Assessment of Bioenergy Generation Potential of Agricultural Crop Residues in India

Abstract

Crop residues are sustainable feedstock for bioenergy production. The gross crop residue potential generated in India is 696.38 million tonnes/year. Cereal crops generate about 364.27 million tonnes/year of crop residues. Cereal crops (rice, wheat, sorghum, pearl millet, maize), sugarcane and horticultural crops (coconut, areca nut, banana) are found to have immense crop residue generation potential. Crop residues of 209.69 million tonnes/ year are available as surplus and can be explored for bioenergy generation. Cereals and sugarcane account for 75% of surplus crop residues. Spatial variations existing between states in terms of surplus crop residue generation are due to crop acreage and crop productivity. Uttar Pradesh generates 116.69 million tonnes/year of gross crop residues and 41.76 million tonnes/year of surplus crop residues. States like Punjab,

Capture of CO2 and Water While Driving for Use in the Food and Agricultural Systems

“…Food perceptions of CO 2 utilization among diverse social stakeholders (e.g., investors, policymakers, the public) will fundamentally shape the path of CO 2 utilization technologies and CO 2 -derived projects [10,28]. The proposed research presented in this white paper will help develop the footprints of what could become a 25% reduction in emissions while also advancing sustainable agricultural/food activities.…”

“…The consumption of food contributes to a significant proportion of a person's overall greenhouse gas impact [23], with agricultural production accounting for 19 to 29% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions [24]. Consumers are also displaying "a moderately high level of concern" for the sustainability with respect to food production [10,[25][26][27].…”

“…To move towards a sustainable food future that makes optimal use of the earth's natural resources, society must move away from the current food product footprint approach and start using a circular food system to produce more food without impacting the environment [8,9]. Food, energy, and water (FEW) systems should be optimized so that innovative agricultural systems can be used to minimize waste and facilitate the implementation of innovative technologies to reduce the use of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions [3,10,11]. These systems must be sustainable and financially viable.…”

Review on Evaluation of Renewable Bioenergy Potential for Sustainable Development: Bright Future in Energy Practice in India

“…Contrary to this, process-based/secondary residues are produced during plant processing steps, such as cleaning, threshing, sieving, and crushing, and include husks, sawdust, and straws (e.g., rice husk, groundnut shells, corn cobs, bagasse, coconut shell, and coir pith). According to a recent study conducted by Venkatramanan et al, 27 field-based crop biomass residues as available in surplus are sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. Agricultural wastes as biomass sources do not endanger food security and mitigate environmental impacts and may considerably contribute to appropriate waste management.…”

“…Currently, these biomass resources are not utilized commercially for energy generation due to a lack of infrastructure and difficulty in processing. However, if they are being used efficiently, they can meet India's growing renewable energy demand 27 and considerably minimize fossil fuel dependence in transportation and industries. 4 The conversion of biomass to bioenergy (biogas and electricity) through the anaerobic digestion (AD) process has been proved to maximize economic profits and positive social externalities such as job creation and economic development.…”