Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Switchgrass shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Switchgrass offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Switchgrass at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Switchgrass? Wrong! If the Switchgrass is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Switchgrass then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Switchgrass? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Switchgrass and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Switchgrass wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Switchgrass then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Switchgrass site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Switchgrass, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Switchgrass, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Taxobox| color = lightgreen| name = Switchgrass| image = Panicum virgatum.jpg| image_width = 240px| regnum = Plantae]| classis = Liliopsida| familia = [Poaceae| species =
P. virgatum| binomial =
Panicum virgatum| binomial_authority = [Carolus Linnaeus-->
Switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum) is a warm season grass and is one of the dominant species of the central
North American
tallgrass prairie. Switchgrass can be found in remnant prairies, along roadsides, pastures and as an ornamental plant in gardens. Other common names for this grass include
tall panic grass,
Wobsqua grass,
lowland switchgrass,
blackbent,
tall prairiegrass,
wild redtop and
thatchgrass.
Properties
Switchgrass is a hardy,
Perennial plant rhizomatous grass which begins growth in late spring. It can grow up to 1.8-2.2 m in height but is typically shorter than Big Bluestem grass or
Indiangrass. The Leaf are 30-90 cm long with a prominent midrib. Switchgrass uses
C4 carbon fixation, giving it an advantage in conditions of drought and high temperature.
Its flowers have a well developed
panicle often up to 60 cm in length and bears a good crop of
fruits, which are 3 to 6 mm long and up to 1.5 mm wide. The fruits are developed from a single-flowered
spikelet. Both glumes are present and well developed. When ripe, the seeds sometimes take on a pink or dull-purple tinge, and turn golden brown with the foliage of the plant in the fall.
Uses
Switchgrass is grazed by certain animals, used as ground cover to control erosion and farmed as Fodder for livestock. As a drought resistant ornamental grass, it is easily grown in average to wet soils and in full sun to part shade. Establishment is recommended in the spring, at the same time as
maize is planted.
Biofuel
Switchgrass is often considered a good candidate for
biofuel — especially
ethanol fuel — production due to its hardiness against poor soil and climate conditions, rapid growth and low fertilizer and
herbicide requirements. Switchgrass is also
Perennial plant, unlike corn and sugarcane, and has a huge biomass output, the raw plant material used to make biofuel, of 6-10 tons per acre. President of the United States
George W. Bush mentioned this usage in his
George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address , resulting in a surge of over $100 million of investments into the research of the potential fuel "Since that mention in the 2006, investment in switch grass has exploded, thanks in large part, experts say, to the president's speech. Venture capitalists have poured over $100 million dollars into private companies that are exploring the technology necessary to convert switch grass into fuel, and large, publicly-owned companies are also directing their research dollars into bio fuels.".
Switchgrass has the potential to produce the biomass required for production of up to 100 gallons (380 liters) of ethanol per metric ton. This gives switchgrass the potential to produce 1000 gallons of ethanol per acre, compared to 665 gallons for
sugarcane and 400 gallons for maize.
However, there is debate on the viability of switchgrass, and all other biofuels, as an efficient energy source.
University of California, Berkeley professor Tad Patzek argues that switchgrass has a negative ethanol fuel energy balance, requiring 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced. On the other side, David Bransby, professor of energy crops at
Auburn University, has found that for every unit of energy input, switchgrass yields four units out. In a 2007 lecture Professor Richard Muller, also of the University of California, Berkeley, noted that it is the conversion of switchgrass biomass into ethanol which introduces significant inefficiencies. He also noted that
The Helios Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is actively trying to engineer metabolic pathways in bacteria to more efficiently convert cellulose to ethanol. It is Bransby's work that was the source for President Bush's comments in the 2006 State of the Union address.
Prominent use in Tennessee alternative fuel program
In January 2007, Tennessee Governor
Phil Bredesen announced that his proposed 2007-08 State budget would include $61 million for a comprehensive alternative fuels strategy designed "to position Tennessee to be a national leader in the production of biomass ethanol and related research."http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968 Bredesen proposed this funding in combination with $11.6 million in existing funding for an ongoing related project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), for a total proposal representing a $72.6 million comprehensive plan.http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968 Scientists at ORNL and the
University of Tennessee (UT) Institute for Agriculture have developed ethanol from switchgrass, which can be grown virtually anywhere in Tennessee.http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968
See also
- Energy crop
- Ethanol
- Brachypodium distachyon
- C4 carbon fixation
References
Additional information
- "Switchgrass: A Living Solar Battery." Roger Samson Online reprint
- http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/switchgrass-profile.html
- Economics of switchgrass production
- USDA Studies Switchgrass for Ethanol and Energy Production
- Switchgrass as an Alternative Energy crop - European Union study on Switchgrass feasibility.
External links
- Switchgrass images - Archive of Central Texas Plants
- Switchgrass images - Has closeup photos of spikelets
{{Taxobox| color = lightgreen| name = Switchgrass| image = Panicum virgatum.jpg| image_width = 240px| regnum = Plantae]| classis = Liliopsida| familia = [Poaceae| species =
P. virgatum| binomial =
Panicum virgatum| binomial_authority = [Carolus Linnaeus-->
Switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum) is a warm season grass and is one of the dominant species of the central
North American
tallgrass prairie. Switchgrass can be found in remnant prairies, along roadsides, pastures and as an
ornamental plant in gardens. Other common names for this grass include
tall panic grass,
Wobsqua grass,
lowland switchgrass,
blackbent,
tall prairiegrass,
wild redtop and
thatchgrass.
