Abstract
Elephant grass (EG), or Pennisetum purpureum, is gaining attention as a robust renewable biomass source for energy production amidst growing global energy demands and the push for alternatives to fossil fuels. This review paper explores the status of EG as a sustainable bioenergy resource, integrating various studies to present a comprehensive analysis of its potential in renewable energy markets. Methods employed include assessing the efficiency and yield of biomass conversion methods such as pretreatment for bioethanol production, biomethane yields, direct combustion, and pyrolysis. The analysis also encompasses a technoeconomic evaluation of the economic viability and scalability of using EG for energy production, along with an examination of its environmental impacts, focusing on its water and carbon footprint. Results demonstrate that EG has considerable potential for sustainable energy practices due to its high biomass production and ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration. Despite challenges in cost competitiveness with traditional energy sources, specific applications like small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems and charcoal production show economic promise. Conclusively, EG presents a viable option for biomass energy, potentially playing a pivotal role in the biomass sector as the energy landscape shifts towards more sustainable solutions; although, technological and economic barriers need further addressing.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Elephant grass has high biomass production.
- Taxon
- Pennisetum purpureum
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Cenchrus purpureust0 - Outcome
- high biomass productione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“EG has considerable potential for sustainable energy practices due to its high biomass production and ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration.”
t0“Pennisetum purpureum”
Claim · model-written summary
Elephant grass offers carbon sequestration benefits.
- Taxon
- Pennisetum purpureumCenchrus purpureust0
- Outcome
- carbon sequestratione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“EG has considerable potential for sustainable energy practices due to its high biomass production and ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration.”
t0“Pennisetum purpureum”
Claim · model-written summary
Small-scale combined heat and power systems and charcoal production show economic promise for elephant grass.
- Taxon
- Pennisetum purpureumCenchrus purpureust0
- Outcome
- economic promisee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“specific applications like small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems and charcoal production show economic promise.”
t0“Pennisetum purpureum”
Claim · model-written summary
Cost competitiveness with traditional energy sources remains challenging.
- Taxon
- Pennisetum purpureumCenchrus purpureust0
- Outcome
- cost competitivenesse0
- Comparator
- traditional energy sourcese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Despite challenges in cost competitiveness with traditional energy sources”
t0“Pennisetum purpureum”