Review Topical Sections

Review: Assessing the climate mitigation potential of biomass

  • Received: 09 November 2016 Accepted: 19 December 2016 Published: 22 December 2016
  • For many millennia, humans have used biomass for three broad purposes: food for humans and fodder for farm animals; energy; and materials. Food has always been exclusively produced from biomass, and in the year 1800, biomass still accounted for about 95% of all energy. Biomass has also been a major source of materials for construction, implements, clothing, bedding and other uses, but some researchers think that total human uses of biomass will soon reach limits of sustainability. It is thus important to select those biomass uses that will maximise global climate change benefits. With a ‘food first’ policy, it is increasingly recognised that projections of food needs are important for estimating future global bioenergy potential, and that non-food uses of biomass can be increased by both food crop yield improvements and dietary changes. However, few researchers have explicitly included future biomaterials production as a factor in bioenergy potential. Although biomaterials’ share of the materials market has roughly halved over the past quarter-century, we show that per tonne of biomass, biomaterials will usually allow greater greenhouse gas reductions than directly using biomass for bioenergy. particularly since in many cases, biomaterials can be later burnt for energy after their useful life.

    Citation: Patrick Moriarty, Damon Honnery. Review: Assessing the climate mitigation potential of biomass[J]. AIMS Energy, 2017, 5(1): 20-38. doi: 10.3934/energy.2017.1.20

    Related Papers:

  • For many millennia, humans have used biomass for three broad purposes: food for humans and fodder for farm animals; energy; and materials. Food has always been exclusively produced from biomass, and in the year 1800, biomass still accounted for about 95% of all energy. Biomass has also been a major source of materials for construction, implements, clothing, bedding and other uses, but some researchers think that total human uses of biomass will soon reach limits of sustainability. It is thus important to select those biomass uses that will maximise global climate change benefits. With a ‘food first’ policy, it is increasingly recognised that projections of food needs are important for estimating future global bioenergy potential, and that non-food uses of biomass can be increased by both food crop yield improvements and dietary changes. However, few researchers have explicitly included future biomaterials production as a factor in bioenergy potential. Although biomaterials’ share of the materials market has roughly halved over the past quarter-century, we show that per tonne of biomass, biomaterials will usually allow greater greenhouse gas reductions than directly using biomass for bioenergy. particularly since in many cases, biomaterials can be later burnt for energy after their useful life.


