Valorization of fibres from nettle grown on marginal lands in an agro-forestry cropping system
Abstract
Land is a scarce resource. There is a perceived land-use conflict between the needs of food production and non-food production. There is significant potential to reduce this conflict by producing non-food crops on land marginalized e.g. by contamination, which is unsuitable for food production. Furthermore, this production can be combined with the low-input rehabilitation of soil functionality and mitigation of risks (e.g. to human health and the wider environment). Careful selection of native species for non-food production (e.g. nettles) also can create significant habitat development and wildlife refuge opportunities. These are major sustainability gains. Biomass for energy on marginal land is well demonstrated, biomass for fibre less so. The NETFIB project provides a holistic approach: valorisation of nettle biomass collected from marginal lands, which is being managed by eco-innovative phytotechnologies. The project will be carried out on land belonging to multinational INOVYN at different European sites by a multi-actor consortium of academics, SME and industry partners. Nettle biomass is a perennial plant, potentially available in large amounts from phytomanagement sites whose valorisation potential is under-exploited. Optimisation of phytomanagement and nettle crop production as an agro-forestry system is a significant innovation, providing revenue, sustainability gains and renewable feedstocks. Implementation of NETFIB would provide an important complementary resource for European fibre-based industries. Such dual-use systems can improve the competitiveness and thus the availability of plant fibre resources, as they are not obtained in competition with food crops in common agricultural crop rotations. The objectives of NETFIB include the evaluation, characterization, and production of biocomposites by the NETFIB partners produced from nettle cellulosic fibres. In particular, sustainability of the co-cropping concept will be addressed by the partners.
contaminated soil renewable biomass nettle poplar intercropping
Publikationen
Project staff
Markus Puschenreiter
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Markus Puschenreiter
markus.puschenreiter@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91143, 91163
BOKU Project Leader
01.10.2019 - 31.03.2023
Monika Laux
Monika Laux B.Sc. MSc.
monika.laux@students.boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.09.2021 - 31.03.2023
Alice Tognacchini
Dr. Alice Tognacchini MSc.
alice.tognacchini@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91162
Project Staff
01.10.2019 - 31.03.2023