scholarly journals Hydroponic fodder and greenhouse gas emissions: a potential avenue for climate mitigation strategy and policy development

FACETS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 334-357
Author(s):  
Robert Newell ◽  
Lenore Newman ◽  
Mathew Dickson ◽  
Bill Vanderkooi ◽  
Tim Fernback ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Hydroponic Systems

This research explores the potential hydroponic systems have for contributing to climate mitigation in fodder agriculture. Using British Columbia (BC) and Alberta as case studies, the study compares greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration potential of hydroponically grown sprouted barley fodder to conventional barley grain fodder. GHG emissions were examined through scenarios that assumed Alberta to be the main barley producer, while exploring different situations of BC and Alberta as consumers, distributed/centralized hydroponic systems, and renewable/nonrenewable energy. Carbon sequestration opportunities were examined through scenarios that explored the land sparing potential of transitioning from conventional to hydroponic barley and shifts from tillage to no-tillage practices. Sensitivity analyses were done to examine how changes in hydroponic seed-to-fodder output and energy consumption affect the systems’ climate mitigation potential. The results indicated that incorporating hydroponic systems into barley production has the potential to reduce GHG emissions, given seed-to-fodder output and energy consumption are maintained at certain levels and the systems are powered by renewable energy. Results also showed that hydroponic farming can provide greater carbon sequestration opportunities than simply shifting to no-tillage farming. The research indicates that hydroponic fodder farming could contribute to climate mitigation objectives if complemented with effective energy and land use policies.

Greenhouse gas budget of an extensively managed grassland on drained peat soil in the Irish Midlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Valmier ◽  
Matthew Saunders ◽  
Gary Lanigan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Organic Soils ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Peat Soils ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Sink Capacity

<p>Grassland-based agriculture in Ireland contributes over one third of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the LULUCF sector is a net GHG source primarily due to the ongoing drainage of peat soils. Rewetting of peat-based organic soils is now recognised as an attractive climate mitigation strategy, but reducing emissions and restoring the carbon sequestration potential is challenging, and is not always feasible notably due to agricultural demands. Nonetheless, reducing carbon losses from drained organic soils has been identified as a key action for Ireland to reach its climate targets, and carbon storage associated with improved grassland management practices can provide a suitable strategy to offset GHG emissions without compromising productivity. However, research is still needed to assess the best practices and management options for optimum environmental and production outcomes. While grasslands have been widely studied internationally, data on organic soils under this land use are still scarce. In Ireland, despite their spatial extent and relevance to the national emission inventories and mitigation strategies, only two studies on GHG emissions from grasslands on peat soils have been published.</p><p>Here we present results from a grassland on a drained organic soil that is extensively managed for silage production in the Irish midlands. Continuous monitoring of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) using eddy covariance techniques, and weekly static chamber measurements to assess soil derived emissions of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) started in 2020. The seasonal CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes observed were greatly dependent on weather conditions and management events. The grassland shifted from a carbon source at the beginning of the year to a sink during the growing season, with carbon uptakes in April and May ranging from 15 to 40 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>-2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> and releases in the order of 5 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>-2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>. Following the first harvest event in early June, approximately 2.5 t C ha<sup>-1</sup> was exported, and the sink capacity took around one month to recover, with an average NEE of 10 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>-2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> during that period. Carbon uptake then reached a maximum of 25 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>-2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> in August. After the second cut in mid-September, which corresponded to an export of 2.25 t.ha<sup>-1</sup> of carbon, the grassland acted once again as a strong carbon source, losing almost 30 g C m<sup>-2</sup> in a month, before stabilising and behaving as an overall small source during the winter period.</p><p>In summary, this grassland demonstrated high rates of carbon assimilation and productivity that translate in a strong carbon sink capacity highly dependent on the management. The biomass harvest is a major component of the annual budget that has the potential to shift the system to a net carbon source. Moreover, while initial measurements of CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes appeared to be negligible, some management events were not assessed due to national COVID 19 restrictions on movement, which might have impacted the sink strength of the site studied.</p>

scholarly journals Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Nickel Products

