Researchers Encouraged by Biomass Crop Growth on Abandoned Mine Lands

Lancaster Farming
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:45am.

But Costs Still Remain The Big Issue

Chris Torres, Staff Writer

PINE GROVE, Pa. — Nearly 180,000 acres of Pennsylvania mine land sit abandoned, relics of an old mining industry that used to dominate areas like Schuylkill County and an area of northeastern Pennsylvania referred to by many as “the coal regions.”

With much of the area’s land depleted of the necessary nutrients to support plant life, it has little use other than possibly putting buildings on it.

Now a group of researchers is hoping to prove that with some work, this land can be a possible source for growing the next generation of biofuels crops.

Representatives from Penn State, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and Red Barn Trading and Consulting hosted a field day Tuesday, which brought about 50 people to an abandoned piece of mine land in Schuylkill County.

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