Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential Research Articles

Community based social marketing for greenhouse gas emission reduction in households

Abstract The European Union (EU) has set an ambitious goal to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050. In response, several EU member states, including Lithuania, pledged to achieve 100% renewables in the final energy consumption. The main ways of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the energy sector are (1) the energy efficiency improvement and (2) the use of renewable energy sources (RES). Although many policies and measures were implemented to promote a fast penetration of renewables, especially in the supply sector, there is a massive GHG emissions reduction potential in households. However, there are several social and behavioral barriers hampering a fast penetration of renewables into households. Therefore, new well-targeted policies are necessary to overcome these barriers. The community based social marketing (CBSM) can be applied to promote GHG emissions reduction in households through behavioral changes. This paper evaluates the carbon emissions reduction potential at the household level driven by CBSM. The research is conducted in the Kaunas district municipality in Lithuania, having quantitative and qualitative components. The results show that ~20% energy could be saved in households through behavioral changes initiated by CBSM; and that it is possible to achieve significant GHG emissions reduction, save energy and money without making any major investments in households. The average realistically achievable GHG emissions reduction potential for one Lithuanian household is ~500 kg CO2 equivalent per year. These results can be used to roughly assess the energy saving and GHG emissions reduction potential of all Lithuanian households due to behavioral changes. This study also shows that the main obstacles to behavioral changes in households (after the implementation of intervention measures) are: lack of knowledge, lack of trust in information sources, inertia, values, etc.

Climate change mitigation and SDGs: modelling the regional potential of promising mitigation measures and assessing their impact on other SDGs

ABSTRACT Measures that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also have impacts on achieving other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given the enormous challenge of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, insight into these impacts provides information on how to improve the feasibility of climate change mitigation measures by maximizing the co-benefits and managing the risks of possible trade-offs across SDGs. In this paper, we explore the impact of 20 promising climate mitigation measures on achieving the other SDGs for 11 world regions. Using the IMAGE modelling framework, the paper explores the GHG emission reduction potential of these measures aggregated by the sector under three scenarios. Based on peer-reviewed articles, the impact of the measures on other SDGs is assessed for the top three sectors with the highest GHG reduction potential in each region. We conclude that the number of synergies between the selected climate change mitigation measures and other SDGs dwarf the number of trade-offs in all regions. The magnitude of these synergies and trade-offs, however, varies by regional and socio-economic context. In high- and middle-income regions, the mitigation measures show few trade-offs that are generally associated with technology choices that could aggravate inequality and impact biodiversity. In low-income regions, some measures, especially land-use related ones, could interfere with efforts to reduce poverty, end hunger and improve well-being, if not complemented by additional policies that aim to protect the poor from increasing food and energy prices.

CORSIA Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels: An Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential

Curbing aviation emissions is clear goal for the aviation sector, but it is a challenging task. At international level, the ICAO CORSIA initiative promotes the use of alternative fuels as a means to decarbonise flights. Among alternative fuels, lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) have been proposed under CORSIA. LCAF refers to a fossil fuel, which have been produced in a way that results in at least 10% lower lifecycle GHG emissions compared to a benchmark value. This paper analyses potential LCAF solutions for reducing GHG emissions of kerosene production and evaluates them relative to the ICAO baseline of 89.0 gCO2eq/MJ of fuel. The study analyses the levers that can reduce GHG upstream emissions (emissions from crude oil production) and refining emissions as well. This study shows that no one lever can reduce emissions to a sufficient level to meet the requirement of being a CORSIA-eligible fuel, and therefore that the deployment of multiple levers needed. Since jet fuel comprises only around 10% of total refining output, the LCAF measures could support the implementation of large, high-abatement cost changes, such as refinery-wide carbon capture and storage that affects multiple fuels.

Impact assessment of crude oil mix, electricity generation mix, and vehicle technology on road freight emission reduction in China.