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5664
Author(s):  
Wenjing Wei ◽  
Peter B. Samuelsson ◽  
Anders Tilliander ◽  
Rutger Gyllenram ◽  
Pär G. Jönsson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Nickel Metal ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Nickel Smelting ◽  
Ore Grade

The primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from nickel smelting products have been assessed through case studies using a process model based on mass and energy balance. The required primary energy for producing nickel metal, nickel oxide, ferronickel, and nickel pig iron is 174 GJ/t alloy (174 GJ/t contained Ni), 369 GJ/t alloy (485 GJ/t contained Ni), 110 GJ/t alloy (309 GJ/t contained Ni), and 60 GJ/t alloy (598 GJ/t contained Ni), respectively. Furthermore, the associated GHG emissions are 14 tCO2-eq/t alloy (14 tCO2-eq/t contained Ni), 30 t CO2-eq/t alloy (40 t CO2-eq/t contained Ni), 6 t CO2-eq/t alloy (18 t CO2-eq/t contained Ni), and 7 t CO2-eq/t alloy (69 t CO2-eq/t contained Ni). A possible carbon emission reduction can be observed by comparing ore type, ore grade, and electricity source, as well as allocation strategy. The suggested process model overcomes the limitation of a conventional life cycle assessment study which considers the process as a ‘black box’ and allows for an identification of further possibilities to implement sustainable nickel production.

scholarly journals Renewable Energy and EU 2020 Target for Energy Efficiency in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Brożyna ◽  
Wadim Strielkowski ◽  
Alena Fomina ◽  
Natalya Nikitina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Eu

Our paper focuses on the renewable energy and EU 2020 target for energy efficiency in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We study the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in these two EU Member States through the prism of the Europe 2020 strategy and the 3 × 20 climate and energy package and economic growth (represented by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that allows to measure the national dynamics and provide cross-country comparisons) without attributing specific attention to issues such as the electrification of transport or heating, and thence leaving them outside the scope of this paper. Both Czech Republic and Slovakia are two post-Communist countries that still face the consequences of economic transformation and struggle with the optimal management of natural resources. Both countries encountered profound system transformation after 1989 that are apparent in all three measures of sustainable development used in our study. We show that it is unlikely that the planned increase in renewable energy in the Czech Republic and Slovakia will reach its targets, but they might succeed in reducing their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Our findings show that the energy intensity of Czech and Slovak economies increased in the early 2000s and then stabilized at a level about twice of the EU average. It appears that this value is likely to remain the same in the forthcoming years. However, implementation of GHG emissions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia may be at risk in case the proper energy policy is not maintained. Moreover, our results show how the increase in the share of renewable energy and improvement in energy efficiency go hand-in-hand with mining and exploiting the energy sources that is notorious for the transition economies. We also demonstrate that a proper energy policy is required for effectively reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. There is a need for commitments made by relevant stakeholders and policymakers targeted at achieving sustainable economic growth and energy efficiency. In addition, we demonstrate that there is a need for maintaining a proper balance between economic development and environmental protection, which is a must for the EU sustainable energy development agenda and all its accompanying targets for all its Member States.

scholarly journals Scenario Analysis for GHG Emission Reduction Potential of the Building Sector for New City in South Korea

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 5514
Author(s):  
Seo-Hoon Kim ◽  
SungJin Lee ◽  
Seol-Yee Han ◽  
Jong-Hun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Building Sector ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
New City

A new government report on climate change shows that global emissions of greenhouse gases have increased to very high levels despite various policies to reduce climate change. Building energy accounts for 40% of the world’s energy consumption and accounts for 33% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This study applied the LEAP (Long-range energy alternatives planning) model and Bass diffusion method for predicting the total energy consumption and GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions from the residential and commercial building sector of Sejong City in South Korea. Then, using the Bass diffusion model, three scenarios were analyzed (REST: Renewable energy supply target, BES: Building energy saving, BEP: Building energy policy) for GHG reduction. The GHG emissions for Sejong City for 2015–2030 were analyzed, and the past and future GHG emissions of the city were predicted in a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario. In the REST scenario, the GHG emissions would attain a 24.5% reduction and, in the BES scenario, the GHG emissions would attain 12.81% reduction by 2030. Finally, the BEP scenario shows the potential for a 19.81% GHG reduction. These results could be used to guide the planning and development of the new city.

