Energetische Verwertung von Landschaftspflegeholz am Beispiel der schleswig-holsteinischen Knicklandschaft

Stuttgart

2005

11 Abb., 8 Lit. Ang.

Artikel aus einer ZeitschriftUnselbständiges Werk

8630

200126105

Hedgerows- typical and traditional landscape elements of agricultural ecosystems in northern Germany - were investigated as a potential biomass source, from site-specific up to regional scale. Currently there are a total of 46,000 km of hedgerows in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Under state nature conservation law, these hedgerows must be pruned every 10 to 15 years. Due to uneconomic conditions most of the hedgerow cuttings are burned on the field after labour-intensive pruning, leading to a severe loss of nutrients and potential heavy metal contamination at the site of burning. In detailed investigations the standing biomass of typical hedgerow sections was determined, finding up to 12 tons fresh weight per 100 m hedgerow length. Competing with other biofuel souces in northern Germany such as straw, miscanthus or willow, hedgerow biomass appears to be a promising future biofuel source in both economic and ecological term. Burning these hedgerows in modern cogeneration (combined heat and power) facilities improves regional carbon, energy and nutrient cycles under the condition that the remaining ash fraction is taken back to the fields as fertilizer substitute.