Vast acreages of mined land have the potential to produce biomass products to meet the nation’s future energy needs. Alpha has partnered with researchers to investigate the potential of this renewable energy resource
At Alpha, we are always working with researchers and other educational institutions to reduce our footprint on the environment and develop our mined lands to support our nation’s future energy needs. Alpha’s support of the Powell River project has enabled Virginia Tech researchers to investigate the potential for mined lands to serve as renewable resources that can produce plant material for bioenergy feedstock use
Mined Lands have geologic materials with distinct chemical characteristics like pH levels and nutrient cation availabilities that are very beneficial to plant growth. Research on unmined lands have demonstrated that for fast growing woody crops, with factors like soil compaction and rainfall being adequate the amount of biomass produced per acre per year can be 3 to 5 times higher on reclaimed mine lands compared to long-rotation natural forests on mountainous sites. Agricultural land operations like tillage have been shown to significantly improve the productive capability of compacted mine sites
Woody biomass products on such reclaimed mine sites can be used as a bioenergy feedstock by the electrical engineering plants, offsetting carbon emissions. The biomass products can also serve as raw material for various wood-products industries, including liquid-fuel producing biorefineries using cellulosic conversion technologies. The woody biomass crops on mined lands have the potential to contribute to US energy needs. The mined lands can be used to increase biofuel production without affecting food prices, since the lands are not used for agricultural production
Courtesy: US Dept. of Energy