Break-even Price Research Articles

An Analysis of Shrimp Culture Business in Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India

The study was taken to analyse the Shrimp Culture Business in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. The performance of the shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture business in terms of production, marketing, finance and also constraints faced by shrimp culture farmers was analysed. Aquaculture farmers were classified into small (1-2 ha), semi-medium (2-4 ha), medium (4-10 ha) and large farmers (>10 ha). The results revealed that the average gross income earned was Rs.31.91 lakh/ha/crop, Rs. 31.73 lakh/ha/crop, Rs. 31.79 lakh/ha/crop and Rs.32.57 lakh/ha/crop by small, semi-medium, medium and large farmers respectively. The net income per hectare per crop for large farmers (Rs.13.07 lakh) was highest followed by medium (Rs. 11.8 lakh), semi medium (Rs. 11.1 lakh) and small (Rs.10.42 lakh) shrimp culture farmers. Break-even prices revealed that small, semi-medium, medium and large farmers can choose to price one kg of shrimp above Rs. 256, Rs. 247, Rs. 239, and Rs. 228 respectively. The profitability ratio showed that Gross profit margin and net profit margin for large farmers were high when compared to small, semi-medium, medium and large farmers. Non-availability of good quality seeds and the high cost of feed were the major problems faced by the farmers in production. Fluctuations in shrimp price and insufficient market information were major marketing constraints faced by the farmers in marketing of shrimp.

A 4E feasibility analysis of an on-site, ammonia sourced, hydrogen refueling station

Since hydrogen (H 2 ) demand in the transportation field has increased as a result of efforts to reduce carbon emissions , the number of H 2 refueling stations has been increasing as well. However, the transportation of H 2 itself requires a lot of energy due to the low volumetric density of H 2 necessitating energy-intensive processes of compression or liquefaction . In this context, ammonia (NH 3 ) has been emerging as an efficient H 2 carrier with several beneficial characteristics such as a large weight fraction of H 2 (17.65%), and liquefaction at ambient temperature and moderate pressures which allows for the utilization of existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Thus, NH 3 can be utilized as an H 2 transport medium as well as a raw material for remote H 2 refueling stations. In this study, a comparative 4E (energy, exergy, economic, and environmental) analysis of an H 2 refueling station supplied from an on-site NH 3 reforming using a packed bed reactor (PBR) and a membrane reactor (MR) is performed. Due to the higher H 2 recovery in the MR, a greater H 2 production rate is observed resulting in lower H 2 production cost. Compared to the PBR, energy and exergy efficiency in the MR-based process are improved by 3.6%p and 2.7%p reaching 82.7% and 78.7%, respectively, and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by ∼17% from 5.4 to 4.5 kgCO 2 -eq kgH 2 −1 . The break-even price of H 2 in the MR-based process at present is 8.1–9.2 USD kgH 2 −1 (at scale of 900 kgH 2 d −1 ) and the break-even points with the H 2 selling price of 12.5 USD kg H 2 −1 are 7.8–8.9 y whereas the corresponding values are 9.4–10.5 USD kgH 2 −1 and 10.2–12.3 y in the process using the PBR. At an H 2 selling price of 7.5 USD kgH 2 −1 , most cases (90.6%) of the net present value in the MR-based process were positive in 2040 indicating an economically feasible process, while cases with lower H 2 selling price (2.5 and 5.0 USD kgH 2 −1 ) were not deemed profitable under current technological level. • Process design and simulation of an ammonia-based, H 2 refueling station. • The choice of a packed bed reactor or a membrane reactor is evaluated. • 4E (Energy, Exergy, Economic, and Environmental) analysis is performed. • The membrane reactor-based process can be feasible in 2040 for 7.5 USD kgH 2 −1 . • CO 2 emissions can be reduced by 58–64% compared to conventional H 2 production.

