The resilience of Typha domingensis Pers. to nutrient-depleted conditions in a floating biomass production system

Abstract

An aquatic system of biomass production based on Typha domingensis Pers. (cattail) for biofuels and bio-products was developed in order to combine the production of amylaceous (rhizomes) and lignocellulosic biomass (shoots) for biofuels and biobased materials with the improvement of water quality and the reduction of GHG emissions. The proof-of-concept was implemented in the framework of the LIFE Biomass C+ Project, co-funded by the European Commission. This article reports on implementation activities carried out in Spain in the first stage of the Project and their results. Cattails were artificially grown as floating aquatic plants with the help of ad-hoc designed supports on irrigation ponds at El Arenal (province of Ávila, Spain) in order to build green floating filters. Biomass was fully harvested at the end of the growth cycle. Biomass production, biomass partitioning and energy and chemical properties were determined. Eutrophication was not detected. T. domingensis exhibited great resilience to nutrient-depleted conditions and was able to produce a significant amount of biomass.