Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach
Abstract Energy cover crops for biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD) are inserted between two primary crops. They replace either bare soil or nonharvested cover crops, and their management is usually intensified to produce more biomass. They allow the production of renewable energy as...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-02-01
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| Series: | GCB Bioenergy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13018 |
| _version_ | 1828068145723604992 |
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| author | Florent Levavasseur Patrice K. Kouakou Julie Constantin Romain Cresson Fabien Ferchaud Romain Girault Vincent Jean‐Baptiste Hélène Lagrange Sylvain Marsac Sylvain Pellerin Sabine Houot |
| author_facet | Florent Levavasseur Patrice K. Kouakou Julie Constantin Romain Cresson Fabien Ferchaud Romain Girault Vincent Jean‐Baptiste Hélène Lagrange Sylvain Marsac Sylvain Pellerin Sabine Houot |
| author_sort | Florent Levavasseur |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Energy cover crops for biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD) are inserted between two primary crops. They replace either bare soil or nonharvested cover crops, and their management is usually intensified to produce more biomass. They allow the production of renewable energy as well as digestate, used as an organic fertilizer, without directly competing with food production. Because of the increased biomass production and export and of the return of a digested biomass to the soil, the impact of energy cover crops on soil organic carbon (SOC) is questioned. The objective of this paper was to study the difference in SOC stocks induced by the introduction of energy cover crops for AD coupled with the application of the resulting amount of digestate. We used the AD model Sys‐Metha combined with the soil C model AMG to simulate SOC stocks for 13 case studies in France, with scenarios comparing different intercrop management practices, with or without cover crops, harvested or not. Our results indicated that the higher biomass production of energy cover crops (from 6.7 to 11.1 t DM ha−1) in comparison with nonharvested cover crops (2 t DM ha−1) or bare soil led to higher humified C input (belowground input and digestate), despite the high C fraction exported in AD. This resulted in an increase in SOC stocks in comparison with nonharvested cover crops or bare soil (from 0.01 to 0.12 t C ha−1 year−1 over 30 years). The uncertainties in the model parameters did not modify these results. However, in the case of equal biomass production between energy cover crops and nonharvested cover crops, SOC stocks would be lower with energy cover crops. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:58:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e40e76735a884e6a915ca0d3f49cfb52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1757-1693 1757-1707 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:58:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | GCB Bioenergy |
| spelling | doaj.art-e40e76735a884e6a915ca0d3f49cfb522023-01-10T10:19:36ZengWileyGCB Bioenergy1757-16931757-17072023-02-0115222423810.1111/gcbb.13018Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approachFlorent Levavasseur0Patrice K. Kouakou1Julie Constantin2Romain Cresson3Fabien Ferchaud4Romain Girault5Vincent Jean‐Baptiste6Hélène Lagrange7Sylvain Marsac8Sylvain Pellerin9Sabine Houot10INRAE, AgroParisTech Université Paris‐Saclay, UMR ECOSYS Thiverval‐Grignon FranceINRAE Transfert, Centre INRAE de Narbonne Narbonne FranceUniversité de Toulouse, INRAE, UMR AGIR Castanet‐Tolosan FranceINRAE Transfert, Centre INRAE de Narbonne Narbonne FranceBioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit, INRAE Université de Liège, Université de Lille, Université de Picardie Jules Verne Barenton‐Bugny FranceINRAE, UR OPAALE Rennes FranceGRDF Paris FranceArvalis Institut du végétal, Station Inter Instituts Baziège FranceArvalis Institut du végétal, Station Inter Instituts Baziège FranceINRAE, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR ISPA Villenave d'Ornon FranceINRAE, AgroParisTech Université Paris‐Saclay, UMR ECOSYS Thiverval‐Grignon FranceAbstract Energy cover crops for biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD) are inserted between two primary crops. They replace either bare soil or nonharvested cover crops, and their management is usually intensified to produce more biomass. They allow the production of renewable energy as well as digestate, used as an organic fertilizer, without directly competing with food production. Because of the increased biomass production and export and of the return of a digested biomass to the soil, the impact of energy cover crops on soil organic carbon (SOC) is questioned. The objective of this paper was to study the difference in SOC stocks induced by the introduction of energy cover crops for AD coupled with the application of the resulting amount of digestate. We used the AD model Sys‐Metha combined with the soil C model AMG to simulate SOC stocks for 13 case studies in France, with scenarios comparing different intercrop management practices, with or without cover crops, harvested or not. Our results indicated that the higher biomass production of energy cover crops (from 6.7 to 11.1 t DM ha−1) in comparison with nonharvested cover crops (2 t DM ha−1) or bare soil led to higher humified C input (belowground input and digestate), despite the high C fraction exported in AD. This resulted in an increase in SOC stocks in comparison with nonharvested cover crops or bare soil (from 0.01 to 0.12 t C ha−1 year−1 over 30 years). The uncertainties in the model parameters did not modify these results. However, in the case of equal biomass production between energy cover crops and nonharvested cover crops, SOC stocks would be lower with energy cover crops.https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13018AMGanaerobic digestionarable cropsbiogascover cropFrance |
| spellingShingle | Florent Levavasseur Patrice K. Kouakou Julie Constantin Romain Cresson Fabien Ferchaud Romain Girault Vincent Jean‐Baptiste Hélène Lagrange Sylvain Marsac Sylvain Pellerin Sabine Houot Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach GCB Bioenergy AMG anaerobic digestion arable crops biogas cover crop France |
| title | Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach |
| title_full | Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach |
| title_fullStr | Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach |
| title_short | Energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks: A modeling approach |
| title_sort | energy cover crops for biogas production increase soil organic carbon stocks a modeling approach |
| topic | AMG anaerobic digestion arable crops biogas cover crop France |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13018 |
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