Assessment of sustainable Grassland biomass potentials for energy supply in Northwest Europe

Ketzer, Daniel; Rösch, Christine; Haase, Martina

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.03.009

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…However, biomass resources with a high water content in the harvested product have relatively high transport costs, which therefore must be given a particular consideration (Zhang et al, ). In accordance with other studies, the decreasing use of grassland in marginal regions seems likely due to the decreased competiveness of cattle farming in those regions (Ketzer, Rösch, & Haase, ). If no new profitable value chains for grassland as feedstock will be developed, nonuse will result in a succession that converts grassland to forest.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Downscaling of agricultural market impacts under bioeconomy development to the regional and the farm level—An example of Baden‐Wuerttemberg

et al. 2019

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The expansion of the bioeconomy sector will increase the competition for agricultural land regarding biomass production. Furthermore, the particular path of the expansion of the bioeconomy is associated with great uncertainty due to the early stage of technology development and its dependency on political framework conditions. Economic models are suitable tools to identify trade‐offs in agricultural production and address the high uncertainty of the bioeconomy expansion. We present results from the farm model Economic Farm Emission Model of four bioeconomy scenarios in order to evaluate impacts and trade‐offs of different potential bioeconomy developments and the corresponding uncertainty at regional and farm level in Baden‐Wuerttemberg, Germany. The demand‐side effects of the bioeconomy scenarios are based on downscaling European Union level results of a separate model linkage between an agricultural sector and an energy sector model. The general model results show that the expanded use of agricultural land for the bioeconomy sector, especially for the cultivation of perennial biomass crops (PBC), reduces biomass production for established value chains, especially for food and feed. The results also show differences between regions and farm types in Baden‐Wuerttemberg. Fertile arable regions and arable farms profit more from the expanded use of biomass in the bioeconomy than farms that focus on cattle farming. Latter farms use the arable land to produce feed for the cattle, whereas arable farms can expand feedstock production for new value chains. Additionally, less intensive production systems like extensive grassland suffer from economic losses, whereas the competition in fertile regions further increases. Hence, if the extensive production systems are to be preserved, appropriate subsidies must be provided. This emphasizes the relevance of downscaling aggregated model results to higher spatial resolution, even as far as to the decision maker (farm), to identify possible contradicting effects of the bioeconomy as well as policy implications.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Downscaling of agricultural market impacts under bioeconomy development to the regional and the farm level—An example of Baden‐Wuerttemberg

et al. 2019

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“…Along with agricultural crops, permanent grasslands covered over 57 million hectares (2007) of EU territory and temporary grasslands about 10 million hectares. Together, they made up about 39% of the European utilized agricultural area [15]. The productivity ranges from 1 to 12 t of dry matter/ha per year [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Substrate–Enzyme Proportion for Efficient Hydrolysis of Hay

Mežule¹,

Bērziņa²,

Strods³

2019

Energies

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Fuel alcohol production yields can be influenced by lignocellulosic biomass loading. High solid loadings (>20 wt%) are suggested to have the potential to produce more products. However, most often, low substrate loadings (<5% solids, w/w) are used to ensure good wetting and enzyme accessibility, and to minimize any inhibitory effect on the hydrolysis products. Here, we analyzed the effect of substrate loading on the enzymatic hydrolysis of hay with non-commercial enzyme products obtained from white-rot fungi. A significant negative effect on hydrolysis was observed when 10 wt% hay loading was used with the commercial enzyme, however, non-commercial enzyme products from white-rot fungi had no impact on hydrolysis in biomass loading rates from 1 to 10 wt%. Moreover, it was estimated that enzymes extracted from white-rot fungi could be used at a concentration of 0.2 FPU/mL at a biomass loading from 1–10 wt%, resulting in 0.17–0.24 g of released reducing carbohydrates per gram of biomass. Higher concentrations did not result in any significant conversion increase. A mixing impact was only observed in test runs at a substrate loading of 10 wt%. The apparently positive features of the non-commercial enzyme mixes give rise to their future use. The combination and upgrade of existing technologies, e.g., efficient pre-treatment, membrane purification, and concentration and efficient product recovery, should result in even higher conversion yields.

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“…Among studies that focus on the EU-27, Ketzer, Rösch, and Haase (2017) estimate the permanent grassland area at about 57 Mha (pastures and meadows) and temporary grassland at 10 Mha (2007), and Elbersen et al (2013) estimate the grassland area at about 65 Mha (2004) and project that it will decrease to about 62 Mha in 2020.…”

Section: Differences In Definitions Of Grasslandmentioning

confidence: 99%

How is biodiversity protection influencing the potential for bioenergy feedstock production on grasslands?

et al. 2018

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Sustainable feedstock supply is a critical issue for the bioenergy sector. One concern is that feedstock production will impact biodiversity. We analyze how this concern is addressed in assessments of biomass supply potentials and in selected governance systems in the EU and Brazil, including the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the Brazilian Forest Act. The analysis focuses on grasslands and includes estimates of the amount of grassland area (and corresponding biomass production volume) that would be excluded from cultivation in specific biodiversity protection scenarios. The reviewed assessments used a variety of approaches to identify and exclude biodiverse grasslands as unavailable for bioenergy. Because exclusion was integrated with other nature protection considerations, quantification of excluded grassland areas was often not possible. The RED complements and strengthens the CAP in terms of biodiversity protection. Following the RED, an estimated 39%–48% (about 9–11 Mha) and 15%–54% (about 10–38 Mha) of natural and non‐natural grassland, respectively, may be considered highly biodiverse in EU‐28. The estimated biomass production potential on these areas corresponds to some 1–3 and 1.5–10 EJ/year for natural and non‐natural grassland, respectively (depending on area availability and management intensity). However, the RED lacks clear definitions and guidance, creating uncertainty about its influence on grassland availability for bioenergy feedstock production. For Brazil, an estimated 16%–77% (about 16–76 Mha) and 1%–32% (about 7–24 Mha) of natural and non‐natural grassland, respectively, may be considered highly biodiverse. In Brazil, ecological–economic zoning was found potentially important for grassland protection. Further clarification of grassland definitions and delineation in regulations will facilitate a better understanding of the prospects for bioenergy feedstock production on grasslands, and the impacts of bioenergy deployment on biodiversity.

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Assessment of sustainable Grassland biomass potentials for energy supply in Northwest Europe

Cited by 23 publications

References 11 publications

Downscaling of agricultural market impacts under bioeconomy development to the regional and the farm level—An example of Baden‐Wuerttemberg

Downscaling of agricultural market impacts under bioeconomy development to the regional and the farm level—An example of Baden‐Wuerttemberg

The Impact of Substrate–Enzyme Proportion for Efficient Hydrolysis of Hay

How is biodiversity protection influencing the potential for bioenergy feedstock production on grasslands?

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