    加载中
    [1] Moriarty P, Honnery D (2011) Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation. London, Springer.
    [2] BP (2016) BP Statistical Review of World Energy. London, BP.
    [3] International Energy Agency (IEA) (2016) Key World Energy Statistics 2016. Paris, IEA/OECD.
    [4] Foley JA, Monfreda C, Ramankutty N, et al. (2007) Our share of the planetary pie. PNAS 104: 12585-12586. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0705190104
    [5] Kleidon A (2006) The climate sensitivity to human appropriation of vegetation productivity and its thermodynamic characterization. Glob Planet Change 54: 109-127. doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.01.016
    [6] Krausmann F, Erb K-H, Gingrich S, et al. (2013) Global human appropriation of net primary production doubled in the 20th century. PNAS 110: 10324-10329. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1211349110
    [7] Running SW (2012) A measurable planetary boundary for the biosphere. Science 337: 1458-1459. doi: 10.1126/science.1227620
    [8] Schramski JR, Gattie DK, Brown JH (2015) Human domination of the biosphere: rapid discharge of the earth-space battery foretells the future of humankind. PNAS 112: 9511-9517. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1508353112
    [9] Moriarty P, Honnery D (2009) What energy levels can the Earth sustain? Energy Policy 37: 2469-2474. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.006
    [10] Moriarty P, Honnery D (2007) World bioenergy: problems and prospects. Int J Glob Energ Issues 27: 231-249. doi: 10.1504/IJGEI.2007.013657
    [11] Hein L, Leemans R (2012) The impact of first-generation biofuels on the depletion of the global phosphorus reserve. Ambio 41: 341-349. doi: 10.1007/s13280-012-0253-x
    [12] Smeets EMW, Faaij APC, Lewandowski IM, et al. (2007) A bottom-up assessment and review of global bio-energy potentials to 2050. Prog Energ Combust Sci 33: 56-106. doi: 10.1016/j.pecs.2006.08.001
    [13] Erb K-H, Haberl H, Plutzar C (2012) Dependency of global primary bioenergy crop potentials in 2050 on food systems, yields, biodiversity conservation and political stability. Energy Policy 47: 260-269. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.04.066
    [14] Thrän D, Seidenberger T, Zeddies J, et al. (2010) Global biomass potentials—Resources, drivers and scenario results. Energ Sustain Dev 14(3): 200-205.
    [15] Searchinger T, Edwards R, Mulligan D, et al. (2015) Do biofuel policies seek to cut emissions by cutting food? Science 347: 1420-1422. doi: 10.1126/science.1261221
    [16] OECD/FAO (2014) OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2014-2023. Paris, OECD. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/agr_outlook-2014-en.
    [17] Alexandratos N, Bruinsma J (2012) World Agriculture Towards 2030/2050: The 2012 Revision. ESA Working Paper No. 12-03. Rome, FAO.
    [18] Burney JA, Davis SJ, Lobell DB (2010) Greenhouse gas mitigation by agricultural intensification. PNAS 107: 12052–12057. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0914216107
    [19] Acker TL, Atwater C, Smith DH (2013) Energy inefficiency in industrial agriculture: you are what you eat. Energ Sources Pt B: Econ Planning Pol 8: 420-430. doi: 10.1080/15567249.2010.485168
    [20] Pelletier N, Tyedmers P (2010) Forecasting potential global environmental costs of livestock production 2000-2050. PNAS 107: 18371-18374. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1004659107
    [21] Haberl H, Beringer T, Bhattacharya SC, et al. (2010) The global technical potential of bio-energy in 2050 considering sustainability constraints. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2: 394-403. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2010.10.007
    [22] Powell TWR, Lenton TM (2012) Future carbon dioxide removal via biomass energy constrained by agricultural efficiency and dietary trends. Energ Environ Sci 5: 8116-8133. doi: 10.1039/c2ee21592f
    [23] Smith KA, Mosier AR, Crutzen PJ, et al. (2012) The role of N2O derived from crop-based biofuels, and from agriculture in general, in Earth’s climate. Phil Trans Roy Soc B 367: 1169-1174. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0313
    [24] Ruan L, Bhardwaj AK, Hamilton SK, et al. (2016) Nitrogen fertilization challenges the climate benefit of cellulosic biofuels. Environ Res Lett 11 (064007).
    [25] Zhao G, Bryan BA, King D, et al. (2015) Sustainable limits to crop residue harvest for bioenergy: maintaining soil carbon in Australia’s agricultural lands. Glob Change Biol: Bioenerg 7: 479-487. doi: 10.1111/gcbb.12145
    [26] Van Renssen S (2014) A bioeconomy to fight climate change. Nature Clim Change 4: 951-953. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2419
