Chemical characteristics and biofuel potential of several vegetal biomasses grown under a wide range of environmental conditions

• 2 distinctive patterns according to main chemical components.
• 2 distinctive patterns according to hemicellulosic components.
• Stable biomass composition despite the cropping and harvest conditions diversity.
• Biomasses anaerobic digestibility, bioethanol and combustion potentials.

The chemical characteristics of 95 miscanthus giganteus (Miscanthus × giganteus J.M. Greef & Deuter ex Hodk. & Renvoize), 150 switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), 79 spelt straw (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. spelta (L.) Thell.), 145 fiber sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), 27 “cocksfoot–alfalfa” mixture (Dactylis glomerata L.–Medicago sativa L.), 175 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), 54 immature rye (Secale cereale L.), 146 fiber corn (Zea mays L.), 80 hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and 46 jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) independent fibrous biomass samples are summarized in the present paper. Analyzed biomasses show 2 distinctive patterns at the level of both the chemical and hemicellulosic composition. The individual composition for each type of biomass is relatively constant despite the diversity of the crop conditions (year, area, cultivar, nitrogen fertilization level). Fiber corn harvested in autumn offers the highest potential for both digestible organic matter and total bioethanol, owing to its high dry biomass yield, high structural carbohydrates and starch contents and high digestibility. Both fiber corn and miscanthus harvested in autumn offer the highest energy yields per unit area (hm2) (as higher heating values), owing to their significantly higher dry biomass yield as compared to the other crops. In all cases, autumn harvest offers better yields than late winter harvest, mainly due to a loss of harvestable biomass during winter, and not significantly due to the evolution of their composition.