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MAGLUE project
Measurement and Analysis of bioenergy greenhouse gases: integrating GHGs into LCAs and the UK Biomass Value Chain Modelling Environment
Suzanne Milner, Niall McNamara, Pete Smith, Robert Matthews, Raphael Slade and Gail Taylor1
@MAGLUEproject
Overview
A collaborative project between six institutes across the UK, our project aims to improve understanding of the GHG balance of bioenergy systems and link this knowledge to improved LCAs and technology options for both UK-sourced and overseas feedstocks. For UK feedstocks we will quantify GHG balance of the whole life cycle of bioenergy crops during land conversions and reversions. In the controversial area of overseas feedstocks, we have taken a case study approach to consider several key feedstocks of relevance to the UK.
Measurement of GHG balance in bioenergy systems
Aims:
Quantify the impacts of reversions, conversions and land management options on the GHG balance of bioenergy
Gain long-term data on GHG balance of several land use changes to bioenergy
Land use conversion experiment:
Grass  Miscanthus on marginal semi-improved grazed land employing best practices (tillage and genotype)
Land use reversion experiment:
Miscanthus and willow, 2 plots each with retained controls (6 years old at reversion)
Commercial reversion sites:
Characterisation of soil C stock change after LUC from bioenergy crop into conventional crops and grassland
Non-UK Feedstocks- Eastern Europe, North America, Brazil and South east Asia:
The case studies provide global input data for the ECOSSE model from selected bioenergy feedstocks from overseas to look at GHG emission impacts
Research question, goal and scope have been defined for each case study.
North America
Eastern Europe
Brazil
South east Asia
What are the impacts on biogenic carbon emissions over time, arising from the extraction of specified quantities of woody biomass feedstocks from forest areas in North America for use as energy, compared with how the biomass would have been consumed otherwise?
What are the results of characterising land areas within regions of the Europe, in terms of potential impacts on biogenic carbon emissions, over time, that would arise directly from using the land to grow SRC biomass for the provision of woody biomass to be consumed in the UK, compared with how the land would have been used otherwise?
What are the impacts on biogenic carbon emissions and on GHG emissions from land management, over time, arising directly from using a specified area of land in Brazil to grow sugar-cane for the production of ethanol for use as energy, compared with how the land would have been otherwise?
Characterise approaches to the management of existing oil palm plantations within Southeast Asia, for the production of biomass and/or oil for use as energy, compared with how the oil palm would have been managed otherwise, in terms of potential impacts on current and potential future biogenic carbon emissions, over time?
Maglue Network sites- empirical data from 2G crops and model validation
West Sussex
Grass to willow SRC
U of Southampton
East Grange
Grass to Short Rotation Forestry
Forest Research
Arable to willow SRC
CEH Edinburgh
Aberystwyth
Grass to Miscanthus
Genotype trial
U of Aberystwyth
Lincolnshire
Arable to willow SRC, Arable to Miscanthus,
CEH
Analysis of GHG emissions, spatial and temporal modelling:
Aims:
Utilise data from the UK hotspots to parameterise the ECOSSE model and to improve modelling of UK feedstock life cycle
Data from case studies will be used as inputs to model imported feedstocks for a set of potential bioenergy sources.
Example progress on the modelling of UK feedstock life cycle. Impacts of reverting a willow plantation back to arable land on soil organic carbon:
Integration through Improved optimisation of bioenergy chains:
How might optimum bioenergy infrastructures in the UK change with improved knowledge of GHG emission factors?
Aims:
Address this question using input from the GHG balance measurements and the case studies to model effects using the Biomass Value Chain Model (BVCM).
Example of the model output- optimal UK biomass supply configuration for 2020s:
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A B C
Site converted to willow
2 arable sites reverted from willow
A) winter wheat crop production for food system;
B) Miscanthus biomass production for bioenergy system;
C) SRC willow biomass production for bioenergy system
Associated talks from the poster on behalf of the MAGLUE project
Jon McCalmont- GHG session- Trace gas (N2O and CH4) flux in land-use transitions to and from agricultural grassland to Miscanthus and SRC willow
Rebecca Rowe- GHG session- Perennial bioenergy crop removal at commercial scales: investigating impacts on soil carbon stocks
Amanda Holder- Environment session- Investigating impacts on hydrology of land use change from grazed grassland to Miscanthus
Marta Dondini- Environment session- Evaluation of the ECOSSE model for simulating soil carbon under sugarcane in Brazil
Robert Matthews- Environment session- Biogenic carbon emissions of ‘hot-spot’ bioenergy sources: emerging findings of the SUPERGEN Challenge project MAGLUE
Robert Holland – Environment session- Integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into future energy scenarios – lessons learned and next steps