    [27] Umweltbundesamt (2014) Environmental Innovation Policy – Greater resource efficiency and climate protection through the sustainable material use of biomass. Available from: http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/378/publikationen/texte_03_2014_druckfassung_uba_stofflich_abschlussbericht_kurz_englisch.pdf.
    [28] Hoogwijk M, Faaij A, van den Broek R, et al. (2003) Exploration of the ranges of the global potential of biomass for energy. Biomass Bioenerg 25: 119-133. doi: 10.1016/S0961-9534(02)00191-5
    [29] Carmichael A (2015) Man-made fibers continue to grow. Textile World. Available from: http://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/fiber-world/2015/02/man-made-fibers-continue-to-grow/.
    [30] World Economic Forum (WEF) (2016) The new plastics economy: rethinking the future of plastics. WEF. Available from: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf.
    [31] Gustavsson L, Sathre R (2011) Energy and CO2 analysis of wood substitution in construction Clim Change 105: 129-153.
    [32] Bribián IZ, Capilla AV, Usón AA (2011) Life cycle assessment of building materials: comparative analysis of energy and environmental impacts and evaluation of the eco-efficiency improvement potential. Build Environ 46: 1133-1140. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.12.002
    [33] Warman RD (2014) Global wood production from natural forests has peaked. Biodivers Conserv 23: 1063-1078. doi: 10.1007/s10531-014-0633-6
    [34] World Steel Association (2015) Steel statistical yearbook 2015. Available from: https://www.worldsteel.org/statistics/statistics-archive/yearbook-archive.html. Also earlier editions.
    [35] Edwards P (2015) The rise and potential peak of cement demand in the urbanized world. Available from: http://cornerstonemag.net/the-rise-and-potential-peak-of-cement-demand-in-the-urbanized-world/.
    [36] International Aluminium Institute (2016) Primary aluminium production, 2016. Available from: http://www.world-aluminium.org/statistics/primary-aluminium-production/#data.
    [37] Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) (2014) Forestry products yearbook 2014. Rome: FAO.
    [38] Gustavsson L, Joelsson A (2010) Life cycle primary energy analysis of residential buildings. Energ Buildings 42: 210-220. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.08.017
    [39] Gustavsson L, Pingoud K, Sathre R (2006) Carbon dioxide balance of wood substitution: comparing concrete- and wood-framed buildings. Mitig Adapt Strategies Glob Change11: 667-691.
    [40] Cornwall W (2016) Tall timber. Science 353: 1354-1356. doi: 10.1126/science.353.6306.1354
    [41] Sanchez DL, Nelson JH, Johnston J, et al. (2015) Biomass enables the transition to a carbon negative power system across western North America. Nature Clim Change 5: 230-234. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2488
    [42] Van Vuuren DP, van Vliet J, Stehfest E (2009) Future bio-energy potential under various natural constraints. Energ Policy 37: 4220-4230. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.05.029
    [43] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2015) Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Cambridge UK, CUP.
    [44] Hall CAS, Lambert JG, Balogh SB (2014) EROI of different fuels and the implications for society. Energ Policy 64: 141-152. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.049
    [45] Gasol CM, Gabarrell X, Anton A, et al. (2007) Life cycle assessment of a Brassica carinata bioenergy cropping system in southern Europe. Biomass Bioenerg 31: 543-555.
    [46] Murphy F, Devlin G, McDonnell K (2013) Miscanthus production and processing in Ireland: An analysis of energy requirements and environmental impacts. Renew Sust Energ Rev 23: 412-420.
    [47] de Castro C, Carpintero O, Frechoso F, et al. (2014) A top-down approach to assess physical and ecological limits of biofuels. Energy 64: 506-512.
    [48] Wang M, Han J, Dunn JB, et al. (2012) Well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol from corn, sugarcane and cellulosic biomass for US use. Environ Res Lett 7: 045905, 1-13.
    [49] Creutzig F, Ravindranath NH, Bernde G, et al. (2015) Bioenergy and climate change mitigation: an assessment. Glob Change Biol: Bioenerg 7: 916-944.
    [50] Searle S, Malins C (2015) A reassessment of global bioenergy potential in 2050. Glob Change Biol: Bioenerg 7: 328-336.
    [51] Smith KW, Zhao M, Running SW (2012) Global bioenergy capacity as constrained by observed biospheric productivity rates. BioSci 62: 911-922. doi: 10.1525/bio.2012.62.10.11
    [52] Field CB, Campbell JE, Lobell DB (2008) Biomass energy: the scale of the potential resource. Trends Ecol Evol 23(2): 65-72.
    [53] Johnston M, Foley JA, Holloway T, et al. (2009) Resetting global expectations from agricultural biofuels. Environ Res Lett 4: 014004, 1-9.
    [54] Searle SY, Malins CJ (2014) Will energy crop yields meet expectations? Biomass Bioenerg 65: 3-12.
    [55] Slade R, Bauen A, Gross R (2014) Global bioenergy resources Nature Clim Change 4: 99-105.
