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Title: Watershed‐scale impacts of bioenergy crops on hydrology and water quality using improved SWAT model

Abstract

Cellulosic bioenergy feedstock such as perennial grasses and crop residues are expected to play a significant role in meeting US biofuel production targets. Here, we used an improved version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to forecast impacts on watershed hydrology and water quality by implementing an array of plausible land-use changes associated with commercial bioenergy crop production for two watersheds in the Midwest USA. Watershed-scale impacts were estimated for 13 bioenergy crop production scenarios, including: production of Miscanthus 9 giganteus and upland Shawnee switchgrass on highly erodible landscape positions, agricultural marginal land areas and pastures, removal of corn stover and combinations of these options. We also measured water quality as erosion and sediment loading; this was forecasted to improve compared to baseline when perennial grasses were used for bioenergy production, but not with stover removal scenarios. Erosion reduction with perennial energy crop production scenarios ranged between 0.2% and 59%. Stream flow at the watershed outlet was reduced between 0 and 8% across these bioenergy crop production scenarios compared to baseline across the study watersheds. Our results indicate that bioenergy production scenarios that incorporate perennial grasses reduced the nonpoint source pollutant load at the watershed outlet compared tomore » the baseline conditions (0–20% for nitrate-nitrogen and 3–56% for mineral phosphorus); but, the reduction rates were specific to site characteristics and management practices.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2]
  1. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Purdue University West Lafayette 47907 IN USA
  2. Department of Agronomy Purdue University West Lafayette 47907 IN USA
  3. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Purdue University West Lafayette 47907 IN USA
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1256138
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1256139; OSTI ID: 1363861
Grant/Contract Number:  
DE‐EE0004396; EE0004396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Published Article
Journal Name:
Global Change Biology. Bioenergy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Global Change Biology. Bioenergy Journal Volume: 8 Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1757-1693
Publisher:
Wiley-Blackwell
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; bioenergy production; corn stover; environmental impacts of bioenergy; impacts of bioenergy; Miscanthus; SWAT Model; Switchgrass

Citation Formats

Cibin, Raj, Trybula, Elizabeth, Chaubey, Indrajeet, Brouder, Sylvie M., and Volenec, Jeffrey J. Watershed‐scale impacts of bioenergy crops on hydrology and water quality using improved SWAT model. United Kingdom: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1111/gcbb.12307.
Cibin, Raj, Trybula, Elizabeth, Chaubey, Indrajeet, Brouder, Sylvie M., & Volenec, Jeffrey J. Watershed‐scale impacts of bioenergy crops on hydrology and water quality using improved SWAT model. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12307
Cibin, Raj, Trybula, Elizabeth, Chaubey, Indrajeet, Brouder, Sylvie M., and Volenec, Jeffrey J. 2016. "Watershed‐scale impacts of bioenergy crops on hydrology and water quality using improved SWAT model". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12307.
@article{osti_1256138,
title = {Watershed‐scale impacts of bioenergy crops on hydrology and water quality using improved SWAT model},
author = {Cibin, Raj and Trybula, Elizabeth and Chaubey, Indrajeet and Brouder, Sylvie M. and Volenec, Jeffrey J.},
abstractNote = {Cellulosic bioenergy feedstock such as perennial grasses and crop residues are expected to play a significant role in meeting US biofuel production targets. Here, we used an improved version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to forecast impacts on watershed hydrology and water quality by implementing an array of plausible land-use changes associated with commercial bioenergy crop production for two watersheds in the Midwest USA. Watershed-scale impacts were estimated for 13 bioenergy crop production scenarios, including: production of Miscanthus 9 giganteus and upland Shawnee switchgrass on highly erodible landscape positions, agricultural marginal land areas and pastures, removal of corn stover and combinations of these options. We also measured water quality as erosion and sediment loading; this was forecasted to improve compared to baseline when perennial grasses were used for bioenergy production, but not with stover removal scenarios. Erosion reduction with perennial energy crop production scenarios ranged between 0.2% and 59%. Stream flow at the watershed outlet was reduced between 0 and 8% across these bioenergy crop production scenarios compared to baseline across the study watersheds. Our results indicate that bioenergy production scenarios that incorporate perennial grasses reduced the nonpoint source pollutant load at the watershed outlet compared to the baseline conditions (0–20% for nitrate-nitrogen and 3–56% for mineral phosphorus); but, the reduction rates were specific to site characteristics and management practices.},
doi = {10.1111/gcbb.12307},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1256138}, journal = {Global Change Biology. Bioenergy},
issn = {1757-1693},
number = 4,
volume = 8,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Fri Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Fri Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record at https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12307

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 71 works
Citation information provided by
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Works referenced in this record:

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