Sustainable development in China: Valuation of bioenergy potential and CO2 reduction from crop straw

Yan Ru Fang, Silu Zhang, Ziqiao Zhou, Wenjun Shi and Guang Hui Xie

Applied Energy, 2022, vol. 322, issue C, No S030626192200770X

Abstract: Bioenergy is recognized as a promising alternative for future energy demand and decarbonization development. Crop straw, especially wheat, rice, and maize straw, is one of the significant feedstocks for bioenergy production. However, the production potential of different types of bioenergy from crop straw, and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions are poorly understood. Thus, we collected crop straw utilization data at the provincial level via face-to-face field surveys to estimate straw quantity until 2030, dividing the 31 provincial regions in mainland China into four regions each for wheat (W-I, II, III, IV), rice (R-I, II, III, IV), and maize (M-I, II, III, IV), respectively, based on their quantity and distribution. The results show that if all three types of straw are used for bioenergy production, the bioenergy production potential is 75.1 Mtce for electricity, 151.5 Mtce for bioethanol, 182.1 Mtce for biomethane, and 329.1 Mtce for briquette fuel in 2030. Substituting electricity, bioethanol, biomethane, and briquette fuel for fossil fuels could reduce CO2 emissions by 562.9, 362.4, 220.4, and 1654.2 Mt, respectively. Our study indicates that wheat straw should be used for bioethanol and electricity production, maize straw for electricity and briquette fuel, and rice straw for biomethane. This research provides a good reference for local and national governments for policy formulation regarding straw utilization, and it will also help bioenergy plants select the best plant locations, bioenergy types, and feedstock types to obtain a high quantity of bioenergy and realize decarbonization development.

Keywords: Bioenergy; Biomass resources; Decarbonization; Renewable energy; Spatial analysis; Sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119439

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