<p>In the U.S., bioenergy
accounts for about 50% of the total renewable energy that is generated. Every
stage in the life cycle of using bioenergy (e.g., growing biomass, harvesting
biomass, transporting biomass, and converting to fuels or materials) has
consequences in terms of the three dimensions of sustainability: economy,
environment, and society. An integrated sustainability model (ISM) using system
dynamics is developed for a bioenergy system to understand how changes in a
bioenergy system influence environmental measures, economic development, and
social impacts.<br></p><p><br></p><p>Biomass may be used as a
source of energy in a variety of ways. The U.S. corn ethanol system forest
residue system for electricity generation, and cellulosic ethanol system have
been investigated. Predictions, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) savings, soil
carbon sequestration, monetary gain, employment, and social cost of carbon are
made for a given temporal scale. For the corn ethanol system, the annual tax
revenue created by the ethanol industry can offer a significant benefit to
society. For the forest residue system for electricity generation, different
policy scenarios varying the bioenergy share of the total electricity generation
were identified and examined via the ISM. The results of the scenario analysis
indicate that an increase in the bioenergy contribution toward meeting the
total electricity demand will stimulate the bioenergy market for electricity
generation. For the cellulosic ethanol system, the compliance of cellulosic
ethanol can be achieved under the advanced bioconversion technologies and the
expansion of energy crops. However, nitrate leaching and
biodiversity change should be considered when expanding energy crops on
marginal land, pasture, and cropland. Moreover,
three bioenergy systems reduce GHG emissions significantly, relative to fossil
fuel sources that are displaced, and create economic benefits (e.g., GDP and
employment). Additionally, a spatial agent-based modeling is developed to
understand farmers’ behaviors of energy crop adoption and the viability of
cellulosic biofuel commercialization.<br></p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/8020007 |
| Date | 15 May 2019 |
| Creators | Enze Jin (6618170) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/Integrated_Sustainability_Assessment_for_Bioenergy_Systems_that_Predicts_Environmental_Economic_and_Social_Impacts/8020007 |
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