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Agronomy
Special Issues
Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development
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Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 11671

Special Issue Editor

Dr. James R Kiniry

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Temple, TX 76502, USA
Interests: irrigation and water management; biofuels; bioenergy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Twenty years ago, Brown et al. (2000, Agric. Ecosystems and Environment 78: 31-47) discussed the environmental and economic aspects of converting marginal lands and croplands to perennial grasses such as switchgrass for biofuel production.  Since then there have been massive research efforts to evaluate and quantify sustainability of large scale biofuel production.

Soil carbon sequestration, changes in soil erosion and hydrology, optimization of plant species/ecotypes for production, wildlife habitat, and optimization of locations of production fields relative to processing plants are all important aspects that have been and are being investigated as they contribute to sustainability of these systems.

This Special Issue, through bringing together reviews of recent research and innovative new research results, intends to describe the sustainability of such biofuel production systems.

Manuscripts will address a wide range of aspects of such production systems and how they relate to how biofuel systems succeed or fail to be sustainable under current and future climate conditions.

Dr. James R Kiniry
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • biofuel production
  • optimization of plant species/ecotype
  • transportation optimization
  • soil carbon
  • climate change

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 668 KiB  
Article
Soil Greenhouse Gas Responses to Biomass Removal in the Annual and Perennial Cropping Phases of an Integrated Crop Livestock System
by Elizabeth Christenson, Virginia L. Jin, Marty R. Schmer, Robert B. Mitchell and Daren D. Redfearn
Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1416; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071416 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2088
Abstract
Diversifying agronomic production systems by combining crops and livestock (i.e., Integrated Crop Livestock systems; ICL) may help mitigate the environmental impacts of intensive single-commodity production. In addition, harvesting row-crop residues and/or perennial biomass could increase the multi-functionality of ICL systems as a potential [...] Read more.
Diversifying agronomic production systems by combining crops and livestock (i.e., Integrated Crop Livestock systems; ICL) may help mitigate the environmental impacts of intensive single-commodity production. In addition, harvesting row-crop residues and/or perennial biomass could increase the multi-functionality of ICL systems as a potential source for second-generation bioenergy feedstock. Here, we evaluated non-CO2 soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from both row-crop and perennial grass phases of a field-scale model ICL system established on marginally productive, poorly drained cropland in the western US Corn Belt. Soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) were measured during the 2017–2019 growing seasons under continuous corn (Zea mays L.) and perennial grass treatments consisting of a common pasture species, ‘Newell’ smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.), and two cultivars of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), ‘Liberty’ and ‘Shawnee.’ In the continuous corn system, we evaluated the impact of stover removal by mechanical baling vs. livestock grazing for systems with and without winter cover crop, triticale (x Triticosecale neoblaringhemii A. Camus; hexaploid AABBRR). In perennial grasslands, we evaluated the effect of livestock grazing vs. no grazing. We found that (1) soil N2O emissions are generally higher in continuous corn systems than perennial grasslands due to synthetic N fertilizer use; (2) winter cover crop use had no effect on total soil GHG emissions regardless of stover management treatment; (3) stover baling decreased total soil GHG emissions, though grazing stover significantly increased emissions in one year; (4) grazing perennial grasslands tended to increase GHG emissions in pastures selected for forage quality, but were highly variable from year to year; (5) ICL systems that incorporate perennial grasses will provide the most effective GHG mitigation outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development)
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13 pages, 823 KiB  
Article
Anaerobic Digestion and Hot Water Pretreatment of Tropically Grown C4 Energy Grasses: Mass, Carbon, and Energy Conversions from Field Biomass to Fuels
by Jon M. Wells, Susan E. Crow, Samir Kumar Khanal, Scott Turn, Andrew Hashimoto, Jim Kiniry and Norman Meki
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050838 - 24 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1912
Abstract
The efficacy of C4 grasses as feedstocks for liquid fuel production and their climate mitigation potential remain unresolved in the tropics. To identify highly convertible C4 grasses, we measured final fuels and postprocess biomass produced in two laboratory-scale conversion pathways across [...] Read more.
The efficacy of C4 grasses as feedstocks for liquid fuel production and their climate mitigation potential remain unresolved in the tropics. To identify highly convertible C4 grasses, we measured final fuels and postprocess biomass produced in two laboratory-scale conversion pathways across 12 species and varieties within the Poaceae (grass) family. Total mass, carbon, and energy in final fuels and postprocess biomass were assessed based on field mass and area-based production. Two lignocellulosic processes were investigated: (1) anaerobic digestion (AD) to methane and (2) hot water pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis (HWP-EH) to ethanol. We found AD converted lignocellulose to methane more efficiently in terms of carbon and energy compared to ethanol production using HWP-EH, although improvements to and the optimization of each process could change these contrasts. The resulting data provide design limitations for agricultural production and biorefinery systems that regulate these systems as net carbon sources or sinks to the atmosphere. Median carbon recovery in final fuels and postprocess biomass from the studied C4 grasses were ~5 Mg C ha−1 year−1 for both methane and ethanol, while median energy recovery was ~200 MJ ha−1 year−1 for ethanol and ~275 MJ ha−1 year−1 for methane. The highest carbon and energy recovery from lignocellulose was achieved during methane production from a sugarcane hybrid called energycane, with ~10 Mg C ha−1 year−1 and ~450 MJ ha−1 year−1 of carbon and energy recovered, respectively, from fuels and post-process biomass combined. Carbon and energy recovery during ethanol production was also highest for energycane, with ~9 Mg C ha−1 year−1 and ~350 MJ ha−1 year−1 of carbon and energy recovered in fuels and postprocess biomass combined. Although several process streams remain unresolved, agricultural production and conversion of C4 grasses must operate within these carbon and energy limitations for biofuel and bioenergy production to be an atmospheric carbon sink. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development)
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11 pages, 669 KiB  
Article
Effects of Plant-Soil Feedback on Switchgrass Productivity Related to Microbial Origin
by James R. Kiniry, Caroline E. Arthur, Katherine M. Banick, Felix B. Fritschi, Yanqi Wu and Christine V. Hawkes
Agronomy 2020, 10(12), 1860; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10121860 - 26 Nov 2020
Viewed by 1976
Abstract
A great deal of effort has been applied to maximizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) production for bioenergy by leveraging existing local adaptation to climate and via nutrient management in this perennial grass crop. However, the biotic component of soils can also affect [...] Read more.
A great deal of effort has been applied to maximizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) production for bioenergy by leveraging existing local adaptation to climate and via nutrient management in this perennial grass crop. However, the biotic component of soils can also affect plant production and long-term suitability at a given site. Here, we tested how productivity of four switchgrass cultivars were affected by four microbial sources from the Great Plains. All inoculum soil sources were previously conditioned by a mixture of switchgrass cultivars, allowing us to explicitly address plant-soil feedback effects. Microbial soil inocula were added to a consistent background soil to avoid physicochemical variation across the sources. We found that the soil microbial inoculum source mattered more than cultivar in determining switchgrass biomass. The addition of microbes resulted in smaller plants, with the largest plants found on control soils with no inoculum, but some inocula were less negative than others. There was no geographic matching between cultivars and soil microbial inoculum, suggesting little local adaptation to the biotic component of soils. In addition, measurements of fungal root colonization suggest that fungi are not responsible for the observed patterns. Based on these results, we suggest that switchgrass cultivation could benefit from considering effects of the soil biota. Additional work is needed to generalize these patterns over time, to a wider geographic area, and to a broader range of cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development)
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13 pages, 11444 KiB  
Article
Simulation-Based Capacity Planning of a Biofuel Refinery
by Sojung Kim, Evi Ofekeze, James R. Kiniry and Sumin Kim
Agronomy 2020, 10(11), 1702; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111702 - 3 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1993
Abstract
The reduction in the operational cost of a biofuel refinery is vitally important to make biofuel competitive with fossil fuels. The aim of this paper is to find a cost-efficient and sustainable refinery capacity for grain-based ethanol (i.e., corn-based ethanol) production, which will [...] Read more.
The reduction in the operational cost of a biofuel refinery is vitally important to make biofuel competitive with fossil fuels. The aim of this paper is to find a cost-efficient and sustainable refinery capacity for grain-based ethanol (i.e., corn-based ethanol) production, which will play an important role in promoting the widespread adoption and sustainable use of ethanol, by improving the productivity of the overall refining process. Continuous-event simulation was utilized in this study to model complex operations of a refinery such as the loading, unloading and treatment of feedstock over nine major phases (e.g., feedstock storage and handling, pretreatment and conditioning, fermentation and hydrolysis, and enzyme production) to produce ethanol. To improve the model prediction, the real data of corn yield produced in Tazewell County, Illinois, U.S. were used. The proposed simulation model is implemented in AnyLogic® University 8.6.0 simulation software, Chicago, IL, USA, and the (near) optimal number of reactors for the hydrolysis and fermentation is found via optimization software known as OptQuest®, Boulder, CO, USA, As a result, the proposed approach found that six reactors showed the optimal daily profit from USD 67,500 to 82,217. This information will help engineers and policy makers to modify the capacity of a biofuel refinery for enhancement of the system efficiency and ethanol production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development)
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Review

