Impact of Willow Short Rotation Coppice on Water Quality

• Published in: Bioenergy research 2012-09, Vol.5 (3), p.537-545
• Main Authors: Dimitriou, Ioannis, Mola-Yudego, Blas, Aronsson, Pär
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agriculture; Arable land; Biogas; Biomass; Biomass energy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cereals; Crops; Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use; Eutrophication; Fertilizers; Förnyelsebar bioenergi; Groundwater; Leaching; Life Sciences; Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap; Nitrogen; Other Agricultural Sciences not elsewhere specified; Phosphorus; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Renewable Bioenergy Research; Seasons; Sewage sludge; Sludge; Stands; Studies; Water quality; Water, Underground; Willow; Wood Science & Technology; Övriga andra lantbruksrelaterade vetenskaper
• ISSN: 1939-1234; 1939-1242; 1939-1242
• DOI: 10.1007/s12155-012-9211-5

Short rotation coppice (SRC) with willow has been grown in Sweden from the late 1980s to produce biomass for energy on agricultural land. This study evaluated the effects of SRC on water quality by determining differences in leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus to groundwater of a number of commercial “old” SRC willow stands in Sweden compared to adjacent arable fields grown with “ordinary” crops. The study was conducted in 16 locations under three vegetation seasons. NO 3 –N leaching from willow SRC fields was significantly lower than that from reference fields with cereals. The opposite was observed for PO 4 –P; concentrations in the groundwater of SRC were higher compared to reference fields. Sewage sludge applications were not responsible for the elevated PO 4 –P leaching under SRC compared to reference crops.