Accounting for soil carbon changes in agricultural life cycle assessment (LCA): a review

Goglio, Pietro; Smith, Ward; Grant, Brian; Desjardins, Raymond L.; McConkey, B.G.; Campbell, C. A.; Nemecek, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.040

Cited by 129 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…The steadily increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentration has been attributed in large part to fossil fuel and industrial C emissions of about 10 Gt C Yr −1 (Le Quéré et al., ). Estimates of global soil C sequestration potential range from 0.4 to 1.3 Gt C Yr −1 , which could offset 4–13% of emissions, if sustainable (Goglio et al., ; Smith, ). However, current global estimates of the soil C sequestration potential have not generally accounted for differences in the capacity of different soils to sequester C. Furthermore, these estimates often assume that the upper limit of soil C sequestration is determined by the average soil C stock of the land use (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand

McNally

Beare

Curtin

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is important to develop strategies to increase the SOC stock and, thereby, offset some of the increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Although the capacity of soils to store SOC in a stable form is commonly attributed to the fine (clay + fine silt) fraction, the properties of the fine fraction that determine the SOC stabilization capacity are poorly known. The aim of this study was to develop an improved model to estimate the SOC stabilization capacity of Allophanic (Andisols) and non-Allophanic topsoils (0-15 cm) and, as a case study, to apply the model to predict the sequestration potential of pastoral soils across New Zealand. A quantile (90th) regression model, based on the specific surface area and extractable aluminium (pyrophosphate) content of soils, provided the best prediction of the upper limit of fine fraction carbon (FFC) (i.e. the stabilization capacity), but with different coefficients for Allophanic and non-Allophanic soils. The carbon (C) saturation deficit was estimated as the difference between the stabilization capacity of individual soils and their current C concentration. For long-term pastures, the mean saturation deficit of Allophanic soils (20.3 mg C g ) was greater than that of non-Allophanic soils (16.3 mg C g ). The saturation deficit of cropped soils was 1.14-1.89 times that of pasture soils. The sequestration potential of pasture soils ranged from 10 t C ha (Ultic soils) to 42 t C ha (Melanic soils). Although meeting the estimated national soil C sequestration potential (124 Mt C) is unrealistic, improved management practices targeted to those soils with the greatest sequestration potential could contribute significantly to off-setting New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions. As the first national-scale estimate of SOC sequestration potential that encompasses both Allophanic and non-Allophanic soils, this serves as an informative case study for the international community.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand

McNally

Beare

Curtin

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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“…The GIS methodology has been used previously to assess different aspects of bioenergy, for example to determine optimal placement of bioenergy facilities (Ekman et al, 2013;Thomas et al, 2013), assess land availability for short-rotation woody crops (Aust et al, 2014;Abolina et al, 2015) and calculate biomass potential at different spatial scales (Castellano et al, 2009;Fiorese & Guariso, 2010;Wightman et al, 2015). GIS modelling has also been incorporated into LCA to assess the GWP of bioenergy systems (Gasol et al, 2011), with some studies including changes in soil carbon stocks (van der Hilst et al, 2012;Humpen€ oder et al, 2013;Monteleone et al, 2015), commonly using IPCC emissions factors for direct land use change (Goglio et al, 2015). However, to our knowledge, the time-dependent LCA method has not previously been combined with the landscape dynamic approach for energy forestry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate impact assessment of willow energy from a landscape perspective: a Swedish case study

2016

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Locally produced bioenergy can decrease the dependency on imported fossil fuels in a region, while also being valuable for climate change mitigation. Short-rotation coppice willow is a potentially high-yielding energy crop that can be grown to supply a local energy facility. This study assessed the energy performance and climate impacts when establishing willow on current fallow land in a Swedish region with the purpose of supplying a bio-based combined heat and power plant. Time-dependent life cycle assessment (LCA) was combined with geographic information system (GIS) mapping to include spatial variation in terms of transport distance, initial soil organic carbon content, soil texture and yield. Two climate metrics were used [global warming potential (GWP) and absolute global temperature change potential (AGTP)], and the energy performance was determined by calculating the energy ratio (energy produced per unit of energy used). The results showed that when current fallow land in a Swedish region was used for willow energy, an average energy ratio of 30 MJ MJ À1 (including heat, power and flue gas condensation) was obtained and on average 84.3 Mg carbon per ha was sequestered in the soil during a 100-year time frame (compared with the reference land use). The processes contributing most to the energy use during one willow rotation were the production and application of fertilizers (~40%), followed by harvest (~35%) and transport (~20%). The temperature response after 100 years of willow cultivation was À6Á10 À16 K MJ À1 heat, which is much lower compared with fossil coal and natural gas (70Á10 À16 K MJ À1 heat and 35Á10 À16 K MJ À1 heat, respectively). The combined GIS and time-dependent LCA approach developed here can be a useful tool in systematic analysis of bioenergy production systems and related land use effects.

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“…However, we recommend that future LCAs in the Yaqui Valley explore land use changes by incorporating the use of biogeochemical models (Kim et al, 2009) and in situ measuring (Biswas et al, 2008;Wang and Dalal, 2015;. These improvements will allow generating more accurate GHG estimations from soil emissions in intensive agriculture systems (Goglio et al, 2015;Reay et al, 2012) compared to this initial highlevel analysis of the region.…”

Section: Potential Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Global warming potential of intensive wheat production in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico: a resource for the design of localized mitigation strategies

Lares-Orozco

Robles-Morúa

Yépez

et al. 2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Accounting for soil carbon changes in agricultural life cycle assessment (LCA): a review

Cited by 129 publications

References 82 publications

Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand

Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand

Climate impact assessment of willow energy from a landscape perspective: a Swedish case study

Global warming potential of intensive wheat production in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico: a resource for the design of localized mitigation strategies

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