Case Study: Biogas feedstock production using crop rotations, closed-loop nitrogen

Biogas feedstock production using novel crop rotations with a closed-loop nitrogen supply, February 2010, a case study by Rocky Renquist, Plant &food research, and Stephan Heubeck NIWA.

A study to investigate the use of proven anaerobic digestion technology to provide biogas, displacing fossil fuel use in rural transport, on-farm vehicles as well as heat and electricity provision in the agricultural sector. The biogas is derived from energy crops that are grown with minimal external inputs on marginal land, where energy cropping may offer numerous environmental benefits (such as reduced nutrient leaching, enhanced ground water quality and quantity etc.) in comparison to traditional farming practices. The relatively small unit scale and distributed nature of bioenergy cropping and processing will ensure the majority of the value generated via the scheme to remain in the hands of farmers and the closely related service sector, providing an economic stimulus to often neglected rural areas.

The process is called Closed Loop Nitrogen (CLN) to supply crops for Biofuel.