Assessing availability and greenhouse gas emissions of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock supply - case study for a catchment in England
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Feedstocks from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) include crop residues and dedicated perennial biomass crops. The latter are often considered superior in terms of climate change mitigation potential. Uncertainty remains over their availability as feedstocks for biomass provision and the net greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) during crop production. Our objective was to assess the optimal land allocation to wheat and Miscanthus in a specific case study located in England, to increase biomass availability, improve the carbon balance (and reduce the consequent GHG emissions), and minimally constrain grain production losses from wheat. Using soil and climate variables for a catchment in east England, biomass yields and direct nitrogen emissions were simulated with validated process‐based models. A ‘Field to up‐stream factory gate’ life‐cycle assessment was conducted to estimate indirect management‐related GHG emissions. Results show that feedstock supply from wheat straw can be supplemented beneficially with LCB from Miscanthus grown on selected low‐quality soils. In our study, 8% of the less productive arable land area was dedicated to Miscanthus, increasing total LCB provision by about 150%, with a 52% reduction in GHG emission per ton LCB delivered and only a minor effect on wheat grain production (−3%). In conclusion, even without considering the likely carbon sequestration in impoverished soils, agriculture should embrace the opportunities to provide the bioeconomy with LCB from dedicated, perennial crops.
Date Issued
2019-05-01
Date Acceptance
2018-11-19
Citation
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 2019, 13 (3), pp.568-581
ISSN
1932-104X
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
568
End Page
581
Journal / Book Title
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
Volume
13
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the accepted version of the following article: Ni, Y. , Mwabonje, O. N., Richter, G. M., Qi, A. , Yeung, K. , Patel, M. and Woods, J. (2019), Assessing availability and greenhouse gas emissions of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock supply – case study for a catchment in England. Biofuels, Bioprod. Bioref., which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1966
Sponsor
European Institute of Innovation and Technology - EIT
Grant Number
KIC ADMIT Biosuccinnovate
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Technology
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Energy & Fuels
lignocellulosic biomass
greenhouse gases (GHG)
Miscanthus
wheat straw
feedstock supply
STAMINA
DNDC
NITROUS-OXIDE EMISSIONS
ROW-CROP FIELD
PERENNIAL GRASSES
BIOENERGY CROPS
CARBON BALANCE
CLIMATE-CHANGE
SOIL CARBON
ENERGY CROP
MISCANTHUS
YIELD
Biotechnology
09 Engineering
10 Technology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-01-09