Properties
Switchgrass is a hardy,
Perennial plant rhizomatous grass which begins growth in late spring. It can grow up to 1.8-2.2 m in height but is typically shorter than Big Bluestem grass or
Indiangrass. The
Leaf are 30-90 cm long with a prominent midrib. Switchgrass uses C4 carbon fixation, giving it an advantage in conditions of drought and high temperature.
Its flowers have a well developed
panicle often up to 60 cm in length and bears a good crop of
fruits, which are 3 to 6 mm long and up to 1.5 mm wide. The fruits are developed from a single-flowered spikelet. Both glumes are present and well developed. When ripe, the seeds sometimes take on a pink or dull-purple tinge, and turn golden brown with the foliage of the plant in the fall.
Uses
Switchgrass is grazed by certain animals, used as ground cover to control
erosion and farmed as Fodder for livestock. As a drought resistant ornamental grass, it is easily grown in average to wet soils and in full sun to part shade. Establishment is recommended in the spring, at the same time as
maize is planted.
Biofuel
Switchgrass is often considered a good candidate for
biofuel — especially
ethanol fuel — production due to its hardiness against poor soil and climate conditions, rapid growth and low
fertilizer and herbicide requirements. Switchgrass is also Perennial plant, unlike corn and sugarcane, and has a huge biomass output, the raw plant material used to make biofuel, of 6-10 tons per acre.
President of the United States George W. Bush mentioned this usage in his George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address , resulting in a surge of over $100 million of investments into the research of the potential fuel "Since that mention in the 2006, investment in switch grass has exploded, thanks in large part, experts say, to the president's speech. Venture capitalists have poured over $100 million dollars into private companies that are exploring the technology necessary to convert switch grass into fuel, and large, publicly-owned companies are also directing their research dollars into bio fuels.".
Switchgrass has the potential to produce the biomass required for production of up to 100 gallons (380 liters) of ethanol per metric ton. This gives switchgrass the potential to produce 1000 gallons of ethanol per acre, compared to 665 gallons for sugarcane and 400 gallons for maize.
However, there is debate on the viability of switchgrass, and all other biofuels, as an efficient energy source. University of California, Berkeley professor Tad Patzek argues that switchgrass has a negative
ethanol fuel energy balance, requiring 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced. On the other side, David Bransby, professor of energy crops at Auburn University, has found that for every unit of energy input, switchgrass yields four units out. In a 2007 lecture Professor Richard Muller, also of the University of California, Berkeley, noted that it is the conversion of switchgrass biomass into ethanol which introduces significant inefficiencies. He also noted that
The Helios Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is actively trying to engineer metabolic pathways in bacteria to more efficiently convert cellulose to ethanol. It is Bransby's work that was the source for President Bush's comments in the 2006 State of the Union address.
Prominent use in Tennessee alternative fuel program
In January 2007, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced that his proposed 2007-08 State budget would include $61 million for a comprehensive alternative fuels strategy designed "to position Tennessee to be a national leader in the production of biomass ethanol and related research."http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968 Bredesen proposed this funding in combination with $11.6 million in existing funding for an ongoing related project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), for a total proposal representing a $72.6 million comprehensive plan.http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968 Scientists at ORNL and the University of Tennessee (UT) Institute for Agriculture have developed ethanol from switchgrass, which can be grown virtually anywhere in Tennessee.http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=968
See also
References
Additional information
- "Switchgrass: A Living Solar Battery." Roger Samson Online reprint
- http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/switchgrass-profile.html
- Economics of switchgrass production
- USDA Studies Switchgrass for Ethanol and Energy Production
- Switchgrass as an Alternative Energy crop - European Union study on Switchgrass feasibility.
External links
- Switchgrass images - Archive of Central Texas Plants
- Switchgrass images - Has closeup photos of spikelets
Panicum virgatum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switchgrass, is a warm season grass and is one of the dominant species of the central North American tallgrass prairie.
National Non-Food Crops Centre - Switchgrass
Quick Summary: Panicum virgatum is a perennial sod-forming grass, growing up to 2.5 m tall. It is a cool-season grass and is a predominant pasture species in much of the southern ...
Switchgrass Profile
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a summer perennial grass that is native to North america. It is a natural component of the tall-grass prairie which covered must ...
switchgrass as an alternative energy crop
welcome! welcome to the "switchgrass as an alternative energy crop" website. this website contains practical as well as scientific information on switchgrass (panicum ...
Biofuels from Switchgrass: Greener Energy Pastures
The grass stretched as far as the eye could see, and hundreds more miles beyond that. An ocean of grass—deep enough to swallow a horse and rider—swaying and ...
switchgrass
Energy Grass Crops, Willow Reed, Biomass ... Switchgrass is a perennial grass with a C 4 photosynthetic pathway. It is sown from seed and forms clumped growth above ...
switchgrass Gallery
Switchgrass field in NE Groningen, the Netherlands, august 2003
Switchgrass
Overview. Switchgrass utilization is an emerging market currently in the research and demonstration-project arena. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a summer perennial grass that ...
switch grass - Definition at Your Dictionary
noun. a type of tall panic grass (Panicum virgatum), usually found in the North American prairie and used for fodder or as an ornamental
biofuels international - bioethanol glossary
Bioethanol can also be produced from other feedstocks, such as jatropha or switchgrass. This is known as second generation bioethanol. Bioethanol can be blended with petroleum for ...
