Model-Based Assessment of Giant Reed ( Arundo donax L.) Energy Yield in the Form of Diverse Biofuels in Marginal Areas of Italy

Giovanni Alessandro Cappelli, Fabrizio Ginaldi, Davide Fanchini, Sebastiano Andrea Corinzia, Salvatore Luciano Cosentino and Enrico Ceotto
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Giovanni Alessandro Cappelli: CREA—AA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Fabrizio Ginaldi: CREA—AA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Davide Fanchini: CREA—AA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Sebastiano Andrea Corinzia: Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Università Degli Studi di Catania, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy
Salvatore Luciano Cosentino: Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Università Degli Studi di Catania, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy
Enrico Ceotto: CREA—AA Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 6, 1-24

Abstract: Giant reed is a promising perennial grass providing ligno-cellulosic biomass suitable to be cultivated in marginal lands (MLs) and converted into several forms of renewable energy. This study investigates how much energy, in the form of biomethane, bioethanol, and combustible solid, can be obtained by the cultivation of this species in marginal land of two Italian regions, via the spatially explicit application of the Arungro crop model. Arungro was calibrated in both rainfed/well-irrigated systems, under non-limiting conditions for nutrient availability. The model was then linked to a georeferenced database, with data on (i) current/future climate, (ii) agro-management, (iii) soil physics/hydrology, (iv) land marginality, and (v) crop suitability to environment. Simulations were run at 500 × 500 m spatial resolution in MLs of Catania (CT, Southern Italy) and Bologna (BO, Northern Italy) provinces, characterized by contrasting pedo-climates. At field scale, Arungro explained 85% of the year-to-year variability of measured carbon accumulation in aerial biomass. At the provincial level, simulated energy yields progressively increased from bioethanol, to biomethane, and finally to combustible solid, with average values of 92-115-264 GJ ha −1 in BO and 105-133-304 GJ ha −1 in CT. Mean energy yields estimated for 2030 remained unchanged compared to the baseline, although showing large heterogeneity across the study area (changes between −6/+15% in BO and −16/+15% in CT). This study provides site-specific indications on giant reed current productions, energy yields, and natural water consumption, as well as on their future trends and stability, ready-to-use for multiple stakeholders of the agricultural sector involved in bioenergy planning.

Keywords: arungro; bioenergy planning; bioenergy yield; biomethane; bioethanol; climate change; combustible solid; crop modeling; land use; perennial energy crops (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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