Extrusion of lignocellulosic residues from agriculture and agroforestry into fibre for peat replacement and pellets for animal bedding

Phasing out peat in growing substrates is a long term goal for modern agriculture. To achieve this goal substitutes need to be researched. In the current project various lignocellulosic raw materials from agriculture and forestry have been processed to fibre in a twin-screw extruder with regard to specific energy demand (SED). This fibre was then investigated for water holding capacity (WHC) to determine its ability to hold water in comparison to commonly used white peat. As a result sage, poplar and cattail fibre are suitable to at least partly replace peat with regard to WHC while the specific energy consumption for the fibre production is moderate. Ongoing research on pellet production from this fibre indicates possible application in animal husbandry like cattle and poultry farming.