Economics of using wastewater irrigation of willow in Northern Ireland

Calculations show that saved costs in the conventional treatment of wastewater are higher (£5.8-£14.83.5kgN-1) than the saved costs for fertiliser and higher coppice yields (equivalent to £0.7kgN-1). This added value that the bioremediation of wastewater confers on the energy produced from short rotation willow coppice has the potential to alter radically the economic sustainability of the crop even if, as is the likely case, not all of the avoided treatment costs will be passed on to the biomass producer.