Indicators to support environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Ecological Indicators

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.01.010· OSTI ID:1016602

McBride, Allen ^[1]; Dale, Virginia H ^[1]; Baskaran, Latha Malar ^[1]; Downing, Mark ^[1]; Eaton, Laurence M ^[1]; Efroymson, Rebecca Ann ^[1]; Garten, Jr, Charles T ^[1]; Kline, Keith L ^[1]; Jager, Yetta ^[1]; Mulholland, Patrick J ^[1]; Parish, Esther S ^[1]; Schweizer, Peter E ^[1]; Storey, John Morse ^[1]

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1. ORNL

Indicators are needed to assess environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators will help in the quantification of benefits and costs of bioenergy options and resource uses. We identify 19 measurable indicators for soil quality, water quality and quantity, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, air quality, and productivity, building on existing knowledge and on national and international programs that are seeking ways to assess sustainable bioenergy. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized to reflect major environmental effects of diverse feedstocks, management practices, and post-production processes. The importance of each indicator is identified. Future research relating to this indicator suite is discussed, including field testing, target establishment, and application to particular bioenergy systems. Coupled with such efforts, we envision that this indicator suite can serve as a basis for the practical evaluation of environmental sustainability in a variety of bioenergy systems.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1016602
• Journal Information: Ecological Indicators, Vol. 11, Issue 5; ISSN 1470-160X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English