4.3.2 Past and Current Projects

In Europe, the production potential of M. x giganteus has been investigated extensively in trials across northern Europe since 1983 [39]. Between 1993 and 1995, the Miscanthus productivity network, as part of the European agro-industry research program, carried out growth and yield trials on M. x giganteus in 16 locations throughout northern and southern Europe [15, 123]. Later, attention was given to breeding and genetics of Miscanthus. In 1997, the European Miscanthus Improvement (EMI) project was established to investigate the genetic diversity of Miscanthus. Through this project, the biomass productivity and chemical composition of 15 Miscanthus genotypes was assessed in different environments across Europe [3, 53]. The genotypic variation identified by the EMI project stimulated private and public breeding programs involving Miscanthus in the United States and Europe [3]. In 1998, the European BIOMIS project was focused on Miscanthus sinensis. Through a genetic approach, its final objective was to achieve a significant reduction of costs for expensive heat exchangers used in thermal conversion [124].

In 2011 a European project, OPTIMISC (Optimizing Miscanthus Biomass Production), was established between12 partners from Europe, China and Russia. OPTIMISC will run until 2016 and has been established to improve the bioenergy potential of Miscanthus via the trialing of novel elite genotypes across Europe, the Ukraine and Russia. The Miscanthus genotypes will be particularly investigated for their tolerance to water, salinity and cold stress and for their ability to be converted into biofuels and high-value bioproducts.

In France, a novel project called Biomass for the Future (BFF) started in 2012 with the aim of developing industrial clusters of biomass production from dedicated crops of Miscanthus (northern France) and sorghum (southern France). These crops will be improved for their performance in lignocellulosic biomass, with an environmental impact and a composition suitable for industrial applications (combustion, anaerobic digestion, building materials and plastics) and second-generation biofuels production. In the context of sustainable agriculture, BFF will contribute to the enhancement of marginal agricultural land and the development of a new green economy by involving all local stakeholders in a dedicated area. BFF is developed in synergy with biorefinery projects in France and other European countries.

In the United States, Miscanthus research started in 2001 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has since expanded to other US universities (http://www. extension. org). Several public-private partnerships investigating aspects of Miscanthus have recently been created, including the Energy Biosciences Institute, the Mendel Biotech Company and the CERES Company. The Energy Biosciences Institute incorporates a range of partner institutions, including the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the International Energy Company BP. In addition, Mendel Biotech in collaboration with the private German nursery company TINPLANT was involved in breeding services for Miscanthus from 2007 to 2011 (http://www. mendelbio. com/). Finally, the private com­pany California CERES is working with experts from IBERS (The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University in the UK) to develop Mis­canthus varieties that can be sown more economically from seed (http://www. ceres. net/).

Other projects are focused on biofuels where Miscanthus constitutes one of the feed­stocks. Among others, the French research and development project Futurol aims to develop and market processes and technologies for second-generation bioethanol production from nonfood lignocellulosic feedstock such as Miscanthus. It runs from 2008 until 2016. Sup­ported by this project, the first pilot plant for second-generation agrofuels production was established in October 2011. In October 2010, the SUNLIBB (Sustainable Liquid

Biofuels from Biomass Bioreflning) project was established combining European and Brazilian research to improve the cell wall characteristics of Miscanthus for biofuel and production. The aim is to identify key genes involved in the biomass saccharification pro­cess and to develop genotypes with improved biofuel conversion efficiencies and clones with improved cell wall characteristics for biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials.