Biofuel benefit or bummer? A review comparing environmental effects, economics, and feasibility of North American native perennial grass and traditional annual row crops when used for biofuel

Authors: JACOT, JACQUELINE - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); Williams, Amber; Kiniry, James

Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2021
Publication Date: 7/20/2021
Citation: Jacot, J., Williams, A.S., Kiniry, J.R. 2021. Biofuel benefit or bummer? A review comparing environmental effects, economics, and feasibility of North American native perennial grass and traditional annual row crops when used for biofuel. Agronomy. 11(7). Article 1440. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071440.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071440

Interpretive Summary: Biofuels have been touted as a benefit for growers - with the ability to be planted on marginal lands, for improved wildlife habitat, to sustain soils, and reduce runoff. However, a general summary of how beneficial they really are has never been published. This paper is a review of using native perennial grasses in North America as biofuels. We evaluated environmental effects, feasibility, and economics. We used the Scopus database to search for manuscripts relating to each topic. In some instances, very few results appeared, so we also used a second database, Digitop. Native perennial grasses sequester carbon and cultivating them can create a carbon sink in the soil. Wildlife benefit more by having native perennial grass for biofuels planted than annual corn, and having fewer harvests a season is better for wildlife over the entire year. Economically, growing native perennial grasses can be advantageous especially on marginal land, where it has a comparatively high yield. The second-generation biofuel supply chain is most susceptible to changing market prices, however it can be made more resilient and has other advantages, for example resistance against the impacts of drought. Although there are many cultivars to choose from, factors like climate, soil, and genetics can provide pertinent information to match each specimen’s ideal growing conditions to the right location.

Technical Abstract: While biofuels have been touted as a benefit for growers - with the ability to be plant-ed on marginal lands, for improved wildlife habitat, to sustain soils, and reduce runoff - there remains to be a general summary of how beneficial they really are. This paper is a review of using native perennial grasses in North America as biofuels. Environmental ef-fects, feasibility, and economics were evaluated. The Scopus database was used to search for manuscripts relating to each topic. In some instances, very few results ap-peared, so a second database, Digitop, was also used. Native perennial grasses have been found to sequester carbon and cultivating them can create a carbon sink in the soil. Overall, wildlife benefit more by having native perennial grass for biofuels planted than annual corn, and having fewer harvests a season is better for wildlife over the entire year. Economically, growing native perennial grasses can be advantageous especially on mar-ginal land, where it has a comparatively high yield. The second-generation biofuel supply chain is most susceptible to changing market prices, however it can be made more resili-ent and has other advantages, for example resistance against the impacts of drought. Alt-hough there are many cultivars to choose from, factors like climate, soil, and genetics can provide pertinent information to match each specimen’s ideal growing conditions to the right location.