Denmark to Increase Growth of Willows for Biofuel Production

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The newly formed Danish Agriculture and Food Council has responded to the growing demand for biofuel and biogas by setting ambitious targets for the production of crops for energy production. Under newly created plans, the target for the production and sales of willow used to create biofuels is between $150 million and $173 million, and the farmland allocated to the growing of the energy crop will be increased from the current 3,000 hectares to 100,000 hectares by 2020.

By targeting the production of energy crops such as willow, the Danish government hopes to increase the production of renewable energy as much as 20% and reduce nitrogen emissions into water 4,000 tons per year. Denmark has a target to increase the use of renewable energy to 20% of the country's total energy consumption by 2011.

Willows are a fast-growing crop that can provide energy in the form of woodchips that can be used in cogeneration power plants for both heat and electricity production. The crop grows well in poor, wet and marginal soils and requires little in the way of attention. Willow is capable of producing about 20 times the energy required to plant and harvest the crop, a figure that compares favorably with other crops; wheat, for example, has only an eightfold return of energy.

Willow can produce an estimated 15 to 20 tons of woodchips per year from just a single hectare of land, the energy equivalent of about 4,700 liters of oil. The crop grows up to 2 meters each year and can be harvested every two to four years. Willow has excellent nutrient-absorbing properties, which ensures that the leaching of nitrogen is lower than that of conventional agricultural crops.

A few disadvantages are associated with willows grown for biofuels. The crop requires a few years before initial harvest. Willow also has high moisture content, which can require significant energy to extract. Perhaps the most significant drawback is that willow could take up space that could otherwise be used for food crops. Such ideas have raised concerns regarding the overall increased usage of biofuel crops worldwide. A recent report produced by the United Nations warns that the trend to replace oil with biocrops could lead to deforestation, force small farmers off the land, and lead to serious food shortages unless the process is carefully managed.

The global use of energy crops is doubling every few years, and fears exist that large-scale farming of biofuel crops could lead to loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and nutrient leaching. Even the claim that biofuels reduce carbon emissions could be negated if the crops are cultivated on cleared forest or peat land, which store centuries' worth of carbon. However, willow's ability to grow on marginal land unsuitable for food crops could do much to allay the fears presented in the 'food or fuel' debate.

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