title: Anaerobic digestion of spring and winter wheat: Comparison of net energy yields.
abstract: Anaerobic digestion of wheat was investigated under batch conditions. The article compares the potential net energy yield between a winter wheat (sown in the autumn) and a spring wheat (sown in the spring) grown in the same year and harvested at the same growth stage in the same farm. The spring wheat had a slightly higher biochemical methane potential and required lower energy inputs in cultivation, but produced a lower dry biomass yield per hectare, which resulted in winter wheat providing the best overall net energy yield. The difference was small; both varieties gave a good net energy yield. Spring sowing may also offer the opportunity for growing an additional over-winter catch crop for spring harvest, thus increasing the overall biomass yield per hectare, with both crops being potential digester feedstocks.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Biotechnology , Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) , Sevilla , Spain.|b Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.
authors.forename: Bárbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rincón
authors.affiliation: b Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heaven
authors.affiliation: b Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Salter
authors.affiliation: b Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Banks
mesh_terms: D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000378:metabolism*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D059205:Renewable Energy; D012621:Seasons; D014908:Triticum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008697:Methane
keywords: Anaerobic processes; biodegradation; energy crop; environmental preservation; renewable energy production