Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol produced via fermentation of sugars derived from shrub willow (Salix ssp.) hot water extraction in the Northeast United States

Therasme, Obste; Volk, Timothy A.; Eisenbies, Mark H.; Amidon, Thomas E.; Fortier, Marie-Odile

doi:10.1186/s13068-021-01900-6

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol produced via fermentation of sugars derived from shrub willow (Salix ssp.) hot water extraction in the Northeast United States

Journal Article · Sun Feb 28 23:00:00 EST 2021 · Biotechnology for Biofuels

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-021-01900-6· OSTI ID:1768670

; ; Eisenbies, Mark H.; Amidon, Thomas E.;

Abstract Background

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been on the rise for more than a century. Bioenergy crops are seen by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as an essential part of the solution to addressing climate change. To understand the potential impact of shrub willow ( Salix spp . ) crop in the northeast United States, effective and transparent life cycle assessment of these systems needs to occur.

Results

Here we show, ethanol produced from the fermentation of sugars from hot water extract of willow grown on cropland can sequester 0.012 ± 0.003 kg CO _2eq MJ ⁻¹ for a supply system incorporating summer harvest and storage. Despite decreases in soil organic carbon when willow is instead grown on grassland, the produced fuel still can provide significant climate benefits compared to gasoline.

Conclusions

Shrub willow converted to ethanol can be a carbon negative source of transportation fuel when the electricity and heat required for the conversion process are generated from renewable biomass. The sequestration of carbon in the belowground portion of the plants is essential for the negative GHG balance for cropland and low GHG emissions in grassland.

View Journal Article

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0006638

OSTI ID:: 1768670

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1848436

Journal Information:: Biotechnology for Biofuels, Journal Name: Biotechnology for Biofuels Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 14; ISSN 1754-6834

Publisher:: Springer Science + Business MediaCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Netherlands

Language:: English

References (32)

