Abstract
Cultivating perennial grasses on abandoned cropland for bioenergy production is a promising option to meet future renewable energy demands at lower risks for food security and environmental degradation. Studies on the potential environmental impacts of perennial grasses mostly focus on specific locations, while effects and potentials of a large-scale deployment on abandoned cropland are still unexplored. This work performs a spatially explicit life cycle assessment of agricultural production of three perennial grasses (miscanthus, switchgrass, and reed canary grass) on abandoned cropland in Europe under rainfed and irrigated conditions. We estimate the primary bioenergy potentials and potential environmental impacts on climate change (including soil organic carbon changes), freshwater and marine eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, fossil resource scarcity and water scarcity footprint. Under rainfed conditions, switchgrass has the largest supply potential (174 MtDM yr−1) while miscanthus has the lowest average climate impact (169 kg CO2 tDM−1). Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%. Water scarcity footprints also increase, ranging from 4.7 to 9 world m3eq. kgDM−1. When soil organic carbon changes are considered, the net climate effects turn to negative for all perennial grasses under rainfed conditions (and for miscanthus with irrigation as well), showing a potential for land-based negative emissions by storing carbon in soils while delivering renewable energy. Bioenergy potentials range between 1 and 7 EJyr−1 (corresponding to 1–10% of today's EU primary energy demand) and the scale of negative emissions can be up to −24 Mt. CO2-eq. yr−1 (equal to 5.6% of EU's agricultural sector emissions). The consideration of site-specific conditions for water supply and crop affinity can identify the best local agricultural practices for energy yields and negative emissions at reduced environmental trade-offs.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Rainfed switchgrass had the largest supply potential, 174 MtDM yr−1.
- Taxon
- switchgrass
Panicum virgatume0 - Outcome
- supply potentiale0
- Direction
- largeste0
- Value
- 174 MtDM yr−1e0
- Setting
- rainfed conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under rainfed conditions, switchgrass has the largest supply potential (174 MtDM yr−1) while miscanthus has the lowest average climate impact (169 kg CO2 tDM−1).”
Claim · model-written summary
Rainfed miscanthus had the lowest average climate impact, 169 kg CO2 tDM−1.
- Taxon
- miscanthus
Miscanthuse0 - Outcome
- average climate impacte0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 169 kg CO2 tDM−1e0
- Setting
- rainfed conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under rainfed conditions, switchgrass has the largest supply potential (174 MtDM yr−1) while miscanthus has the lowest average climate impact (169 kg CO2 tDM−1).”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased miscanthus biomass yield by 97%.
- Taxon
- miscanthusMiscanthuse0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- biomass yieldse0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 97%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased switchgrass biomass yield by 62%.
- Taxon
- switchgrassPanicum virgatume0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- biomass yieldse0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 62%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased reed canary grass biomass yield by 29%.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased miscanthus climate change impact per tDM by 24%.
- Taxon
- miscanthusMiscanthuse0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- climate change impacts per tDMe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 24%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased switchgrass climate change impact per tDM by 32%.
- Taxon
- switchgrassPanicum virgatume0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- climate change impacts per tDMe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 32%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased reed canary grass climate change impact per tDM by 44%.
- Taxon
- reed canary grasse0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- climate change impacts per tDMe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 44%e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increases biomass yields by 97% for miscanthus, 62% for switchgrass and 29% for reed canary grass, but climate change impacts per tDM increase by 24%, 32% and 44%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Water scarcity footprints increased to a range of 4.7 to 9 world m3eq. kgDM−1.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Water scarcity footprints also increase, ranging from 4.7 to 9 world m3eq. kgDM−1.”
Claim · model-written summary
Accounting for soil organic carbon turned net climate effects negative for rainfed perennial grasses.
- Taxon
- perennial grassese0
- Treatment
- soil organic carbon changese0
- Outcome
- net climate effectse0
- Direction
- negativee0
- Setting
- rainfed conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“When soil organic carbon changes are considered, the net climate effects turn to negative for all perennial grasses under rainfed conditions (and for miscanthus with irrigation as well), showing a potential for land-based negative emissions by storing carbon in soils while delivering renewable energy.”
Claim · model-written summary
Accounting for soil organic carbon turned net climate effects negative for irrigated miscanthus.
- Taxon
- miscanthusMiscanthuse0
- Treatment
- soil organic carbon changese0
- Outcome
- net climate effectse0
- Direction
- negativee0
- Setting
- irrigatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When soil organic carbon changes are considered, the net climate effects turn to negative for all perennial grasses under rainfed conditions (and for miscanthus with irrigation as well), showing a potential for land-based negative emissions by storing carbon in soils while delivering renewable energy.”
Claim · model-written summary
Estimated bioenergy potentials ranged from 1 to 7 EJyr−1.
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“Bioenergy potentials range between 1 and 7 EJyr−1 (corresponding to 1–10% of today's EU primary energy demand) and the scale of negative emissions can be up to −24 Mt. CO2-eq. yr−1 (equal to 5.6% of EU's agricultural sector emissions).”
Claim · model-written summary
Estimated negative emissions reached up to −24 Mt. CO2-eq. yr−1.
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“Bioenergy potentials range between 1 and 7 EJyr−1 (corresponding to 1–10% of today's EU primary energy demand) and the scale of negative emissions can be up to −24 Mt. CO2-eq. yr−1 (equal to 5.6% of EU's agricultural sector emissions).”
Claim · model-written summary
Site specific water supply and crop affinity can identify local practices that improve energy yields and negative emissions while reducing environmental tradeoffs.
- Outcome
- best local agricultural practices for energy yields and negative emissions at reduced environmental trade-offse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The consideration of site-specific conditions for water supply and crop affinity can identify the best local agricultural practices for energy yields and negative emissions at reduced environmental trade-offs.”
The same questions in other papers
irrigation · yield · Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)Results differ
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →irrigation · yield · Miscanthus (silver grass)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.