Exploring the Potential of Perennial Nectar-Producing Wild Plants for Pellet Combustion

Perennial nectar-producing wild plant species (WPS) cultivation for biogas production helps improve ecosystem services such as habitat functioning, erosion mitigation, groundwater protection, and carbon sequestration. These ecosystem services could be improved when WPS are harvested in late winter to produce pellets and briquettes as solid energy carriers for heat production. This study aims for gaining first insights into the use of WPS biomass as resource for pellet and briquette combustion with focus on two perennial WPS common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.), and two biennial WPS yellow melilot (Melilotus officinalis L.) and wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum L.). All WPS are found economically viable for pellet combustion. The main drivers are i) low cultivation costs, ii) subsidies, and iii) low pellet production costs due to low moisture contents. However, high ash contents in WPS biomass justify the need of i) blending with woody-biomass or ii) supplementing with additives to attain international standards for household stoves. This approach appears technically feasible providing a research field with significant potential impacts. As 70% of the pellet market is demanded as household level, public concern about the legal framework of alternative plant biomass pellets must be overcome to develop this market. Diversifying agricultural systems can foster biodiversity. For example, incorporating perennial, nectar-rich wild plants into biogas cropping systems promotes biodiversity conservation while maintaining energy production. When left standing over the winter, wild plants provide a broader range of ecosystem services and a higher energy yield via pellet combustion compared to biogas production. image