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Intermediate Products based
on Miscanthus
Stable and high yields on Miscanthus plantations in
the absence of marketable products and realistic marketing
strategies are a concept for disaster and can lead to
frustrations and the giving-up of valuable Miscanthus
plantations.
The as of today existing and promising intermediate
products with good value added are
(a) moisture adsorbing pellets, which have already
been tested with
(a) unsurpassed success, e.g. in horse boxes
(b) disposable table-ware
(c) Binders for oils and fats. Special construction
materials.
NaWaRo Miscanthus Bedding
Between 1997 and 1999 Mrs. Gallin-Ast
(Electro-Farming GmbH) has been experimenting and testing
many variations of Miscanthus based bedding materials
in the boxes of thoroughbreds (mares and foals, re-convalescent
horses etc.)
Practically all traditional or
market introduced sorts of bedding materials and brands,
including straw with paper snips, had been included
in the tests. As a result it turned out that Miscanthus
pellets are superior across all relevant criteria, such
as labour costs per box, material consumption, disposal
volume, ammonia and bacteria formation, storage costs
and cost/performance ratio.
Pellets made from natural Miscanthus
are turning after a short period into a stable, non
slippery dry mat in the box. Miscanthus bedding mats
are binding urine excretions and are drying up at the
surface, bacteria formation is suppressed, ammonia emissions
and raising temperatures are absent.
The overall hygienic conditions
in the boxes seem to be highly improved, the climate
in the boxes is stabilised, i.e. warmer in the winter
and cooler in the summer season and odours are missing.
The health condition of the horses is generally improved.
An important advantage is the more
comfortable and less time consuming work in the boxes.
Time spent and volume disposed are reduced by 50%, resulting
in savings in labour and disposal costs. Used bedding
material can be disposed on agricultural plots as a
fertilizer or used as a feedstock for energetic purposes
in local closed loop biomass projects.
Reference
- electro farming (English index)
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