The potential for bioenergy generated on marginal land to offset agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in China

Ziyue Yu, Fan Zhang, Chenzhen Gao, Eugenio Mangi and Cheshmehzangi Ali

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2024, vol. 189, issue PA

Abstract: Rational use of marginal land for cultivation of bioenergy crops is an effective means to solve land use competition and is an important way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve energy supply. This study conducted an evaluation of the suitability of marginal land for growing energy crops in China during 1990–2020 using the GIS and multi-factor analysis method and revealed the quantitative relationship between bioenergy produced by marginal land energy crops and carbon reduction potential. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) coefficient method and life cycle method were applied to measure the biofuel yield of the Jatropha curcas and assessed its potential to offset agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. The findings are: (1) The marginal land area available for energy crops in 2020 is 1.63 × 106 km2, which is 8.35 % lower than the area planted in 1990. (2) When the reclamation index is 60 %, all suitable marginal land can be used to grow energy crops, and biofuels can replace 3.31 × 1011 tons of conventional energy. (3) In 2020, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will be 9.02 × 108 tons, and the potential of bioenergy crop cultivation to offset agricultural greenhouse gas emissions amounts to 4.31 × 108 tons, or 47.88 %. In the future, the pressure of agricultural GHG emission reduction will be further exacerbated by population growth and agricultural land supply, etc. Rational use of marginal land and development of bioenergy crops are effective ways for China to cope with climate change and realize its renewable energy strategy.

Keywords: Marginal land; Bioenergy potential; Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions; Offset values (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123007827
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:189:y:2024:i:pa:s1364032123007827

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113924

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().