Life cycle assessment of an integrated forest biorefinery: hot water extraction process case study Gilani, Banafsheh; Stuart, Paul R. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Vol. 9, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1570	journal	July 2015
Life Cycle assessment of bio-ethanol derived from cellulose Fu, Gloria Zhi; Chan, Albert W.; Minns, David E. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Vol. 8, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02978458	journal	May 2003
Life cycle assessment of potential energy uses for short rotation willow biomass in Sweden González-García, Sara; Mola-Yudego, Blas; Murphy, Richard J. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Vol. 18, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-012-0536-2	journal	December 2012
Incorporating Uncertainty into a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Model of Short-Rotation Willow Biomass (Salix spp.) Crops Caputo, Jesse; Balogh, Steven B.; Volk, Timothy A. BioEnergy Research, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-013-9347-y	journal	June 2013
Evaluation of a Single-Pass, Cut and Chip Harvest System on Commercial-Scale, Short-Rotation Shrub Willow Biomass Crops Eisenbies, Mark H.; Volk, Timothy A.; Posselius, John BioEnergy Research, Vol. 7, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9482-0	journal	June 2014
Untapped Potential: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Marginal Lands in the Northeast USA Stoof, Cathelijne R.; Richards, Brian K.; Woodbury, Peter B. BioEnergy Research, Vol. 8, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9515-8	journal	September 2014
Quality and Variability of Commercial-Scale Short Rotation Willow Biomass Harvested Using a Single-Pass Cut-and-Chip Forage Harvester Eisenbies, Mark H.; Volk, Timothy A.; Posselius, John BioEnergy Research, Vol. 8, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9540-7	journal	October 2014
Life cycle assessment of a willow bioenergy cropping system Heller, Martin C.; Keoleian, Gregory A.; Volk, Timothy A. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 25, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0961-9534(02)00190-3	journal	August 2003
Life cycle assessment of two alternative bioenergy systems involving Salix spp. biomass: Bioethanol production and power generation González-García, Sara; Iribarren, Diego; Susmozas, Ana Applied Energy, Vol. 95 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.02.022	journal	July 2012
Energy and greenhouse gas emission effects of corn and cellulosic ethanol with technology improvements and land use changes Wang, Michael Q.; Han, Jeongwoo; Haq, Zia Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 35, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.01.028	journal	May 2011
Hot-water extraction and its effect on soda pulping of aspen woodchips Lu, Houfang; Hu, Ruofei; Ward, Al Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 39 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.01.054	journal	April 2012
High yielding biomass genotypes of willow ( Salix spp.) show differences in below ground biomass allocation Cunniff, Jennifer; Purdy, Sarah J.; Barraclough, Tim J. P. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 80 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.04.020	journal	September 2015
Quantitative analysis of sugars in wood hydrolyzates with 1H NMR during the autohydrolysis of hardwoods Mittal, Ashutosh; Scott, Gary M.; Amidon, Thomas E. Bioresource Technology, Vol. 100, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.06.107	journal	December 2009
Life-cycle energy and environmental analysis of bioethanol production from cassava in Thailand Papong, Seksan; Malakul, Pomthong Bioresource Technology, Vol. 101, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.09.006	journal	January 2010
The environmental and economic sustainability of potential bioethanol from willow in the UK Stephenson, A. L.; Dupree, P.; Scott, S. A. Bioresource Technology, Vol. 101, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.07.104	journal	December 2010
Life cycle assessment of bioenergy systems: State of the art and future challenges Cherubini, Francesco; Strømman, Anders Hammer Bioresource Technology, Vol. 102, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.08.010	journal	January 2011
Water-based woody biorefinery Amidon, Thomas E.; Liu, Shijie Biotechnology Advances, Vol. 27, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2009.04.012	journal	September 2009
Integration of biomass pretreatment with fast pyrolysis: An evaluation of electron beam (EB) irradiation and hot-water extraction (HWE) Mante, Ofei D.; Amidon, Thomas E.; Stipanovic, Arthur Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Vol. 110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2014.08.004	journal	November 2014
Environmental sustainability of bioethanol production from wheat straw in the UK Wang, Lei; Littlewood, Jade; Murphy, Richard J. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 28 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.08.031	journal	December 2013
The greenhouse gas benefits of corn ethanol – assessing recent evidence Lewandrowski, Jan; Rosenfeld, Jeffrey; Pape, Diana Biofuels, Vol. 11, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/17597269.2018.1546488	journal	March 2019
Soil carbon sequestration and land use change associated with biofuel production: empirical evidence Qin, Zhangcai; Dunn, Jennifer B.; Kwon, Hoyoung GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12237	journal	March 2015
Influence of spatially dependent, modeled soil carbon emission factors on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn and cellulosic ethanol Qin, Zhangcai; Dunn, Jennifer B.; Kwon, Hoyoung GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 8, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12333	journal	March 2016
Poplar and shrub willow energy crops in the United States: field trial results from the multiyear regional feedstock partnership and yield potential maps based on the PRISM-ELM model Volk, Timothy A.; Berguson, Bill; Daly, Christopher GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 10, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12498	journal	February 2018
Cut‐and‐chip harvester material capacity and fuel performance on commercial‐scale willow fields for varying ground and crop conditions Eisenbies, Mark H.; Volk, Timothy A.; Souza, Daniel P. L. GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 12, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12679	journal	April 2020
Energy and greenhouse gas balance of bioenergy production from poplar and willow: a review: ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE GAS BALANCE OF BIOENERGY PRODUCTION Djomo, Sylvestre Njakou; Kasmioui, Ouafik El; Ceulemans, Reinhart GCB Bioenergy, Vol. 3, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01073.x	journal	November 2010
Biorefinery: Conversion of Woody Biomass to Chemicals, Energy and Materials Amidon, Thomas E.; Wood, Christopher D.; Shupe, Alan M. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, Vol. 2, Issue 2, p. 100-120 https://doi.org/10.1166/jbmb.2008.302	journal	June 2008
Hot Water Extraction Improves the Characteristics of Willow and Sugar Maple Biomass With Different Amount of Bark Therasme, Obste; Volk, Timothy A.; Cabrera, Antonio M. Frontiers in Energy Research, Vol. 6 https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2018.00093	journal	September 2018
Hot Water Extracted and Non-extracted Willow Biomass Storage Performance: Fuel Quality Changes and Dry Matter Losses Therasme, Obste; Volk, Timothy A.; Eisenbies, Mark H. Frontiers in Energy Research, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2019.00165	journal	January 2020
Hot Water Extraction: Short Rotation Willow, Mixed Hardwoods, and Process Considerations Wood, Christopher D.; Amidon, Thomas E.; Volk, Timothy A. Energies, Vol. 13, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.3390/en13082071	journal	April 2020
Willow Biomass Crops Are a Carbon Negative or Low-Carbon Feedstock Depending on Prior Land Use and Transportation Distances to End Users Yang, Sheng; Volk, Timothy; Fortier, Marie-Odile Energies, Vol. 13, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164251	journal	August 2020
Overhead Protection Increases Fuel Quality and Natural Drying of Leaf-On Woody Biomass Storage Piles Therasme, Obste; Eisenbies, Mark; Volk, Timothy Forests, Vol. 10, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.3390/f10050390	journal	May 2019
Improving biomass combustion quality using a liquid hot water treatment Runge, Troy; Wipperfurth, Pamella; Zhang, Chunhui Biofuels, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.4155/bfs.12.70	journal	January 2013

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol produced via fermentation of sugars derived from shrub willow (Salix ssp.) hot water extraction in the Northeast United States

References (32)

Similar Records

Related Subjects

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol produced via fermentation of sugars derived from shrub willow (Salix ssp.) hot water extraction in the Northeast United States

Citation Formats

References (32)

Similar Records

Related Subjects