Gasification of Biowaste Based on Validated Computational Simulations: A Circular Economy Model to Handle Poultry Litter Waste

Converting waste biomass resources through downdraft gasification can generate a producer gas for a combined heat and power unit. The study includes feedstock analysis, process modelling using ECLIPSE simulation software, and experimental analysis of materials in a pilot-scale fixed-bed downdraft gasifier. Anaerobic digestate and miscanthus were investigated for comparing the gasification potential of poultry litter as an energy source. Models validated through experimental analysis were applied to a case study based on a typical poultry farm in Northern Ireland.; Results found producer gas with a lower heating value up to 4.15 MJ/Nm3 can be generated. Sufficient poultry waste is generated on-site to produce the required heat and electricity for each shed, allowing the farm to switch from fossil fuels to a local renewable resource and addressing the waste disposal issue.; Downdraft gasification coupled with cogeneration could have a payback period of 4–5 years given the correct conditions. The net present value is positive for all technologies considered (i.e. internal combustion engine and the Organic Rankine cycle combined heat and power unit) under different subsidies, showing the economic viability of the solution. The break-even selling price could be lower than the current grid electricity selling price (£120/MWh) when incentives such as: (i) avoiding disposal cost of £30/tonne, (ii) selling the biochar by-product at £200/tonne and (iii) fuel displacement costs of 1.5p/kWh are considered.Graphical abstract

DAMPAK PENERAPAN JARAK TANAM TERHADAP PRODUKTIVITAS DAN PENDAPATAN USAHATANI JAGUNG HIBRIDA DI LAHAN SAWAH TADAH HUJAN

Corn (Zea Mays L) has multipurpose functions, as food, feed, industrial raw materials, and source offarmers' income. Rainfed rice fields are one of the potentials which have not been optimally utilized foragriculture, especially corn. Planting distance will affect productivity in two ways, 1) the use of plantingdistance that is too tight, plants will experience competition with other plants nearby and 2) plantingdistance that is too wide may reduce yield per unit area. This study aims to determine theperformance of productivity, income and feasibility and aslo to determine the break-even point ofproduction and prices. The study was conducted in Boloh Village, Toroh District, Grobogan Regencyon MT-3 in 2016 covering an area of ± 5 ha. The study was set out with 3 treatment distanceplanting, 75 x 20 cm (1 seed per hole), 75 x 40 cm (2 seeds per hole) and 50 x 50 cm (2 seeds perhole). The results showed that the 70 x 40 cm spacing treatment gave the highest productivity andincome. Hybrid maize farming with distance planting of 70 x 40 cm, both technically and financially, isthe most feasible to be developed in rainfed rice fields.

Multi-objective optimization of CO2 recycling operations for CCUS in pre-salt carbonate reservoirs

This study evaluates the potential of recycling carbon dioxide (CO2) in the associated gas in ultra-deepwater pre-salt carbonate reservoirs for Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). We performed compositional subsurface modeling of a hypothetical field for multi-objective optimization, aiming at minimizing carbon emissions whilst maximizing the project's Net Present Value (NPV). Although no absolute reduction in total CO2 emissions was met with economic improvement, all simulated CCUS scenarios yielded a lower carbon footprint oil, with 43.5% reduction in operational emissions and up to 25.5% increase in NPV. The best CCUS case, a tapered Water Alternating Gas (WAG) design, presented break-even oil price of 39.5 USD/STB and operational CO2 abatement cost of negative 94.8 USD/tCO2 abated, also showing significant reduction in number of squeeze treatments and cost of calcite scale management.

ANALISIS PENDAPATAN DAN TITIK IMPAS PRODUKSI GABAH KERING GILING (GKG) DAN BERAS DI KECAMATAN WASILE TIMUR KABUPATEN HALMAHERA TIMUR

The development of food crops is part of the agricultural sector with the aim of realizing the conditions for meeting food needs with sufficient nutrition for the population to lead a healthy and productive life. This study aims to determine the amount of income and the feasibility level of production of dry milled grain (GKG) and rice. This study was conducted in East Wasile District, East Halmahera Regency with sample determination using purposive sampling and systemic sampling on farmers in East Wasile District, East Halmahera Regency. The results of the study obtained were rice production income of Rp.21,068,283.78 and dry milled grain (GKG) production of Rp.22,134,104. The feasibility level in the production of dry milled grain (GKG) shows an R /C ratio of 2.1 and rice of 2.0, which means that both productions are feasible to be pursued because the resulting value>1. Other feasibility indicators are BEP (Break-even point) where dry milled grain reaches breakeven or BEP Price as much as Rp.2,451 and BEP production is 644 Kg, while for rice to breakeven at the BEP value Price of Rp. 4,783 and BEP production of 387 Kg this means that farmers will not experience any gains or losses, so to be able to get a profit and not experience losses, the yield of dry milled grain and rice must be increased above the value BEP Production and BEP Price.Keywords: Income, Break-even point, Milled dry grain, Rice

Is Harvesting Cover Crops for Hay Profitable When Planting Corn and Soybean in Tennessee?