To achieve net zero emissions, the global transportation sector needs to reduce emissions by 90% from 2020 to 2050, and road freight has a significant potential to reduce emissions. In this context, emission reduction paths should be explored for road freight over the fuel life cycle. Based on panel data from 2015 to 2020 in China, China's version of the GREET model was established to evaluate the impact of crude oil mix, electricity mix, and vehicle technology on China's reduction in road freight emissions. The results show that the import share of China's crude oil has increased from 2015 to 2020, resulting in an increase in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity of ICETs in the well-to-tank (WTT) stage by 7.3% in 2020 compared with 2015. Second, the share of China's coal-fired electricity in the electricity mix decreased from 2015 to 2020, reducing the GHG emission intensity of battery electric trucks (BETs), by approximately 6.5% in 2020 compared to 2015. Third, different vehicle classes and types of BETs and fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) have different emission reduction effects, and their potentials for energy-saving and emission reduction at various stages of the fuel life cycle are different. In addition, in a comparative study of vehicle technology, the results show that (1) for medium-duty trucks (MDTs) and heavy-duty trucks (HDTs), FCETs have lower GHG emission intensity than BETs, and replacing diesel-ICETs can significantly reduce GHG emissions from road freight; (2) for light-duty trucks (LDTs), BETs and FCETs have the highest GHG emission reduction potential; thus, improving technologies such as electricity generation, hydrogen fuel production, hydrogen fuel storage, and transportation will help to improve the emission reduction capabilities of BETs and FCETs. Therefore, policymakers should develop emission standards for road freight based on vehicle class, type, and technology.

Rabbit manure compost as a peat substitute for compound growing media: Proportioning optimization according to physiochemical characteristics and seedling effects.

A large amount of rabbit manure is produced with the development of the rabbit industry, which will cause environmental pollution without proper treatment. Rabbit manure compost may be suitable for seedling cultivation, considering its low moisture, low heavy metal, high lignocellulose, and good fertilizer effect. In this study, a pre-proportioning test of growing media was conducted to optimize the ratio of perlite and vermiculite with peat/rabbit manure compost according to their physicochemical properties. Then, based on the results of the first proportioning optimization, the mixing ratio of rabbit manure compost and peat was further optimized using a bioassay. In this bioassay, salt-tolerant calendula (Calendula officinalis L.) and salt-intolerant cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were selected as test plants. The seedling effects (e.g., seedling emergence percentage, plant growth parameters, plant biomass, and nutrient effects) were evaluated. It was shown in the results that the rabbit manure compound growing media could be used for the seedlings, and suitable seedling performance was obtained with the increase of the total porosity (5.0%-61.2%), organic matter content (8.3%-39.9%), and nutrient elements from the rabbit manure compost. From the perspective of seedling emergence, there was no significant difference between rabbit manure compound media and peat treatment, in which the highest emergence percentages were >90%. At the same time, the nutrient performance of plant aboveground was significantly increased in rabbit manure compound growing media compared to peat treatment. In particular, the contents of P and Mg were increased by 31%-141.4% and 80.4%-107.8% for calendula and by 82.6%-117.4% and 35.1%-67.6% for cucumber, respectively. It was indicated in the two-step optimization that the rabbit manure compost proportion of 30%-50% (that is, 60%-100% instead of peat) was more suitable. Additionally, the greenhouse gas emission could be reduced by using rabbit manure compost replacing peat, and the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential would be 3.65 × 105-4.06 × 108kg CO2-equivalent/year in China, which has important ecological significance.

