Sustainability of the biofuel crops, the trace gases perspective

Gelfand, I., K. Kahmark, S. Bohm, P. Jasrotia, and G.P. Robertson

Presented at the All Scientist and GLBRC Sustainability Meeting (2009-05-05 to 2009-05-07 )

Environmental consequences of the fossil fuel use and petroleum supplies have driven interest in production of renewable energy. Ethanol production from the cellulose not compete with food production, in both land and biomass use. Those make the cellulosic ethanol production to one of the most perspective ways of the growth of the biofuel crops on land.

For estimation of sustainability of the biofuel cropping systems the energy balance should be positive (i.e. net production of the energy) and green house gases (GHG) balance should be negative (i.e. carbon sequestration from the atmosphere), or at list neutral (i.e. no additional emissions of GHG to the atmosphere). Our main aim is to measure, calculate and estimate the above mentioned balances. To this end ten field plots (40×28 m) in five replicates, representing eight types of main biofuel cropping systems and three common agricultural practices were established around Kellogg Biological Station, the agricultural research station of Michigan State University. On each of the field plots fully automatic soil chamber system for continues measurements of main GHG (CO2, CH4, N2O) soil fluxes were established. Additionally, a system for soil NOx flux measurement will be added. From the measurements of the net productivity of each cropping system, and GHG fluxes associated with agronomic practices and soil activity, the GHG balances will be achieved. The energy balance will be based on the energy costs of the field maintenances and biofuel production.

We hypothesize that low input – high diversity cropping systems will have most positive energy and most negative GHG balances, due to low energetic/GHG emission costs of production, while relatively high productivity.

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