Winter cover crops can improve the soil’s moisture-holding capacity, reduce soil water evaporation, and mitigate water-induced soil erosion; however, economic studies show mixed results on cover crop impacts on profits. One way to potentially increase the profits from planting cover crops is to harvest the cover crop for hay. The objective of this study was to determine the profitability of planting and harvesting cover crops when planting corn (Zea mays) or soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) as a cash crop. We determined the difference in net returns among 15 cover crop species when planted before corn and soybeans. We then calculated the breakeven hay price if the cover crop was harvested. Data were collected from an experiment in Tennessee, from 2017 to 2019, at two locations. There was no difference in net returns across cover crop treatments for both corn and soybeans, thus indicating that planting a cover crop does not reduce profits. The breakeven prices for harvesting cover crops suggest that this system would not likely be profitable for corn but might be profitable if planting soybeans, depending on labor availability and local demand for hay.

Cost-effectiveness of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy versus autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in first relapse.

7537 Background: The recently reported ZUMA-7 and TRANSFORM trials demonstrate superior event-free survival among patients with primary refractory or early relapsed DLBCL compared to salvage chemotherapy with ASCT. However, given a cost of >$370,000, it is not known whether second-line CAR-T is cost-effective compared to ASCT. Thus, we developed a state-transition microsimulation model to simulate clinical outcomes and costs associated with therapy for DLBCL patients in first relapse, using ZUMA-7 and TRANSFORM data. Methods: The model begins at initiation of second-line therapy comparing salvage chemotherapy with ASCT or CAR-T therapy. We examined a three-year time horizon, including crossover to the alternative strategy therapy in the third line, as well as subsequent lines of therapy, using open-source Amua 0.3.0 software. Base case analysis was performed using 1000 first-order Monte Carlo simulations and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was performed with 1000 simulations to test model uncertainty. Conditional probabilities of survival and disease progression were extracted from Kaplan-Meier curves from pivotal clinical trials using the WebPlotDigitizer tool. Costs were estimated from public sources in US Dollars ($) and effects were estimated in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) using published utility values. Results: Median overall survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 13-19 months) with ASCT and 21 months (95% CI 17-29 months) with CAR-T. The PSA demonstrated costs and effectiveness per patient of $243,581 and 1.06 QALYs with ASCT and $470,150 and 1.22 QALYs with CAR-T with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $1,383,320/QALY. Incremental net monetary benefit of CAR-T versus ASCT, based on a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $200,000/QALY, was -$193,812. The break-even price for CAR-T and all subsequent therapies, based on a one-way sensitivity analysis, was $170,489. Conclusions: The model demonstrated improved survival and QALYs for the second-line CAR-T therapy, but was not cost-effective, as the ICER exceeded $1,000,000/QALY, which is higher than most accepted WTP thresholds. A limitation of these early data is that they only assess outcomes over three years. To estimate the full effect of these therapies, we will extrapolate the Kaplan-Meier curves for additional analyses. Clinical outcomes of second-line CAR-T are promising, but prices would need to be considerably lower to enable equitable access and affordability.[Table: see text]

Pharmaceutical supply chain reliability and effects on drug shortages

Drug shortages occur frequently and are often caused by supply chain disruptions. For improvements to occur, it is necessary to be able to estimate the vulnerability of pharmaceutical supply chains. In this work, we present the first model of pharmaceutical supply chain reliability. We consider three key approaches that companies may use to improve reliability: configuration, risk of disruptions, and speed of recovery. Key metrics include expected drug shortages, average time-to-shortage, and average time-to-recovery. We parametrize the model using data from major drug shortage databases and a case example of a generic injectable oncology drug. With a lean supply chain configuration, we observe that expected shortages at status quo conditions are 10%. By either doubling the speed of recovery or halving the disruption rate, expected shortages could drop to 5%. The most influential single change would be to add a back-up supplier to a lean configuration, leading to expected shortages of 4%. We also consider profitability and present the breakeven prices for different configurations. The results from our analyses could lead to immediate policy impact, providing evidence of the benefits of redundancy and improving facility quality.

