DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production

Abstract

Sound crop and land management strategies can maintain land productivity and improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural crop and feedstock production. This study evaluates a strategy of incorporating landscaping design and management concepts into bioenergy feedstock production. It examines the effect of land conversion and agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on water quality (nutrients and suspended sediments) and hydrology. The strategy was applied to the watershed of the South Fork Iowa River in Iowa, where the focus was on converting low-productivity land to provide cellulosic biomass and implementing riparian buffers. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was employed to simulate the impact at watershed and subbasin scales. The study compared the representation of buffers using trapping efficiency and area ratio methods in SWAT. Landscape design and management scenarios were developed to quantify water quality under (1) current land use, (2) partial land conversion to switchgrass, and (3) riparian buffer implementation. Results show that when low-productivity land (15.2% of total watershed land area) is converted to grow switchgrass, suspended sediment, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and nitrate loadings are reduced by 69.3%, 55.5%, 46.1%, and 13.4%, respectively. The reduction was less extensive when 1.9% of agricultural land area was implemented withmore » riparian buffers. Water quality improves as buffer area coverage increases. Results highlight the significant role of lower-productivity land conversion to cellulosic biomass and provide insights into the design of integrated landscape with conservation buffer for future bioenergy feedstock production.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1]
  1. Argonne National Laboratory Lemont IL 60439 USA
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1234076
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1221764; OSTI ID: 1234077; OSTI ID: 1391724
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining Journal Volume: 9 Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 1932-104X
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 09 BIOMASS FUELS; riparian buffer; vegetative barrier; landscape design and management; bioenergy production; switchgrass; sediment; nutrient; nitrogen; phosphorus; South Fork Iowa River; landscaping design and management

Citation Formats

Ha, Miae, and Wu, May. Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production. United Kingdom: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1002/bbb.1579.
Ha, Miae, & Wu, May. Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1579
Ha, Miae, and Wu, May. Tue . "Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1579.
@article{osti_1234076,
title = {Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production},
author = {Ha, Miae and Wu, May},
abstractNote = {Sound crop and land management strategies can maintain land productivity and improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural crop and feedstock production. This study evaluates a strategy of incorporating landscaping design and management concepts into bioenergy feedstock production. It examines the effect of land conversion and agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on water quality (nutrients and suspended sediments) and hydrology. The strategy was applied to the watershed of the South Fork Iowa River in Iowa, where the focus was on converting low-productivity land to provide cellulosic biomass and implementing riparian buffers. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was employed to simulate the impact at watershed and subbasin scales. The study compared the representation of buffers using trapping efficiency and area ratio methods in SWAT. Landscape design and management scenarios were developed to quantify water quality under (1) current land use, (2) partial land conversion to switchgrass, and (3) riparian buffer implementation. Results show that when low-productivity land (15.2% of total watershed land area) is converted to grow switchgrass, suspended sediment, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and nitrate loadings are reduced by 69.3%, 55.5%, 46.1%, and 13.4%, respectively. The reduction was less extensive when 1.9% of agricultural land area was implemented with riparian buffers. Water quality improves as buffer area coverage increases. Results highlight the significant role of lower-productivity land conversion to cellulosic biomass and provide insights into the design of integrated landscape with conservation buffer for future bioenergy feedstock production.},
doi = {10.1002/bbb.1579},
journal = {Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining},
number = 6,
volume = 9,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1579

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 16 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Model Evaluation Guidelines for Systematic Quantification of Accuracy in Watershed Simulations
journal, January 2007


Field-scale soil property changes under switchgrass managed for bioenergy: SOIL PROPERTY CHANGES UNDER SWITCHGRASS
journal, March 2011


The effectiveness and restoration potential of riparian ecotones for the management of nonpoint source pollution, particularly nitrate
journal, October 1997

  • Fennessy, M. S.; Cronk, J. K.
  • Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 27, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1080/10643389709388502

Meta-Analysis of Nitrogen Removal in Riparian Buffers
journal, January 2007

  • Mayer, Paul M.; Reynolds, Steven K.; McCutchen, Marshall D.
  • Journal of Environment Quality, Vol. 36, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.2134/jeq2006.0462

Assessing the effectiveness of actions to mitigate nutrient loss from agriculture: A review of methods
journal, November 2008


Sediment Delivery Estimates in Water Quality Models Altered by Resolution and Source of Topographic Data
journal, January 2014

