Life cycle assessment of native plants and marginal lands for bioenergy agriculture in Kentucky as a model for south-eastern USA

  1. SETH DEBOLT1,
  2. J. ELLIOTT CAMPBELL2,
  3. RAY SMITH Jr.3,
  4. MICHAEL MONTROSS4,
  5. JOZSEF STORK1

Article first published online: 17 AUG 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2009.01023.x

Issue

GCB Bioenergy

GCB Bioenergy

Volume 1, Issue 4, pages 308–316, August 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

DEBOLT, S., CAMPBELL, J. E., SMITH Jr., R., MONTROSS, M. and STORK, J. (2009), Life cycle assessment of native plants and marginal lands for bioenergy agriculture in Kentucky as a model for south-eastern USA. GCB Bioenergy, 1: 308–316. doi: 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2009.01023.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Horticulture, N-318 Agricultural Science Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KT 40546-0091, USA,

  2. 2

    College of Engineering University of California, Merced, CA 40546-0091, USA,

  3. 3

    Department of Agronomy, N-200 Agriculture Science Center North, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KT 40546-0091, USA,

  4. 4

    Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Barnhardt Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KT 40546-0091, USA

* Seth DeBolt, e-mail: sdebo2@email.uky.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 AUG 2009
  2. Article first published online: 17 AUG 2009
  3. Received 20 March 2009; revised version received 8 June 2009 and accepted 1 July 2009

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Keywords:

  • biofuel;
  • cell walls;
  • cellulosic biofuel;
  • feedstock;
  • GHG (green house gases);
  • lignification

Abstract

The Brookings Institute analysis rate both Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky (USA) as two of the nation's largest carbon emitters. This high carbon footprint is largely due to the fact that 95% of electricity is produced from coal. Kentucky has limited options for electric power production from low carbon sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric. Other states (TN, IN, OH, WV, and IL) in this region are similarly limited in renewable energy capacity. Bioenergy agriculture could account for a proportion of renewable energy needs, but to what extent is unclear. Herein, we found that abandoned agricultural land, not including land that is in fallow or crop rotation, aquatic ecosystems, nor plant-life that had passed through secondary ecological succession totaled 1.9 Mha and abandoned mine-land totaled 0.3 Mha, which combined accounted for 21% of Kentucky's land mass. A life cycle assessment was performed based on local yield and agronomic data for native grass bioenergy agriculture. These data showed that utilizing Kentucky's marginal land to grow native C4 grasses for cellulosic ethanol and bioelectricity may account for up to 13.3% and 17.2% of the states 2 trillion MJ energy consumption and reduce green house gas emissions by 68% relative to gasoline.

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