Reed canary grass can be turned into an excellent 'green' fuel for biomass power stations and, on a smaller scale, boilers in buildings like schools, a long-term research has revealed.

Researchers from Teesside University's Contaminated Land and Water Centre carried out the five-year research project.

A native to Britain, Reed canary grass is turned into bricks and pellets. These not only burn well but also don''t add to greenhouse gases or contribute to global warming.

Willow trees, the current favorite for biomass power stations, and the miscanthus, reed canary and switch grasses were the four types of plants with which the research team experimented.

"We have narrowed the plants down to reed canary grass because it grows well on poor soils and contaminated industrial sites. That is significant because in areas like Teesside, and many similar ones around the country, there are a lot of marginal or brownfield sites on which reed canary grass can be grown," said Dr Richard Lord, Reader in Environmental Geochemistry and Sustainability.

He further added," Selecting such sites means that the grass can be grown without taking away land which would otherwise be used in food production, a key concern for those involved in the biomass and biofuel sectors."

Dr Lord said," The test burnings have shown that reed canary grass produces a good, clean fuel without picking-up contamination from the soil. Reed canary grass has great potential because it offers a suitable use for unsightly brownfield sites while producing an excellent fuel at a time when the world is crying out for new ways of producing green energy." (With Input from Agencies)