Ecosystem service benefits to water users from perennial biomass production

Although many agree that a transition to renewable energy sources is needed to avoid the climate consequences of continued reliance on fossil sources, price is a barrier. For renewable energy sources, including bioenergy, penetrating energy markets depends on lowering prices to compete with the price of fossil sources, but the tools used in decision making, such as supply curves, exclude non-market benefits from ecosystem services. Here, we extend the economic concept of an economic supply curve to account for ecosystem services co-produced with perennial biomass. We developed three new types of supply curves to visualize the increased supply of biomass (‘sustainable supply’) with sufficient water-quality benefits to offset biomass production costs. Using these tools, we show that the value of water-quality improvements could significantly reduce the break-even price of perennial feedstocks if it were available to farmers. In the most optimistic case, nearly half of potential biomass supply in a large tributary of the Mississippi river basin carried water purification value exceeding the cost of biomass production. Furthermore, adding the value to swimmers and waders offset production cost for over 90% of potential supply. Simulated benefits were context specific. For example, total value for water drinkers peaked at an intermediate level of fertilizer application. Geographically, benefits were highest in the eastern portion of the river basin. This research shows where the sustainable supply is needed and can generate value; the next step is to match this supply with credit buyers. Efforts to internalize the values of ecosystem services into biomass prices could help to meet Biden administration targets to meet 100% of sustainable aviation fuels.

ANALISIS EKONOMI USAHA PENGOLAHAN KERIPIK IKAN BAWIS (Siganus canaliculatus) PAK UCIL DI UMKM SAPUTRA SNACK KOTA BONTANG PROVINSI KALIMANTAN TIMUR

This research was aimed to calculate the economic performance of the Bawis fish chip processing business at UMKM Saputra Snack based on a feasibility analysis which includes; Revenue Cost Ratio (RCR), Break Event Points (Sales, Production, and Prices), Payback Period, and Return On Investment (ROI). This research was conducted in September 2020. Primary data was obtained through observation and interviews which were guided by a list of questions made according to the research objectives. Sample determination referred to the conditional/objective sampling method. The results show that the value of RCR is 3.55, the break-even point of sales is Rp. 1,259,607 per month, which is lesser than its actual sales of Rp. 18,000,000 per month; the breakeven point of production is 63 packs per month, which is lesser than the actual production of 900 packs per month; the breakeven price is Rp. 1,400 per pack which is lesser than the actual price of Rp. 20,000 per pack; the payback period is 1.41 months (0.12 years) and the result of ROI analysis shows a value of 71.10%. The results of the analysis of the overall economic performance show that the Bawis fish chip processing business at UMKM Saputra Snack is profitable and feasible to continue.
 Keyword: Bawis Fish Chips, Business Feasibility, Bontang.

A Geospatial Cost Comparison of CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG) Power and Geologic CO2 Storage

CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG) power plants can use gigatonne-levels of CO2 sequestration to generate electricity, but it is unknown if the resources that support low-cost CPG power align with the resources that support low-cost CO2 sequestration. Here, we estimate and compare the geospatially-distributed cost of CPG and CO2 storage across a portion of North America. We find that the locations with lowest-cost CO2 storage are different than the locations with lowest-cost CPG. There are also locations with low-cost CO2 storage (<$5/tCO2) that do not support CPG power generation due to insufficient reservoir transmissivity or temperature. Thus, CPG development may require electricity prices that are greater than the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to offset the increased cost of sequestration. We introduce the “Additional Cost of Electricity (ACOE)” metric to account for this cost and add it to the LCOE to calculate breakeven electricity prices that are required for CPG development. We find that breakeven prices are lower when new CO2 injection wells are drilled specifically for CPG (i.e., “greenfield” CPG development) compared to if only existing CO2 sequestration injection wells are used (i.e., “brownfield” CPG development). This is because comparatively few wells are needed for sequestration-only, and the increased power capacity from having more CPG wells outweighs the increased costs from more drilling. We also find that sequestered CO2 could be used to approximately triple the United States geothermal electricity power capacity via a single CPG “sweet spot” in South Dakota, but that breakeven electricity price for this development is on the order of $200/MWeh.

