The effect of cassava-based bioethanol production on above-ground carbon stocks: a case study from Southern Mali

TY - JOUR

T1 - The effect of cassava-based bioethanol production on above-ground carbon stocks

T2 - a case study from Southern Mali

AU - Rasmussen, Laura Vang

AU - Rasmussen, Kjeld

AU - Birch-Thomsen, Torben

AU - Kristensen, Søren Bech Pilgaard

AU - Traoré, Oumar

N1 - Modeling Transport (Energy) Demand and Policies

PY - 2012/2

Y1 - 2012/2

N2 - Increasing energy use and the need to mitigate climate change make production of liquid biofuels a high priority. Farmers respond worldwide to this increasing demand by converting forests and grassland into biofuel crops, but whether biofuels offer carbon savings depends on the carbon emissions that occur when land use is changed to biofuel crops. This paper reports the results of a study on cassava-based bioethanol production undertaken in the Sikasso region in Southern Mali. The paper outlines the estimated impacts on above-ground carbon stocks when land use is changed to increase cassava production. The results show that expansion of cassava production for bioethanol will most likely lead to the conversion of fallow areas to cassava. A land use change from fallow to cassava creates a reduction in the above-ground carbon stocks in the order of 4-13MgCha -1, depending on (a) the age of the fallow, (b) the allometric equation used and (c) whether all trees are removed or the larger, useful trees are preserved. This 'carbon debt' associated with the above-ground biomass loss would take 8-25 years to repay if fossil fuels are replaced with cassava-based bioethanol.

AB - Increasing energy use and the need to mitigate climate change make production of liquid biofuels a high priority. Farmers respond worldwide to this increasing demand by converting forests and grassland into biofuel crops, but whether biofuels offer carbon savings depends on the carbon emissions that occur when land use is changed to biofuel crops. This paper reports the results of a study on cassava-based bioethanol production undertaken in the Sikasso region in Southern Mali. The paper outlines the estimated impacts on above-ground carbon stocks when land use is changed to increase cassava production. The results show that expansion of cassava production for bioethanol will most likely lead to the conversion of fallow areas to cassava. A land use change from fallow to cassava creates a reduction in the above-ground carbon stocks in the order of 4-13MgCha -1, depending on (a) the age of the fallow, (b) the allometric equation used and (c) whether all trees are removed or the larger, useful trees are preserved. This 'carbon debt' associated with the above-ground biomass loss would take 8-25 years to repay if fossil fuels are replaced with cassava-based bioethanol.

U2 - 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.11.019

DO - 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.11.019

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0301-4215

VL - 41

SP - 575

EP - 583

JO - Energy Policy

JF - Energy Policy

ER -