Print PageLand use for bioenergy crops is controversial because terrestrial resources that supply food, and feed compete for geographical space in some regions of the world. Both feed and bioenergy are produced from the food crop Zea mays L. (corn) in the US, despite substantial water and air pollution associated with corn production. The DayCent agroecosystem model was used to estimate the effects of replacing corn ethanol feedstocks with alternative crops on both food and ecosystem services.
Results/Conclusions
If cellulosic feedstocks were planted on cropland that is currently used for ethanol production in the US, we could achieve 82% more ethanol, 4% more grain for food, 16% reduction in nitrogen leaching, and >450% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions without incurring additional indirect land use change. Adjusting for indirect land use change associated with the diversion of food and feed crops to fuel production in the past reduced the climate benefit of planting perennial feedstocks, but the even with this reduction the change from a high input annual to a low input perennial crop for biofuel can transition the Midwest from a net source to a sink for greenhouse gases.
