Decomposition of sugarcane straw: Basis for management decisions for bioenergy production

作者：Laisa Gouveia Pimentel, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, Dener Márcio da Silva Oliveira, Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri, Carlos Clemente Cerri · 发表于：Biomass and Bioenergy · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1016/j.biombioe.2019.01.027 · 被引用次数：58 · 研究领域：Biofuel production and bioconversion、Bioenergy crop production and management、Sugarcane Cultivation and Processing

Straw dead stock is a key driver for crop residue management decisions regarding bioenergy production. Therefore, a field study was conducted to evaluate the sugarcane straw decomposition under different straw removal rates, characterize straw composition changes, and quantify the straw-derived C and N loss. Four sugarcane straw removal rates were evaluated: no removal (14.0 Mg ha−1 of DM), 25 (10.5 Mg ha−1 of DM), 50 (7.0 Mg ha−1 of DM) and 75% (3.5 Mg ha−1 of DM) of straw removal. Our results showed that straw removal rate had no effect on first year of straw deposition, but during the second year, the lowest decomposition was associated with higher straw removal rates. Dry mass loss was also approximately 25% higher in the second year than in the first. Furthermore, carbon and nitrogen loss were two- and threefold higher in the first year compared to the second year of deposition. Overall, cellulose and hemicellulose decreased by 13 and 7%, respectively, while lignin increased proportionally by 92% during the two year experiment. Our findings suggest that the most appropriate removal rate to maintain soil quality and meet the demands for energy production is 50% of the total straw deposited on the soil.