The potential of 3D printing in facilitating carbon neutrality

At present, dramatically reduction of fossil fuel usage is regarded as a major initiative to achieve the carbon neutrality goal. Nevertheless, current energy policies are unlikely to achieve the climate goal without sacrificing economic development and people's livelihood because fossil fuels are currently the dominant energy source. As an environment-friendly manufacturing technology, three-dimensional printing (3DP) is flourishing and is considered beneficial to energy structure adjustment and industrial upgrading. Despite this, its potential to contribute to global carbon neutrality has not attracted enough attention. Herein, we explore the application of 3DP and its potential facilitating carbon neutrality from crucial sectors and applications including manufacturing, construction energy, livestock, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. The additive manufacturing and decentralized manufacturing characteristics of 3DP allow reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in manufacturing and construction sectors by optimized and lightweight designs, reduced material and energy consumption, and shortened transport processes. In addition, 3DP enables the precise manufacturing of customized complex structures and the expansion of functional materials, which makes 3DP an innovative alternative to the development of novel energy-related devices, cultured meat production technology, and CCS technologies. Despite this, the majority of applications of 3DP are still in an early stage and need further exploration. We call for further research to precisely evaluate the GHG emission reduction potential of 3DP and to make it better involved and deployed to better achieve carbon neutrality.

Identifying effective agricultural management practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation: A win-win strategy in South-Eastern Australia

CONTEXTFarming systems face dual pressures of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate climate change and safeguarding food security to adapt to climate change. Building soil organic carbon (SOC) is proposed as a key strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, practices that increase SOC may also increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, and impact crop yields and on-farm income. A comprehensive assessment of the effects of different management practices on trade-offs between GHG emissions and agricultural systems profitability under climate change is needed. OBJECTIVEWe aimed to: (1) analyze the long-term trends of SOC and N2O emissions, and ascertain whether the croplands of the study region are net GHG sources or sinks under climate change; (2) quantify the GHG abatement on a gross margin basis; (3) identify effective management practices that could achieve a win-win strategy; and (4) investigate sources of uncertainty in estimates of GHG emissions and gross margins under climate change. METHODSAPSIM was used to simulate the effects of three crop residue retention rates (10%, 50% and 100%), and six representative crop rotations (wheat-canola, wheat-field pea-wheat-canola, wheat-field pea-wheat-oats, wheat-wheat-barley, wheat-wheat-canola, and wheat-wheat-oats) under two Shared Socio-economic Pathways scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) using climate projections from 27 GCMs. GHG emissions and gross margins from 1961 to 2092 were assessed across 204 study sites in southeastern Australia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSOur results showed that residue retention can turn the soil from a carbon source (10% retention, 304–450 kg CO2-eq ha−1 yr−1) to a carbon sink (100% retention, −269 ∼ −57 kg CO2-eq ha−1 yr−1), and the potential of carbon sequestration was partly offset by concomitantly increased N2O emissions. The wheat-wheat-canola rotation with full residue retention was shown to be a win-win solution with both large potential of GHG abatement and high gross margin compared with other rotations. Spatial analysis showed that the southeastern part of the study region, with higher rainfall, had higher gross margins, while the drier northwestern part had greater GHG emission reduction potentials. Although climate change led to increased GHG emissions and decreased yields for some crops, these adverse effects were overweighed by the higher SOC and yield advantages from full residue retention. SIGNIFICANCEThis study emphasizes the significant potential for agronomic management to maximize gross margin and reduce GHG emissions under climate change in southeast Australia. Results from this study could be used by farmers and policymakers to mitigate climate change without compromising agroecosystem profitability.

Identifying greenhouse gas emission reduction potentials through large-scale photovoltaic-driven seawater desalination

To widely promote freshwater production through seawater desalination, renewable energy is expected to replace traditional fossil energy to drive seawater desalination. Based on the input list of components and materials, this study attempts to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of photovoltaic-driven seawater desalination projects through replacing traditional thermal power plants and evaluate GHG emission reduction potentials by comparing the thermal- and photovoltaic-driven seawater desalination projects. The GHG emission of photovoltaic-driven seawater desalination project could be reduced by 94.97 % compared with the thermal-driven seawater desalination project, and the GHG emission per unit water production is reduced by 9.8 kg CO2-eq/ton, which could greatly reduce GHG emissions in the whole life cycle. In addition, it is estimated that the large-scale implementation of photovoltaic power stations in LT-MED seawater desalination project can reduce GHG emissions from 1.61E+05 to 3.86E+06 t CO2-eq per year. Through the payback period assessment, the combination of photovoltaic power stations and thermal power plants to drive the seawater desalination project can offset the GHG emission of 7.94E+03 t CO2-eq, and the payback period of photovoltaic-driven seawater desalination project is estimated to be 0.33 years. Using renewable energy instead of traditional thermal energy can reduce the fossil fuel combustion and GHG emissions during the water desalination process, which provides essential references for the low-carbon transition and energy saving in seawater desalination projects in China's coastal areas.

