Abstract
Bioenergy is expected to play a key role in achieving a future sustainable energy system. Sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol, one of the most promising bioenergy sources in China, has been receiving considerable attention. However, the conflict between sweet sorghum development and traditional water use has not been fully considered. The article presents an integrated method for evaluating water stress from sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol in China. The region for developing sweet sorghum was identified from the perspective of sustainable development of water resources. First, the spatial distribution of the water demand of sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol was generated with a Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model coupled with Geo-Information System (GIS). Subsequently, the surplus of water resources at the provincial scale and precipitation at the pixel scale were considered during the growth period of sweet sorghum, and the potential conflicts between the supply and demand of water resources were analyzed at regional scale monthly. Finally, the development level of sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol was determined. The results showed that if the pressure of water consumption of sweet sorghum on regional water resources was taken into account, about 23% of the original marginal land was not suitable for development of sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol, mainly distributed in Beijing, Hebei, Ningxia, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Tianjin. In future energy planning, the water demand of energy plants must be fully considered to ensure its sustainable development.
Highlights
Biomass can substantially contribute to climate change mitigation and to energy security, in regions where fossil fuel resources are limited [1,2]
The priority development area and the secondary development area in these four provinces account for 79.5% and 62.6% of the total areas of the priority development area and secondary development area, respectively
The development region of sweet sorghum was classified from the perspective of water resources
Summary
Biomass can substantially contribute to climate change mitigation and to energy security, in regions where fossil fuel resources are limited [1,2]. Bioenergy is expected to play a key role in achieving a future sustainable energy system. Several countries throughout the world have formulated targets for the contribution of biomass to the national energy supply and have introduced policies to promote the increasing application of bioenergy generation [5,6,7]. In China, the development of bioenergy has been supported by the government. The “13th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development” was released in 2016, and it proposed that China should properly develop cassava-based fuel ethanol and sweet sorghum-based fuel ethanol depending on resource conditions. The annual use of biofuels should total more than 6 million tons by 2020 [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