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18 pages, 372 KiB  
Review
Biofuel Benefit or Bummer? A Review Comparing Environmental Effects, Economics, and Feasibility of North American Native Perennial Grass and Traditional Annual Row Crops When Used for Biofuel
by Jacqueline Jacot, Amber S. Williams and James R. Kiniry
Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1440; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071440 - 20 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3127
Abstract
While biofuels have been touted as a benefit for growers—with the ability to be planted on marginal lands, for improved wildlife habitat, to sustain soils, and to reduce runoff—there remains to be a general summary of how beneficial they really are. This paper [...] Read more.
While biofuels have been touted as a benefit for growers—with the ability to be planted on marginal lands, for improved wildlife habitat, to sustain soils, and to reduce runoff—there remains to be a general summary of how beneficial they really are. This paper aims to review the environmental effects, feasibility, and economic aspects of using native perennial grasses in North America as biofuels as opposed to traditional annual crops. The Scopus database was used to search for manuscripts relating to each topic. In some instances, very few results appeared, so a second database, Digitop, was also used. Native perennial grasses have been found to sequester carbon and cultivating them can create a carbon sink in the soil. Overall, wildlife benefit more by having native perennial grass for biofuels planted than annual maize and having fewer harvests a season is better for wildlife over the entire year. Economically, growing native perennial grasses can be advantageous especially on marginal land, where it has a comparatively high yield. Although the second-generation biofuel supply chain is susceptible to changing market prices, it can be made more resilient and has advantages, for example resistance against the impacts of drought. Although there are many cultivars to choose from, factors like climate, soil, and genetics can provide pertinent information to match each specimen’s ideal growing conditions to the right location. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofuels and Bioenergy Contribute to Sustainable Global Development)
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