New Study Confirms Potential of Sida hermaphrodita as Biomass Fuel
Jülich, 17 July 2020 – The forb Sida hermaphrodita has been the subject of intensive research at Jülich’s Plant Sciences subinstitute since 2012. The plant, which is grown over many years, reaches up to four metres in height and develops up to a third more biomass than maize, even in poor soil. This highlights its great potential as an alternative provider of biomass in a future bioeconomy. The form in which Sida hermaphrodita can be sustainably and efficiently used as a heating material has been studied in a project by scientists led by Nicolai D. Jablonowski. This project involved researchers from Jülich’s Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation subinstitute (IEK-STE), the subinstitute for Microstructure and Properties of Materials (IEK-2), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (Fraunhofer UMSICHT). The results of the study have now been presented in the prestigious journal Global Change Biology – Bioenergy. They may also be useful for the plan to transform the Rhineland region into a bioeconomy.