Ecological Potential of Golf Courses on Satoyama Hills for Biomass Energy Utilization

Abstract

It is worth utilizing the plant waste from plant management in hilly areas as a bio-energy source in the reduction of CO₂ emissions. This study looks at the turf management of golf courses in hilly areas. The biomass of mown turfgrass was analyzed for five turf species in a studied golf course located in the Northern Hiki hill region in the center of Saitama prefecture from July 2000 to September 2001. 299 samples were collected and the vegetative production from the turf management was estimated at 398g/m2 per year. It was also estimated that 175g of bio-methanol could be produced from the 398g·of mown turfgrass by a method of gasification. Eco-management schemes for golf courses were discussed with a view to utilizing bio-energy by referring to the vegetative production. Effective management schemes consist of increasing the collected amount of mown turfgrass and increasing the mowing height to promote the growth of turfgrass.