Analysis of Embodied Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions in Chinese Manufacturing Industry

2012 ◽  
Vol 616-618 ◽  
pp. 1148-1153
Author(s):  
Dong Sun ◽  
Chu Xia Tong
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Calculation Model ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Electric Equipment ◽  
Chinese Manufacturing Industry

This paper attempts to discuss the embodied energy consumption and embodied greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing industry. Based the on input-output theory, this paper establishes the calculation model, which gives the calculation of embodied energy consumption and embodied greenhouse gas emissions of 2002 and 2007 respectively. By comparison, it draws the conclusion that the total direct energy consumption of 2007 is much more than the year of 2002, while the total embodied energy consumption is less than the year of 2002. However, Non-metallic mineral products, Metal smelting and pressing and Electric equipment and machinery perform otherwise. The reason accounting for the calculation results is that the embodied energy intensity is greatly decreased.

scholarly journals Greenhouse Gas Pollution Based on Energy use and its Mitigation Potential in the City of Surakarta, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Prabang Setyono ◽  
Widhi Himawan ◽  
Cynthia Permata Sari ◽  
Totok Gunawan ◽  
Sigit Heru Murti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
The City

Considered as a trigger of climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) is a global environmental issue. The City of Surakarta in Indonesia consists mainly of urban areas with high intensities of anthropogenic fossil energy consumption and, potentially, GHG emission. It is topographically a basin area and most likely prompts a Thermal Inversion, creating a risk of accumulation and entrapment of air pollutants or GHGs at low altitudes. Vegetation has been reported to mitigate the rate of increase in emissions because it acts as a natural carbon sink. This study aimed to mitigate the GHG emissions from energy consumption in Surakarta and formulate recommendations for control. It commenced with calculating the emission factors based on the IPCC formula and determining the key categories using the Level Assessment approach. It also involved computing the vegetation density according to the NDVI values of the interpretation of Sentinel 2A imagery. The estimation results showed that in 2018, the emission loads from the energy consumption in Surakarta reached 1,217,385.05 (tons of CO2e). The key categories of these emissions were electricity consumption, transportation on highways, and the domestic sector, with transportation on highways being the top priority. These loads have exceeded the local carrying capacity because they create an imbalance between emission and natural GHG sequestration by vegetations.

scholarly journals Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Reavis ◽  
Jenny Ahlen ◽  
Joe Rudek ◽  
Kusum Naithani
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Food Engineering ◽  
Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Global Food

The dramatic increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by humans over the past century and a half has created an urgency for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions as a first step toward mitigating the effects of climate change. Fifteen percent of global GHG emissions come from agriculture, and companies in the food and beverage industry are starting to set climate goals. We examined the GHG emissions reporting practices and climate goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies (as ranked by Food Engineering) and determined whether their goals are aligned with the science of keeping climate warming well below a 2°C increase. Using publicly disclosed data in CDP Climate reports and company sustainability reports, we found that about two thirds of the top 100 global food and beverage companies disclose at least part of their total company emissions and set some sort of climate goal that includes scope 1 and 2 emissions. However, only about half have measured, disclosed, and set goals for scope 3 emissions, which often encompass about 88% of a company's emissions across the entire value chain on average. We also determined that companies, despite setting scope 1, 2, and 3 emission goals, may be missing the mark on whether their goals are significantly reducing global emissions. Our results present the current disclosure and emission goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies and highlight an urgent need to begin and continue to set truly ambitious, science-aligned climate goals.

scholarly journals Achieving Net Zero Emissions Requires the Knowledge and Skills of the Oil and Gas Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astley Hastings ◽  
Pete Smith
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

