Feedstock loss from drought is a major economic risk for biofuel producers

Morrow, William R.; Gopal, Anand; Fitts, Gary; Lewis, Sarah M.; Dale, Larry; Masanet, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.05.006

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Appropriate management practices can reduce GHG emissions and accelerate soil C sequestration while maintaining profitable yields. Previous studies demonstrate, of all the management practices, soil phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents have little effect on switchgrass yield [14,15], while irrigation and N fertilizer management are essential for profitable yields and protecting environmental quality in arid and semi-arid areas [10,16]. However, large amounts of external N and irrigation water inputs with decreasing use efficiencies have contributed to environmental degradation and GHG emissions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Simulated biomass, environmental impacts and best management practices for long-term switchgrass systems in a semi-arid region

Wang

Qian

Brummer

et al. 2015

Biomass and Bioenergy

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Long-term information on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as a biomass energy crop grown on marginally saline soil and the associated impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and best management practices (BMPs) are limited. In this study, we employed the DAYCENT model, based on a 4-year switchgrass field experiment, to evaluate the long-term biomass yield potential and environmental impacts, and further to develop BMPs for switchgrass in a semi-arid region. The model showed that long-term (14-year) annual mean biomass yields were 9.6 and 5.2 Mg ha-1 for irrigated and rainfed switchgrass systems, respectively. The simulated biomass yields correlated well with field-measured biomass with r 2 values of 0.99 and 0.89 for irrigated and rainfed systems, respectively. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) accumulated rapidly after switchgrass establishment, with mean accrual rates of 0.99-1.13 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 and 0.04-0.08 Mg N ha-1 yr-1 , respectively. Based on the outputs of numerous longterm model simulations with variable irrigation water supplies and N rates, the irrigation regime and N rate with the highest yield to input ratio were chosen as BMPs. The DAYCENT model predicted-BMP was irrigating every 14 days at 70% potential evapotranspiration combined with an N rate of 67 kg ha-1 yr-1. Switchgrass established and produced biomass reasonably well in this semi-arid region; however, appropriate irrigation and N fertilization were needed for optimal biomass yield. Switchgrass had a great potential to sequester C into soils with low N 2 O emissions while supplying significant quantities of biomass for biofuel synthesis.

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confidence: 99%

Simulated biomass, environmental impacts and best management practices for long-term switchgrass systems in a semi-arid region

Wang

Qian

Brummer

et al. 2015

Biomass and Bioenergy

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“…High cost of technology is seen as the primary barrier to full commercialization of cellulosic biofuels. Morrow et al (2014) found that droughts reduced modeled biorefinery capacity factors, on average, by 47%, raising biofuel production costs by 35% between a modeled dry and wet year. For instance, perennial grasses have several environmental benefits: they reduce erosion processes, improve soil structure, increase organic matter and reduce pollution because they need less pesticides and fertilizers compared to annual cultivars.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possibilities for Growing Switch-grass (Panicum virgatum) as Second Generation Energy Crop in Dry-subhumid, Semiarid and Arid Regions of the Argentina

Falasca¹,

Pitta‐Alvarez²,

Fresno³

2017

JCEA

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Panicum virgatum (swich-grass) is cultivated in some countries to obtain biomass used in the production of heat, fiber, electricity and second generation ethanol. Currently, in Argentina, this species is used for forage and as an ornamental. The aim of this work was to design an agroclimatic zoning model for swich-grass in Argentina, both for upland and lowland ecotypes, based on its bioclimatic requirements and employing a Geography Information System. The variables taken into consideration were: average temperature during growing period and reproductive period, frost free days and rainfall during growing season. This work demonstrated that an ample region of the country is agro-climatically suitable for the implantation of switch-grass in rainfed conditions or with complementary irrigation. The agroclimatic zoning for the upland ecotype shows that suitability reaches latitudes of up to 46ºS, while the lowland ecotype can be grown up to 40ºS. Thornthwaite's Moisture Index equal to zero was overlapped to the Argentinean agroclimatic zoning for upland and lowland types, to obtain the potential growing areas under dry-subhumid, semiarid to arid climates. The areas where switch-grass should be effectively tested are those categorized as optimal, very suitable, suitable, and very suitable/suitable with irrigation, located to the West of TMI equal to zero, which include dry-subhumid (0

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“…The increases in extreme weather will necessarily impact the biomass supply for the biorefining industry, causing reductions in yields of agricultural crops and increases in the price of crops and biofuels (Langholtz et al, 2014). In modeled scenarios, biofuel production costs increased 35% from a wet year compared to a dry year (Morrow et al, 2014), demonstrating the significant economic risk from drought. In addition, proposed risk mitigation strategies, such as sourcing material from a larger area or storing biomass from non-drought years, showed little impact on reducing risk associated with drought conditions (Morrow et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In modeled scenarios, biofuel production costs increased 35% from a wet year compared to a dry year (Morrow et al, 2014), demonstrating the significant economic risk from drought. In addition, proposed risk mitigation strategies, such as sourcing material from a larger area or storing biomass from non-drought years, showed little impact on reducing risk associated with drought conditions (Morrow et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Drought on Chemical Composition and Sugar Yields From Dilute-Acid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Miscanthus, a Tall Fescue Mixture, and Switchgrass

et al. 2018

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Environmental factors like drought impact the quality of biomass entering a bioconversion process. Drought often reduces the sugar content in lignocellulosic biomass, which could have economic impacts, particularly when compounded with losses in dry biomass yield; however, the effects on conversion efficiency are not completely understood. This study investigated how drought may impact biomass composition and sugar yields from dilute-acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of Miscanthus, a tall fescue mixture, and switchgrass from Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma, respectively, grown as part of Regional Feedstock Partnership field trials. Samples were grown and harvested in 2010 during non-drought conditions and in 2012 during extreme drought conditions. Non-structural glucose and proline were significantly greater in 2012 compared with 2010 for Miscanthus, which suggests drought stress occurred. Structural glucan and xylan were significantly decreased in 2012 for Miscanthus; however, reactivity and sugar yields from dilute-acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were significantly greater in 2012 compared with 2010, suggesting that although structural sugars may decrease during drought conditions, sugar yields and reactivity may increase. For the tall fescue mixture, proline was greater, and structural sugars were lower in 2012, indicating drought stress, but minimal differences were observed in the conversion experiments. Few differences were observed for switchgrass composition and reactivity between years. The observed patterns are likely because of site-specific climatic conditions combined with the tolerance each species may have to drought. As drought occurrence and severity have increased, it is necessary to understand drought impacts to mitigate risks to future bioenergy industry growth.

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Feedstock loss from drought is a major economic risk for biofuel producers

Cited by 22 publications

References 43 publications

Simulated biomass, environmental impacts and best management practices for long-term switchgrass systems in a semi-arid region

Simulated biomass, environmental impacts and best management practices for long-term switchgrass systems in a semi-arid region

Possibilities for Growing Switch-grass (Panicum virgatum) as Second Generation Energy Crop in Dry-subhumid, Semiarid and Arid Regions of the Argentina

Impact of Drought on Chemical Composition and Sugar Yields From Dilute-Acid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Miscanthus, a Tall Fescue Mixture, and Switchgrass

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