  • Beeson, Peter C.; Sadeghi, Ali M.; Lang, Megan W.
  • Journal of Environment Quality, Vol. 43, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.2134/jeq2012.0148

Evaluating hydrology of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with new tile drain equations
journal, November 2012

  • Moriasi, D. N.; Rossi, C. G.; Arnold, J. G.
  • Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 67, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.2489/jswc.67.6.513

Toward Quantifying Water Pollution Abatement in Response to Installing Buffers on Crop Land
journal, June 2001


Assessing Regional Hydrology and Water Quality Implications of Large-Scale Biofuel Feedstock Production in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
journal, August 2012

  • Demissie, Yonas; Yan, Eugene; Wu, May
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1021/es300769k

Indicators to support environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems
journal, September 2011


Modeling the effects of riparian buffer zone and contour strips on stream water quality
journal, August 2009


Treatments of Precipitation Inputs to Hydrologic Models
journal, January 2011


Opportunities for Energy Crop Production Based on Subfield Scale Distribution of Profitability
journal, October 2014

  • Bonner, Ian; Cafferty, Kara; Muth, David
  • Energies, Vol. 7, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.3390/en7106509

Soil Carbon Sequestration by Switchgrass and No-Till Maize Grown for Bioenergy
journal, May 2012


Nitrogen removal in subsurface water by narrow buffer strips in the intensive farming landscape of the Po River watershed, Italy
journal, February 2011


Modeling hydrology and sediment transport in vegetative filter strips
journal, January 1999


Experimental investigation of runoff reduction and sediment removal by vegetated filter strips
journal, July 2004

  • Abu-Zreig, Majed; Rudra, Ramesh P.; Lalonde, Manon N.
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 18, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.1400

Potential ecological impacts of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) biofuel cultivation in the Central Great Plains, USA
journal, August 2011


Vegetative Filter Strips for Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control
journal, January 1989


A comprehensive surface-groundwater flow model
journal, February 1993


Representation of agricultural conservation practices with SWAT
journal, July 2008

  • Arabi, Mazdak; Frankenberger, Jane R.; Engel, Bernie A.
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 22, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.6890

River flow forecasting through conceptual models part I — A discussion of principles
journal, April 1970


The Role of Riparian Vegetation in Protecting and Improving Chemical Water Quality in Streams 1 : T
journal, March 2010

  • Dosskey, Michael G.; Vidon, Philippe; Gurwick, Noel P.
  • JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 46, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00419.x

Sediment Measurement and Transport Modeling: Impact of Riparian and Filter Strip Buffers
journal, January 2011

  • Moriasi, Daniel N.; Steiner, Jean L.; Arnold, Jeffrey G.
  • Journal of Environment Quality, Vol. 40, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.2134/jeq2010.0066

Effectiveness of best management practices in improving water quality in a pasture-dominated watershed
journal, November 2010

  • Chaubey, I.; Chiang, L.; Gitau, M. W.
  • Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 65, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.2489/jswc.65.6.424

Water Quality Modeling of Alternative Agricultural Scenarios in the u.s. corn belt
journal, June 2002


Filter Strip Performance and Processes for Different Vegetation, Widths, and Contaminants
journal, January 1999


Effects of riparian buffers on nitrate concentrations in watershed discharges: new models and management implications
journal, July 2011

  • Weller, Donald E.; Baker, Matthew E.; Jordan, Thomas E.
  • Ecological Applications, Vol. 21, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1890/10-0789.1

Modeling effectiveness of agricultural BMPs to reduce sediment load and organophosphate pesticides in surface runoff
journal, April 2011


Hydrologic Evaluation of the soil and Water Assessment tool for a Large Tile-Drained Watershed in iowa
journal, January 2006


Impacts of biofuels production alternatives on water quantity and quality in the Iowa River Basin
journal, January 2012


Grass Barrier and Vegetative Filter Strip Effectiveness in Reducing Runoff, Sediment, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Loss
journal, January 2004

  • Blanco-Canqui, Humberto; Gantzer, C. J.; Anderson, S. H.
  • Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 68, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2004.1670

Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes
journal, January 2014

  • Werling, B. P.; Dickson, T. L.; Isaacs, R.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309492111

Assessment of the Iowa River's South Fork watershed: Part 1. Water quality
journal, November 2008

  • Tomer, M. D.; Moorman, T. B.; Rossi, C. G.
  • Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 63, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.2489/jswc.63.6.360

Buffer zones to improve water quality: a review of their potential use in UK agriculture
journal, May 1993