91%). This means mugwort biomass can be easily degraded by microorganisms and has better biomass pretreatment properties. The best fiber quality was found in Virginia mallow. However, the yield of Miscanthus fiber per hectare was higher, compared with other tested crops. The study presented opportunities for mugwort and Miscanthus as verifiable industrial fiber crops. They hold huge potential as raw materials for biorefinery production with less cost and high productivity under temperate climatic conditions.