Evaluating the Potential of Marginal Land for Cellulosic Feedstock Production and Carbon Sequestration in the United States
Land availability for growing feedstocks at scale is a crucial concern for the bioenergy industry. Feedstock production on land not well-suited to growing conventional crops, or marginal land, is often promoted as ideal, although there is a poor understanding of the qualities, quantity, and distribution of marginal lands in the United States. In this paper, we examine the spatial distribution of land complying with several key marginal land definitions at the United States county, agro-ecological zone, and national scales, and compare the ability of both marginal land and land cover data sets to identify regions for feedstock production. We conclude that very few land parcels comply with multiple definitions of marginal land. Furthermore, to examine possible carbon-flow implications of feedstock production on land that could be considered marginal per multiple definitions, we model soil carbon changes upon transitions from marginal cropland, grassland, and cropland–pastureland to switchgrass production for three marginal land-rich counties. Finally, our findings suggest that total soil organic carbon changes per county are small, and generally positive, and can influence life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of switchgrass ethanol.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
- Contributing Organization:
- Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States); Air Force Inst. of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1349063
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 51, Issue 1; ISSN 0013-936X
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Management controls the net greenhouse gas outcomes of growing bioenergy feedstocks on marginally productive croplands
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journal | December 2019 |
Microtopography-induced transient waterlogging affects switchgrass (Alamo) growth in the lower coastal plain of North Carolina, USA
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journal | April 2018 |
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