    [56] Hennig C, Brosowski A, Majer S (2016) Sustainable feedstock potential—a limitation for the bio-based economy? J Clean Prod 123: 200-202. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.06.130
    [57] Davis SC, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, DeLucia EH (2009) Life-cycle analysis and the ecology of biofuels. Trends Plant Sci 14: 140-146. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2008.12.006
    [58] Canadell JG, Schulze ED (2014) Global potential of biospheric carbon management for climate mitigation. Nature Comm 5: 5282 (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6282).
    [59] Karlen DL, Lal R, Follett RF, et al. (2009) Crop residues: the rest of the story. Environ Sci Technol 43: 8011-8015. doi: 10.1021/es9011004
    [60] European Commission (2009) Renewable energy directive. EU 2009. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive.
    [61] Hendrick MF, Cleveland S, Phillips NG (2016) Unleakable carbon. Clim Pol. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2016.1202808.
    [62] Pöyry Energy Consulting (2009) CO2 storage in depleted gas fields. A report to the IEA GHG R& D program. Available from: http://hub.globalccsinstitute.com/sites/default/files/publications/95786/co2-storage-depleted-gas-fields.pdf.
    [63] Fearnside PM (2015) Tropical hydropower in the clean development mechanism: Brazil’s Santo Antônio Dam as an example of the need for change. Clim Change 131: 575-589.
    [64] Zeng N (2008) Carbon sequestration via wood burial. Carbon Balance Manag 3(1).
    [65] Lovett R (2008) Carbon lockdown. New Sci 3: 32-35.
    [66] Strand S, Benford G (2009) Ocean sequestration of crop residue carbon: Recycling fossil fuel carbon back to deep sediments. Environ Sci Technol 43: 1000-1007. doi: 10.1021/es8015556
    [67] Liska AJ, Yang H, Milner M, et al. (2014) Biofuels from crop residue can reduce soil carbon and increase CO2 emissions. Nature Clim Change 4: 398-401. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2187
    [68] Searchinger TD, Estes L, Thornton PK, et al. (2015) High carbon and biodiversity costs from converting Africa’s wet savannahs to cropland. Nature Clim Change 5: 481-486. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2584
    [69] West PC, Gibbs HK, Monfreda C, et al. (2010) Trading carbon for food: Global comparison of carbon stocks vs. crop yields on agricultural land. PNAS 107: 19645-19648.
    [70] Popp J, Lakner Z, Harangi-Rákos M, et al. (2014) The effect of bioenergy expansion: food, energy, and environment. Renew Sust Energ Rev 32: 559-578. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.01.056
    [71] Roder M, Whittaker C, Thornley P (2015) How certain are greenhouse gas reductions from bioenergy? Life cycle assessment and uncertainty analysis of wood pellet-to-electricity supply chains from forest residues. Biomass Bioenerg 79: 50-63.
    [72] Campbell JE, Lobell DB, Field CB (2009) Greater transportation energy and GHG offsets from bioelectricity than ethanol. Science 324: 1055-1057. doi: 10.1126/science.1168885
    [73] Van Vuuren DP, Stehfest E, Elzen MG, et al. (2011) RCP2.6: exploring the possibility to keep global mean temperature increase below 2 °C. Clim Change 109: 95-116.
    [74] Anderson K (2015) Duality in climate science. Nature Geosci 8: 898-900. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2559
    [75] Pizzi A (2016) Wood products and green chemistry. Annals Forest Sci 73: 185-203.
    [76] Fouquet M, Levasseur A, Margni M, et al. (2015) Methodological challenges and developments in LCA of low energy buildings: Application to biogenic carbon and global warming assessment. Build Environ 90: 51-59.
    [77] Mead J (2013) Sustainable management of radiata pine plantations. FAO Forestry Paper 170, Available from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3274e/i3274e.pdf.
    [78] Mora C, Caldwell IR, Caldwell JM, et al. (2015) Suitable days for plant growth disappear under projected climate change: potential human and biotic vulnerability. PLoS Biol 13(6): e1002167.
    [79] Moriarty P, Honnery D (2011) Is there an optimum level for renewable energy? Energy Policy 39: 2748-2753. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.02.044
    [80] Moriarty P, Honnery D (2017) Sustainable energy resources: prospects and policy. Chapter 1 in M.G. Rasul et al. (Eds) Clean Energy For Sustainable Development. London, Academic Press/Elsevier.
    [81] Adee S (2016) Not a drop to drink. New Sci 13: 16-17.
  • Reader Comments
  • © 2017 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
  • 1. 

    沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

  1. 本站搜索
  2. 百度学术搜索
  3. 万方数据库搜索
  4. CNKI搜索

Metrics

Article views(5351) PDF downloads(1578) Cited by(23)

Article outline

Figures and Tables

Tables(4)

Other Articles By Authors

/

DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
Return
Return

Catalog