The challenge facing society in the 21st century is to improve the quality of life for all citizens in an egalitarian way, providing sufficient food, shelter, energy, and other resources for a healthy meaningful life, while at the same time decarbonizing anthropogenic activity to provide a safe global climate, limiting temperature rise to well-below 2°C with the aim of limiting the temperature increase to no more than 1.5°C. To do this, the world must achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Currently spreading wealth and health across the globe is dependent on growing the GDP of all countries, driven by the use of energy, which until recently has mostly been derived from fossil fuel. Recently, some countries have decoupled their GDP growth and greenhouse gas emissions through a rapid increase in low carbon energy generation. Considering the current level of energy consumption and projected implementation rates of low carbon energy production, a considerable quantity of fossil fuels is projected to be used to fill the gap, and to avoid emissions of GHG and close the gap between the 1.5°C carbon budget and projected emissions, carbon capture and storage (CCS) on an industrial scale will be required. In addition, the IPCC estimate that large-scale GHG removal from the atmosphere is required to limit warming to below 2°C using technologies such as Bioenergy CCS and direct carbon capture with CCS to achieve climate safety. In this paper, we estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that will have to be captured and stored, the storage volume, technology, and infrastructure required to achieve the energy consumption projections with net zero GHG emissions by 2050. We conclude that the oil and gas production industry alone has the geological and engineering expertise and global reach to find the geological storage structures and build the facilities, pipelines, and wells required. Here, we consider why and how oil and gas companies will need to morph from hydrocarbon production enterprises into net zero emission energy and carbon dioxide storage enterprises, decommission facilities only after CCS, and thus be economically sustainable businesses in the long term, by diversifying in and developing this new industry.

scholarly journals Effects of Temporal Variation in Long-Term Cultivation on Organic Carbon Sequestration in Calcareous Soils: Nile Delta, Egypt

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4514
Author(s):  
Manal Alnaimy ◽  
Martina Zelenakova ◽  
Zuzana Vranayova ◽  
Mohamed Abu-Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Virgin Soil ◽  
Logarithmic Curve ◽  
Sequestration Potential

Soil carbon sequestration is a riskier long-term strategy for climate mitigation than direct emissions reduction, but it plays a main role in closing carbon emission gaps. Effects of long-term cultivation on soil carbon sequestration were studied at the western edge of the Nile Delta near Alexandria, Egypt. Seven agricultural fields of different ages (0–50 years in use) were selected and compared with the surrounding desert (virgin soil) and desert shrub-land. Samples were taken at three horizons, 0–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm, and tested for differences in physical and chemical properties. The results of long-term cultivation reveal that the European Commission (EC) value was 11.77 dS/m in virgin soil, while the EC values decreased to 5.82, 4.23, 3.74, 2.40, and 2.26 dS/m after 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 years of cultivation, respectively. The calcareous rock fraction smaller than 50 μm in size revealed another phenomenon, where active calcium carbonate content increased with cultivation practices from 1.15% (virgin soil) to 5.42%, 6.47%, 8.38%, and 10.13% after 5, 10, 20, and 30 years of cultivation, respectively, while shrub-land also showed a low amount of active CaCO3 with 1.38%. In fifty years of cultivation, soil bulk density decreased significantly from 1.67 to 1.11 g/cm3, and it decreased to 1.65, 1.44, 1.40, and 1.25 g/cm3 after 5, 10, 20, and 30 years, respectively. These results reveal that the increase in soil carbon stock in the upper 90 cm amounted to 41.02 t C/ha after five years of cultivation, compared to virgin soil with 13.47 t C/ha. Soil carbon levels increased steeply during the five years of cultivation, with an average rate of 8.20 t C/ha per year in the upper 90 cm. After the first five years of cultivation, the carbon sequestration rate slowed, reaching 4.68, 3.77, 2.58, and 1.93 t C/ha per year after 10, 20, 30, and 50 years, respectively, resulting in sequestration-potential values of 46.78, 75.63, 77.43, and 96.45 t C/ha. These results indicate that potential soil carbon sequestration resembles a logarithmic curve until the equilibrium state between carbon application and decomposition by microorganisms is reached.

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