Carbon-dioxide-to-methanol intensification with supersonic separators: Extra-carbonated natural gas purification via carbon capture and utilization

A novel carbon-capture-and-utilization route from extra-carbonated natural gas using low-cost/low-carbon chloralkali hydrogen is disclosed. Methanol and methane-rich gas are produced without direct carbon emissions and also with low indirect emissions assuming the local electricity-matrix as 87% non-emitting. Carbon dioxide removed from raw natural gas via cryogenic extractive distillation with methanol entrainer, feeds a new Carbon-Dioxide-to-Methanol hydrogenation route intensified by supersonic separators with liquid water injection for greater methanol conversion per pass in the synthesis-loop and greater methanol recovery in the separation system. Intensified Carbon-Dioxide-to-Methanol is designed economically optimizing water/methanol injection-ratios and maximum Mach numbers of supersonic separators. Extra-carbonated natural gas processing coupled to intensified Carbon-Dioxide-to-Methanol is techno-economically assessed, demonstrating that supersonic intensification entails 2% greater methanol production, 11% less power consumption and 7.5% greater net value comparatively to non-intensified counterpart. The intensified process removes 99.2% of CO2 from extra-carbonated gas and was analyzed at two methanol scales [8021.5 t/d, 1692.3 t/d] giving, respectively, [9.5, 41.5] payback-years, and [2896.4MMUSD, 41.37MMUSD] net values (60years). A critical feasibility factor is low-cost/low-carbon by-product hydrogen from chloralkali industries, for which the break-even prices were respectively evaluated for the two scales as [685USD/tH2, 358USD/tH2]. A third, better and safer, option is to couple intensified Carbon-Dioxide-to-Methanol to large-scale Carbon-Dioxide-to-Enhanced-Oil-Recovery providing hedging against insufficient offer of low-cost/low-carbon hydrogen while practically keeping the project net value (60years) despite twofold investment.

Methanol Production from Solid Recovered Fuel and Lignite: Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment

The main purpose of this work is to examine the techno-economics and environmental assessment of the Solid Recovered Fuel and Lignite to methanol pathway. Methanol is produced by gasifying the solid fuels to carbon monoxide and hydrogen and then reacting to produce methanol under pressure during the methanol synthesis process. The data obtained from the partners is used to adapt this study for the liquid fuel synthesis application. The in-house personal computer-based process simulation package, ECLIPSE, is used to perform process modelling and the techno-economic assessment of methanol production. The @Risk 8.2© software is used to estimate the cost contingency of the project. The SimaPro© software package was used to carry out the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The gasifier plant contributes significantly to the capital costs. The results show that increased Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) in the feedstock mix has favourable economics due to the negative SRF charges resulting in a lower break-even selling price (BESP) than feedstock mixes with higher ratios of Lignite. Plant availability, capital investment and the time value of money are the factors that have the greatest impact on BESP. Increasing the SRF in the feedstock mix decreases the Global Warming impact of the methanol production compared to higher proportions of Lignite. However, the resultant impact is much greater than that of a natural gas reformer. Furthermore, the employment of off-gas recovery and carbon capture can further reduce both the Global Warming impact and the overall Single Score of the process, making it favourably comparable to the natural gas water gas shift configurations.Graphical abstract