Održivo stanovanje: Analiza energetske učinkovitosti u Turskoj u usporedbi s austrijskim građevinskim standardima

This study aims to investigate the energy-saving potential in the housing sector and encourage the employment of energy-efficient applications in Turkey by adapting the current European building techniques, policies and building standards in the Turkish system. First, the building standards applied in Austria and Turkey were comparatively discussed. Secondly, an energy performance analysis was performed using a PHPP Tool (Passive House Planning Package) and Konya climate data to study a typical detached house in Konya. Several optimisation scenarios that apply the Austrian regulations were conducted to form a base case Scenario. As a result, the energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction potentials, which can be provided using Vienna’s building code considering the structural practices and energy techniques, were revealed. The findings shed light on how the building standards and structural practices can contribute to economic and ecological balance. Consequently, the study emphasises revising the Turkish building standards and improving the current policies to ensure high-quality and sustainable housing designs.

Which type of electric vehicle is worth promoting mostly in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality? A case study for a metropolis in China.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been promoted acceleratively to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, however, the GHG emission reduction potential of different powertrain EVs has not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, we firstly quantified and compared the GHG emissions of different powertrain vehicles in a life cycle perspective with particular focus on energy and climate consequences, for current and future integrated scenarios, to facilitate carbon reduction assessment for Shanghai. Four major types of EVs were considered. The results show that life cycle total energy consumption and GHG emissions of all EVs are lower than that of gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles (GICEVs), among which battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) is the lowest. Compared with GICEVs, the total energy use and GHG emissions of BEVs decrease by 34.2% and 41.7% respectively. As the electrification of vehicle powertrain system innovates, the life cycle emissions of GHG are gradually concentrated to the upstream stage. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that life cycle GHG emissions of vehicles are most sensitive to the proportion of thermal power than other three parameters (utilization rate of recycled steel, vehicle lifetime and curb weight). The scenario analysis indicates that BEVs present the more favorable carbon emission decline performance over other EVs from a long-term perspective. It is estimated that up to 12.5 million tons of GHG emissions could be reduced under the optimistic scenario in 2050 in Shanghai. In the process of energy conversion from oil to electricity in transport in Shanghai, BEVs should be constantly promoted.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential of European Union’s Circularity Related Targets for Plastics

Current rising concerns about environmental and climate impacts in production, consumption and end-of-life of plastics have led to efforts to switch from linear to circular economy of plastics in Europe. Greenhouse gas emissions are likely to decrease with a transition to a circular system; however, a systematic and integrated perspective on plastics and the carbon cycle is currently missing in the debate on plastics.In this study, a model to estimate greenhouse gas emissions of the current mostly linear plastics value chain of the EU in 2018 and a future scenario, 2025 model, were created. By 2025 if current policy targets are reached, the plastic packaging recycling rate should be 50%, PET-based drinking bottles should include 25% recycled content, 77% collection target for plastic bottles, 10 Mt recyclates should enter the markets, uptake of bio-based plastics is estimated by European bioplastics to increase from current 1 to 1.32% and landfilling will continue to decrease according to the current trend at 3.85%.Total greenhouse gas emissions caused by the current plastics value chain are estimated at 208 million tonnes of CO2-eq. The 2025 model estimates that total plastics value chain emissions will be 182 Mt of CO2-eq. Reduction potential is approximately 26 Mt of CO2-eq or 13%.

