e-journal

The economical and environmental performance of miscanthus and switchgrass production and supply chains in a European setting

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Abstract.
The purpose of this study is to analyse the economical and environmental performance of switchgrass
and miscanthus production and supply chains in the European Union (EU25), for the years 2004 and
2030. The environmental performance refers to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the primary fossil
energy use and to the impact on fresh water reserves, soil erosion and biodiversity. Analyses are carried
out for regions in five countries. The lowest costs of producing (including storing and transporting across
100 km) in the year 2004 are calculated for Poland, Hungary and Lithuania at 43–64sper oven dry tonne
(odt) or 2.4–3.6 E GJ-1 higher heating value. This cost level is roughly equivalent to the price of natural
gas (3.1 E GJ-1) and lower than the price of crude oil (4.6 E GJ-1) in 2004, but higher than the price of
coal (1.7 E GJ-1) in 2004. The costs of biomass in Italy and the United Kingdom are somewhat higher (65–
105 s odt1 or 3.6–5.8 E GJ-1). The doubling of the price of crude oil and natural gas that is projected for
the period 2004–2030, combined with nearly stable biomass production costs, makes the production of
perennial grasses competitive with natural gas and fossil oil. The results also show that the substitution of
fossil fuels by biomass from perennial grasses is a robust strategy to reduce fossil energy use and curb
GHG emissions, provided that perennial grasses are grown on agricultural land (cropland or pastures).
However, in such case deep percolation and runoff of water are reduced, which can lead to overexploitation of fresh water reservoirs. This can be avoided by selecting suitable locations (away from direct accessible fresh water reservoirs) and by limiting the size of the plantations. The impacts on biodiversity are generally favourable compared to conventional crops, but the location of the plantation compared to other vegetation types and the size and harvesting regime of the plantation are important variables.

Keywords: Miscanthus, Switchgrass, Costs, Soil erosion, Biodiversity, Water, Greenhouse gas emissions, Primary energy use

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Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

No. Panggil

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Penerbit

London : Elsevier Ltd.., 2009

Deskripsi Fisik

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13 (2009) 1230–1245

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

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Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

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Subjek

LINGKUNGAN HIDUP

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

agus

Versi lain/terkait

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