Empirical risk assessment of maintenance costs under full-service contracts

We provide a data-driven framework to conduct a risk assessment, including data pre-processing, exploration, and statistical modeling, on a portfolio of full-service maintenance contracts. These contracts cover all maintenance-related costs for a fixed, upfront fee during a predetermined horizon. Charging each contract a price proportional to its risk prevents adverse selection by incentivizing low risk (i.e., maintenance-light) profiles to not renege on their agreements. We borrow techniques from non-life insurance pricing and tailor them to the setting of maintenance contracts to assess the risk and estimate the expected maintenance costs under a full-service contract. We apply the framework on a portfolio of about 5000 full-service contracts of industrial equipment and show how a data-driven analysis based on contract and machine characteristics, or risk factors, supports a differentiated, risk-based break-even tariff plan. We employ generalized additive models (GAMs) to predict the risk factors’ impact on the frequency (number of) and severity (cost) of maintenance interventions. GAMs are interpretable yet flexible statistical models that capture the effect of both continuous and categorical risk factors. Our predictive models quantify the impact of the contract and machine type, service history, and machine running hours on the contract cost. We additionally utilize the predictive cost distributions of our models to augment the break-even price with the appropriate risk margins to further protect against the inherently stochastic nature of the maintenance costs. The framework shows how maintenance intervention data can set up a differentiated tariff plan.

English

Rice sheath rot disease is one of the obstacles in Fogera plain of rain-fed rice production system. A cultivar called X-Jigna has been used by small scale farmers based on mono-cropping system for over two decades. This production system contributed to the disease occurrence and adversely impacted the production and productivity. So far, there were no any effective measures taken as research remedies in the rain-fed production areas. Since the disease is seed-borne, recently, effective seed treatment methods were identified and evaluated at farmers’ fields. Partial budget analysis was employed to estimate economic costs and benefits to realize the seed treatment methods were economically viable or not. The yield responses from fungicide and hot water treatments were higher than the control check. Marginal rate of return of hot water and fungicide treatment methods were higher than untreated production. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the resistance and responses to the changes in prices and yields of new production method. The result shows that marginal rate of return was declining with an increasing price change of fungicide. Marginal rate of return was highly sensitive to decreasing level of yields but not strongly sensitive to the different level of price changes of fungicide. When farmers change their production method from use of untreated to treated seed, the yield loses could be dramatically decreased and marginal rate of return were considerably increased. The result ascertained that seed treatment methods were found to be effective, economically feasible and highly recommended for rice producing farmers. Key words: Break-even price, break-even yield, cost-benefit, marginal rate of return, partial budget analysis, seed treatment, sensitivity analysis, sheath rot disease.

Optimizing Smallholder Farmers' Productivity Through Crop Selection, Targeting and Prioritization Framework in the Limpopo and Free State Provinces, South Africa

Smallholder farmers like those in Limpopo and the Free State (FS) Province of South Africa sometimes incur high production costs due to their crop choices. This cost is exacerbated by the challenges posed by climate change and the socio-economic position of the smallholder farmers. The opportunity cost of producing cost-intensive crops is the forgone benefits these smallholder farmers would have gained if they grew cheaper options. Therefore, a tool to assist farmers and stakeholders when choosing, advising on, or assisting with production and management decisions at farm levels to ensure profitability and sustainability is needed. This paper aimed at providing a framework to assist farmers in identifying profitable crops for production under the present day and possible future scenarios in Limpopo and the FS. This framework uses a multi-stage process with forward and backward linkages to refine analysis and results. Through reviews, interviews, focus groups and transect walks, the state of the biophysical, socio-economic, and political environment and their impact on smallholder farming were collected from 600 farmers and 40 key informants. Inferential statistics and cost-benefit analysis were used for data analysis. The results indicate that maize, though widely cultivated in both Provinces, has the highest average total production cost of R 29,694.39 /ha while the lowest was sunflower with R 6,453.78 /ha. Irrigated maize had the highest break-even price per hectare of R 38 351.85, while sunflower had the lowest R 4 685.85. In both provinces, groundnut ranked first on Net Present Value (NPVs) at discount rates of 8% and 10%, while low yield maize ranked last, scoring values of –R 4 163 894 and –R 3 953 393. Groundnut had the highest Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) at 2.22 and 6.70 in Limpopo and FS. The BCR for low-yield maize was the lowest of all the crops. The base scenario results in economic and financial terms indicate it is better to farm sunflower, soybean, grain sorghum, and groundnuts than maize because of lower production cost and maize substitutes. Furthermore, climate change projections suggest a drier future for these provinces, implying the yield targets for farmers producing maize would be difficult to achieve when faced with climate change. Such information is vital for stakeholders.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Intermediate Pyrolysis with Solar Drying: A Chilean Case Study