Economic Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential, Energy-Use and Sustainability of Maize Production in Karnataka

This study was conducted to examine the energy use pattern, efficiency, sustainability and GHG reduction potential in maize production in Karnataka State through a non-parametric production function (DEA) and threshold dynamic panel model framework. Cross-sectional panel data obtained from cost of cultivation scheme was used for the study. The results illustrated that the total input energies in maize production for the period under study increased from 73.01 thousand MJ ha-1in 2010-11 to 95.03 thousand MJha-1in 2017-18. Energy usage pattern indicated that power and electricity consumed for irrigation were the main energy inputs consumed in maize production in the study region. The farmers were technical inefficiency (0.851) implying that 14.9 per cent of the overall resources in the production process could be saved. The total CO2 emission was calculated as 45.17 thousand kg CO2 eq ha-1. By energy optimization, the total energy consumption can be reduced to 105.7 thousand MJ ha-1 corresponding to total CO2 emission reduction potential to value at 5.7 thousand kg CO2eq ha-1. Sustainability of the farm was characterized by positive growth at a low rate of 0.07% per annum and thus, higher efficiency level accompanied by high level of productivity resulted in potential reduction emission level among the farmers. It is, therefore; recommended that government policies should be geared towards practices that tend to improve efficiency and productivity of the farmers through effective extension education.

Increased rice yield and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through alternate wetting and drying in a triple-cropped rice field in the Mekong Delta

For sustainable food production in the Mekong Delta, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice cropping activities need to be reduced without sacrificing rice productivity. Each year, a substantial amount of straw is incorporated into paddy soils through triple rice cropping, which is characterized by a short cropping period and nearly year-round flooding, such that a large amount of methane is emitted. Exposing these soils to oxidative conditions by altering the cropping-period water regime might have the potential to reduce GHG emissions with increased rice yield. To test this potential, a split-plot experiment was conducted in a typical triple-cropped alluvial farmer's paddy in a central delta area over five years and 15 consecutive cropping seasons.The emissions observed from the continuously inundated paddies were 1.1–2.7 times greater than the reported emission factors for Vietnamese continuously inundated paddies. A significantly higher emission peak was detected at the beginning of the rice cropping and flooding fallow periods in continuously flooded (CF) paddies than in alternate wetting and drying (AWD) paddies, although the differences in field water level and soil moisture among the paddies were negligible. AWD reduced annual methane emissions (−51 %) and increased rice yield (+9 %), presumably through enhanced translocation of carbohydrates from leaves to panicles. The amount of GHGs emitted from straw use also decreased (11 %) under AWD management because the straw production rate was significantly lowered (9 %) by enhanced nutrient translocation. These results indicate that GHG emission reduction potentials in the Mekong Delta have been underestimated by previous studies, corroborate the necessity of additional long-term observations of triple rice cropping systems and demonstrate the need for a robust methodology for monitoring the permanence of AWD effects after policies promoting its widespread dissemination take effect.

Greenhouse gas emission benefits of adopting new energy vehicles in Suzhou City, China: A case study.

The promotion of new energy in light-duty vehicles (LDVs) is considered as an effective approach for achieving low-carbon road transport targets. In this study, life cycle assessment was performed for five typical vehicle models in Suzhou City (fourth largest LDV stock in China): internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV), battery electric vehicle (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV). Their energy consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions during vehicle and fuel cycles in 2020 were examined using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. GHG emission reduction potential of LDV fleet was projected under various scenarios for 2021-2040. The results showed that BEVs exhibited advantages for replacing ICEVs over HEVs, PHEVs and HFCVs, taking into account China's road electrification policy. The GHG emission intensity of BEVs in 2040 was estimated to be 19-34% of ICEVs in 2020, with a deep decarbonized electricity mix and improved vehicle efficiency. For the aggressive Sustainable Development Scenario, the GHG emissions of LDVs would peak before 2026, ahead of China's target by 2030, and the ~ 100% share of EVs in 2040 would result in a lower GHG emissions, equivalent to the 2010 level. It highlights the importance of early action, green electricity mix, and public transport development in reducing GHG emissions of large LDV fleet.

