A life cycle assessment of corn (Zea mays L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) bioenergy feedstocks managed on marginal land

Authors: Ramirez, Salvador; Schmer, Marty; Jin, Virginia; Mitchell, Robert - Rob; REDFEARN, DAREN - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/12/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is growing interest in sustainable aviation fuels made from bioenergy feedstocks. The sustainability of a bioenergy feedstock depends on agricultural management as well as matching bioenergy crops to landscape capabilities. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a potential sustainable bioenergy feedstock, especially when cultivated on marginally productive croplands. A life cycle assessment was conducted using long-term data from one of the oldest bioenergy-specific field experiments in North America. This long-term field trial called 9804 was established in 1998 in eastern Nebraska and compared the productivity and sustainability of corn (Zea mays L.) and switchgrass bioenergy systems under different harvest strategies and nitrogen fertilizer rates on marginally productive cropland. Crop yields, soil nitrous oxide emissions, and changes in soil organic carbon stocks from 9804 were used in the LCA to account for direct impacts of management while the EcoInvent inventory (v. 3.10) was used to model upstream, indirect, and overall impacts of sustainable aviation fuel production. Using measured data from long-term studies in LCA will more accurately capture the overall environmental impacts for the aviation sector.