Intermediate pyrolysis can be used to obtain high-quality biofuels from low-value residues such as sewage sludge or digestate. A major obstacle is the high water content of sludgy biomass, which requires an energy-intensive and expensive drying step before pyrolysis. Solar greenhouse drying is an efficient and sustainable alternative to a thermally heated belt dryer. In this study, a techno-economic assessment of intermediate pyrolysis with solar drying is carried out. Marketable products of the process are bio-oil, a substitute for diesel or heating oil, and bio-char with various possible applications. Chile is chosen as the setting of the study as its 4000 km long extension from north to south gives the opportunity to evaluate different locations and levels of solar irradiation. It is found that solar drying results in higher capital investment, but lower fuel costs. Depending on the location and solar irradiation, solar drying can reduce costs by 5–34% compared to belt drying. The break-even price of bio-char is estimated at 300–380 EUR/ton after accounting for the revenue from the liquid bio-oil.

Multi-Criteria Assessment of the Economic and Environmental Sustainability Characteristics of Intermediate Wheatgrass Grown as a Dual-Purpose Grain and Forage Crop

Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass [IWG; Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & Dewey] is a novel perennial cool-season grass that is being bred for use as a dual-purpose grain and forage crop. The environmental benefits of perennial agriculture have motivated the development of IWG cropping systems and markets for perennial grain food products made with Kernza, but the economic viability and environmental impact of IWG remain uncertain. In this study, we compared three-year cycles of five organic grain production systems: an IWG monoculture, IWG intercropped with medium red clover, a continuous winter wheat monoculture, a wheat–red clover intercrop, and a corn–soybean–spelt rotation. Economic and environmental impacts of each cropping system were assessed using enterprise budgets, energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and emergy indices as indicators. Grain and biomass yields and values for production inputs used in these analyses were obtained from experimental data and management records from two separate field experiments conducted in New York State, USA. Grain yield of IWG averaged 478 kg ha−1 yr−1 over three years, equaling approximately 17% of winter wheat grain yield (2807 kg ha−1 yr−1) over the same period. In contrast, total forage harvested averaged 6438 kg ha−1 yr−1 from the IWG systems, approximately 160% that of the wheat systems (4024 kg ha−1 yr−1). Low grain yield of IWG greatly impacted economic indicators, with break-even farm gate prices for Kernza grain calculated to be 23% greater than the current price of organic winter wheat in New York. Energy use and GHG emissions from the IWG systems were similar to the annual systems when allocated per hectare of production area but were much greater when allocated per kg of grain produced and much lower when allocated per kg of biomass harvested inclusive of hay and straw. Emergy sustainability indices were favorable for the IWG systems due to lower estimated soil erosion and fewer external inputs over the three-year crop cycle. The results show that the sustainability of IWG production is highly dependent on how the hay or straw co-product is used and the extent to which external inputs can be substituted with locally available renewable resources. Integrated crop–livestock systems appear to be a viable scenario for the adoption of IWG as a dual-use perennial grain and forage crop.

Abandoning peat in a city district heat system with wind power, heat pumps, and heat storage

The Finnish Government has established the target of carbon-neutrality by 2035. In Finland, district heating (DH) networks in most cities rely on carbon dioxide (CO2) intensive fuels such as coal and domestic peat. This study assesses the decarbonization of a Finnish city’s DH by employing power-to-heat (P2H) technologies, including heat pumps, an electric boiler, and thermal storage together with an ambitious building energy renovation program. This study also aims to use wind power with a calculated fixed price instead of the market price for the electricity consumption of the deployed P2H units to further support electrification and decarbonization of the DH network. Bilateral contract between the wind producer and the DH operator is examined, as new wind power producers receive no subsidies in Finland. The impacts of storage capacity, electricity tax, building-level renovation, and European CO2 emission allowance (EUA) price on the DH’s optimal operation and break-even price of heat production were evaluated. The optimization routine minimizes marginal production costs. The optimal scenario eliminated the carbon intensive fuel peat with more affordable heat prices, due to P2H technologies, lower electricity tax, higher EUA prices, and the renovation of buildings. Bilateral electricity contract can bring mutual benefits for the DH company and the wind producer.