Current state of the art on the biomass for energy production on heavy metal degraded areas has not been fully explored leaving the potential of energy crops production with a simultaneous sites remediation highly underused. The Phyto2Energy project implemented under the Maria Curie-Skłodowska Industry-Academia Partnership and Pathway scheme of the EU FP7 aims to strengthen the transfer of knowledge between the partners from industry and academia from such countries as Poland, Germany and Romania to make advancement in this field. The scientific and technological goal of the project is to develop and validate a novel approach combining phytoremediation and biomass production on heavy metal contaminated (HMC) sites which could be then safely used as local energy carrier. The innovation is to demonstrate a complex solution which will cover the whole value chain: from setting the brownfield management target through successful crops production, biofuel feedstock preparation up to conversion to energy in a local small scale gasification installation. This goal can be achieved by the following 3 scientific and technological objectives:
Objective 1) selection of optimal plant species suitable for phytoremediation driven energy crops production. Experimental plots will be established in Poland (arable land) and Germany (extreme HMC site) to test the pre-selected species Miscanthus gigantheus, Sida hermaphrodita, Spartina pectinata, Panicum virgatum. Guidelines on selection of the most appropriate species will be elaborated using brownfields management tools. The technical feasibility, economic viability and environmental benefits of the approach will be also analysed.
Objective 2) is to develop a microbiological method stimulating the biomass yield and phytoremediation effect at HMC sites and. Interactions between plant and microbes will be investigated and tested as they play a crucial role at sites where plant growth is affected by HM contamination. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, bacterial endophytes and mycorhizal fungi enhancing growth of the selected species will be identified. They will help developing innovative inocula to be applied respectively to the brownfield management target (i.e. cleanup or use for biomass production).
Objective 3) is to demonstrate an environmentally safe way of converting the HMC biomass into energy in a small scale local installation with special focus on gasification as a promising technology which may become a competitive niche alternative for handling HMC biomass.
Cost effectiveness and environmental benefits of this method will be evaluated together with technology optimization guidelines for this type of fuel.
The field experiments will be conducted in two heavy metal contaminated sites in Poland and Germany. The gasification experiment will be carried out in Poland in cooperation with Romanian industrial partner.