He et al. (2024): Biomass yield potential on U.S. marginal land and its contribution to reach net-zero emission
Yufeng He, Deepak Jaiswal, Stephen P. Long, Xin-Zhong Liang, Megan L. Matthews IN: GCB-Bioenergy, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.13128
BECCS requires using limited land resources efficiently while ensuring minimal adverse impacts on the delicate food-energy-water nexus. Perennial C4 biomass crops are productive on marginal land under low-input conditions avoiding conflict with food and feed crops. The eastern half of the contiguous U.S. contains a large amount of marginal land, which is not economically viable for food production and liable to wind and water erosion under annual cultivation. However, this land is suitable for geological CO2 storage and perennial crop growth. Given the climate variation across the region, three perennials are major contenders for planting. The yield potential and stability of Miscanthus, switchgrass, and energycane across the region were compared to select which would perform best under the recent (2000–2014) and future (2036–2050) climates.