Assessment of potential for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Spain

• GIS-based ATES potential method developed, and applied for in Spain • Geographically identification of cities that could benefit from ATES • Almost 30% of Spanish population lives in suitable ATES areas • Detailed case studies showed the ATES economic benefit and emissions savings • GHG emission reduction potential by ATES estimated to be 0.3-0.8 MTon CO 2 /y. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) Systems is a technology to sustainably and economically provide space heating and cooling. However, it cannot be applied everywhere because successful application depends on the presence of a suitable aquifer and favorable climatic conditions. Despite some operational ATES systems, the Spanish ATES market is immature, and there are no regulations or guidelines developed. To foster ATES adoption in Spain, this paper introduces a potential study considering the resource potential, technical, economic, and environmental aspects. The GIS-based approach is focused on the geographical identification and assessment of the aquifer potential for ATES and climatic conditions. This allows to distinguish those areas considered more suitable for ATES systems for the residential and for the tertiary sector. The results show where in Spain potential for energy and GHG savings with ATES can be found. 38% of the aquifers in Spain show potential for ATES and 63% of large urban areas in Spain are located in such areas. Also, 50% of the population lives in areas where the residential sector seems to be suitable for ATES based on the climatic conditions. Energy and GHG savings can reach up to 91% and 68% respectively, derived from the use of ATES.

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Alternate Wetting and Drying for Rice Production at National Scale—A Modeling Case Study for the Philippines

AbstractWorldwide, rice production contributes about 10% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector, mainly due to CH4 emissions from continuously flooded fields. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a promising crop technology for mitigating CH4 emissions and reducing the irrigation water currently being applied in many of the world's top rice‐producing countries. However, decreased emissions of CH4 may be partially counterbalanced by increased N2O emissions. In this case study for the Philippines, the national mitigation potential of AWD is explored using the process‐based biogeochemical model LandscapeDNDC. Simulated mean annual CH4 emissions under conventional rice production for the time period 2000–2011 are estimated as 1,180 ± 163 Gg CH4 yr−1. During the cropping season, this is about +16% higher than a former estimate using emission factors. Scenario simulations of nationwide introduction of AWD in irrigated landscapes suggest a considerable decrease in CH4 emissions by −23%, while N2O emissions are only increased by +8%. Irrespective of field management, at national scale, the radiative forcing of irrigated rice production is always dominated by CH4 (>95%). The reduction potential of GHG emissions depends on, for example, number of crops per year, residue management, amount of applied irrigation water, and sand content. Seasonal weather conditions also play an important role since the mitigation potential of AWD is almost double as high in dry as compared to wet seasons. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the importance of temporal continuity, considering off‐season emissions and the long‐term development of GHG emissions across multiple years.

Eco-efficiency and shadow price of greenhouse gas emissions in Lithuanian dairy farms: An application of the slacks-based measure

This paper estimates the eco-efficiency, shadow price and marginal abatement costs of dairy farms in Lithuania based on Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) data from 2015, 2017, and 2019. The Slacks-Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) model is applied for approximating the environmental production technology. Herd size, labour, feed costs, agricultural land, capital are considered as inputs, whereas milk production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission are used as desirable output and undesirable output respectively. To reflect the heterogeneity of farms in terms of GHG emissions, farm-specific emission parameters are calculated. The results show that the mean eco-efficiency remained relatively stable, ranging from 0.55 to 0.59, and that the GHGs emission reduction potential ranged between 20% and 25% over the period considered. The shadow price was not stable and increased from 41.54 EUR/t CO2-eq in 2015 to more than 55.89 EUR/t CO2-eq in 2019. The potential GHGs emission reductions of 1% in 2015, 2017 and 2019 resulted in marginal abatement costs of EUR 41.58, EUR 54.74, and EUR 31.68 respectively. Results across farm size classes imply that farms with the highest GHG emission have the lowest marginal abatement costs, which means that policy actions should target the most polluting farms. The findings have also revealed that farms are more inefficient in terms of land use, capital, and feed as opposed to GHG emission. Our results suggest that the large dairy farms require more attention in regards to their environmental productivity improvements, whereas small farms are underperforming in feed use and capital utilisation. Thus, policy interventions are needed for improvement of farm productivity, yet they should also address the environmental dimension of sustainability as well.

Life‐cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential for corn ethanol refining in the USA

AbstractThis study evaluates how low‐carbon production technologies applicable to ethanol plants may reduce the life‐cycle greenhouse gas emission (GHG) intensities of corn ethanol production in the USA. Results indicate that options focusing on incremental energy efficiency (e.g., combined heat and power) and yield improvements have a limited impact on GHG reductions. To achieve deep decarbonization (>50% GHG reduction compared to current corn ethanol production), a fuel switch from natural gas (NG) to alternative low‐carbon fuels is needed. Replacing 50% of NG demand at ethanol plants with syngas from biomass through gasification or renewable natural gas from animal waste could achieve significant GHG reductions (11.7–23.5 g CO2e/MJ ethanol). Adding multiple technologies, including carbon capture and storage, to existing ethanol plants may further reduce GHG emissions to −18.4 g CO2e MJ−1 ethanol (including land‐use change emissions), which is 120% lower than the carbon intensity of pure gasoline. These results could inform how the ethanol industry could move toward net‐zero ethanol production. © 2022 UChicago Argonne, LLC, Operation of Argonne National Laboratory. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Investigating the role of surface engineering in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions of energy technologies: An outlook towards 2100

Energy improvements in the energy sector constitute a key strategy to mitigate climate change. These expected improvements increasingly depend on the development of materials with improved surface characteristics. To prospectively assess the large-scale benefits and trade-offs of such novel surface engineering (SE) technology deployments in the energy sector, an integrated modelling framework is proposed. This paper links an integrated assessment model (IAM) forecasting socio-economic changes in energy supply with life cycle assessment (LCA) models of targeted technology candidates. Different shared socio-economic pathway narratives are used with the MESSAGE IAM to forecast future energy supply scenarios. A dynamic vintage model is employed to model plants decommissioning and adoption rates of innovative SE. Potential benefits and impacts of SE are assessed through prospective LCA. The approach is used to estimate the prospective GHG emission reduction potential achieved by large-scale adoption of innovative SE technologies to improve the efficiency of four energy conversion technologies (coal power plants, gas turbines, wind turbines and solar panels) until 2100. Applying innovative SE technologies to the energy sector has the potential of reducing annual CO2-eq emissions by 1.8 Gt in 2050 and 3.4 Gt in 2100 in an optimistic socio-economic pathway scenario. This corresponds to 7% and 8.5% annual reduction in the energy sector in 2050 and 2100, respectively. The mitigation potential of applying innovative SE technologies highly depends on the energy technology, the socio-economic pathways, and the implementation of stringent GHG mitigation policies. Due to their high carbon intensity, fossil-based technologies showed a higher GHG mitigation potential compared to renewables. Besides, GHG emissions related to the SE processes are largely offset by the GHG savings of the energy conversion technologies where the innovative SE technologies are applied.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potentials in Europe by Sector: A Bootstrap-Based Nonparametric Efficiency Analysis

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is the key action to limit global warming. An important source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution is the inefficiency of production processes. We report results from a stochastic nonparametric efficiency analysis using directional distance functions to take account of undesirable outputs like greenhouse gases. With this approach, we are able to provide estimates of the potential emission reductions for 7 main sectors in 16 European countries. A specially adapted bootstrapping approach allows to implement a bias correction of the estimates and to compute confidence intervals. The results show that static efficiency improvements are a quantitatively important element of the emission reductions which are required to achieve the reduction targets of the European Union.