6 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
- ItemGreenhouse gas emissions from broiler manure treatment options are lowest in well-managed biogas production(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2020) Kreidenweis, Ulrich; Breier, Jannes; Herrmann, Christiane; Libra, Judy; Prochnow, AnnetteThe production of broiler meat has increased significantly in the last decades in Germany and worldwide, and is projected to increase further in the future. As the number of animals raised increases, so too does the amount of manure produced. The identification of manure treatment options that cause low greenhouse gas emissions becomes ever more important. This study compares four treatment options for broiler manure followed by field spreading: storage before distribution, composting, anaerobic digestion in a biogas plant and production of biochar. For these options potential direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions were assessed for the situation in Germany. Previous analyses have shown that greenhouse gas balances of manure management are often strongly influenced by a small number of processes. Therefore, in this study major processes were represented with several variants and the sensitivity of model results to different management decisions and uncertain parameters was assessed. In doing so, correlations between processes were considered, in which higher emissions earlier on in the process chain reduce emissions later. The results show that biogas production from broiler manure leads to the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in most of the analysed cases, mainly due to the emission savings related to the substitution of mineral fertilizers and the production of electricity. Pyrolysis of the manure and subsequent field spreading as a soil amendment can lead to similarly low emissions due to the long residence time of the biochar, and may even be the better option than poorly managed biogas production. Composting is the treatment option resulting in highest emissions of greenhouse gases, due to high ammonia volatilization, and is likely worse than untreated storage in this respect. These results are relatively insensitive to the length of transport required for field spreading, but high uncertainties are associated with the use of emission factors.
- ItemCorrecting a fundamental error in greenhouse gas accounting related to bioenergy(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2012) Haberl, H.; Sprinz, D.; Bonazountas, M.; Cocco, P.; Desaubies, Y.; Henze, M.; Hertel, O.; Johnson, R.K.; Kastrup, U.; Laconte, P.; Lange, E.; Novak, P.; Paavola, J.; Reenberg, A.; van den Hove, S.; Vermeire, T.; Wadhams, P.; Searchinger, T.Many international policies encourage a switch from fossil fuels to bioenergy based on the premise that its use would not result in carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Frequently cited bioenergy goals would at least double the present global human use of plant material, the production of which already requires the dedication of roughly 75% of vegetated lands and more than 70% of water withdrawals. However, burning biomass for energy provision increases the amount of carbon in the air just like burning coal, oil or gas if harvesting the biomass decreases the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils, or reduces carbon sequestration. Neglecting this fact results in an accounting error that could be corrected by considering that only the use of 'additional biomass' - biomass from additional plant growth or biomass that would decompose rapidly if not used for bioenergy - can reduce carbon emissions. Failure to correct this accounting flaw will likely have substantial adverse consequences. The article presents recommendations for correcting greenhouse gas accounts related to bioenergy.
- ItemContrasting effects of biochar on N2O emission and N uptake at different N fertilizer levels on a temperate sandy loam(Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2016) Sun, Zhencai; Sänger, Anja; Rebensburg, Philip; Lentzsch, Peter; Wirth, Stephan; Kaupenjohann, Martin; Meyer-Aurich, AndreasBiochar has been frequently suggested as an amendment to improve soil quality and mitigate climate change. To investigate the optimal management of nitrogen (N) fertilization, we examined the combined effect of biochar and N fertilizer on plant N uptake and N2O emissions in a cereal rotation system in a randomized two-factorial field experiment on a sandy loam soil in Brandenburg, Germany. The biochar treatment received 10 Mg ha− 1 wood-derived biochar in September 2012. Four levels of N fertilizer, corresponding to 0, 50%, 100%, 130% of the recommended fertilizer level, were applied in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)) and winter rye (Secale cereal L.) in 2013 and 2014 followed by the catch crop oil radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis). Biomass and N uptake of winter wheat and winter rye were significantly affected by the level of N fertilizer but not by biochar. For N uptake of oil radish an interaction effect was observed for biochar and N fertilizer. Without applied fertilizer, 39% higher N uptake was found in the presence of biochar, accompanied by higher soil NH4+ content and elevated cumulative CO2 emissions. At 130% of the recommended fertilizer level, 16% lower N uptake and lower cumulative N2O emissions were found in the biochar-mediated treatment. No significant change in abundance of microbial groups and nosZ gene were observed. Our results highlight that biochar can have a greenhouse gas mitigation effect at high levels of N supply and may stimulate nutrient uptake when no N is supplied.
- ItemMeasuring and monitoring urban impacts on climate change from space(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Milesi, Cristina; Churkina, GalinaAs urban areas continue to expand and play a critical role as both contributors to climate change and hotspots of vulnerability to its effects, cities have become battlegrounds for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Large amounts of earth observations from space have been collected over the last five decades and while most of the measurements have not been designed specifically for monitoring urban areas, an increasing number of these observations is being used for understanding the growth rates of cities and their environmental impacts. Here we reviewed the existing tools available from satellite remote sensing to study urban contribution to climate change, which could be used for monitoring the progress of climate change mitigation strategies at the city level. We described earth observations that are suitable for measuring and monitoring urban population, extent, and structure; urban emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants; urban energy consumption; and extent, intensity, and effects on surrounding regions, including nearby water bodies, of urban heat islands. We compared the observations available and obtainable from space with the measurements desirable for monitoring. Despite considerable progress in monitoring urban extent, structure, heat island intensity, and air pollution from space, many limitations and uncertainties still need to be resolved. We emphasize that some important variables, such as population density and urban energy consumption, cannot be suitably measured from space with available observations.
- ItemLocked into Copenhagen pledges - Implications of short-term emission targets for the cost and feasibility of long-term climate goals(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2013) Riahi, Keywan; Kriegler, Elmar; Johnson, Nils; Bertram, Christoph; den Elzen, Michel; Eom, Jiyong; Schaeffer, Michiel; Edmonds, Jae; Isaac, Morna; Krey, Volker; Longden, Thomas; Luderer, Gunnar; Méjean, Aurélie; McCollum, David L.; Mima, Silvana; Turton, Hal; van Vuuren, Detlef P.; Wada, Kenichi; Bosetti, Valentina; Capros, Pantelis; Criqui, Patrick; Hamdi-Cherif, Meriem; Kainuma, Mikiko; Edenhofer, OttmarThis paper provides an overview of the AMPERE modeling comparison project with focus on the implications of near-term policies for the costs and attainability of long-term climate objectives. Nine modeling teams participated in the project to explore the consequences of global emissions following the proposed policy stringency of the national pledges from the Copenhagen Accord and Cancún Agreements to 2030. Specific features compared to earlier assessments are the explicit consideration of near-term 2030 emission targets as well as the systematic sensitivity analysis for the availability and potential of mitigation technologies. Our estimates show that a 2030 mitigation effort comparable to the pledges would result in a further “lock-in” of the energy system into fossil fuels and thus impede the required energy transformation to reach low greenhouse-gas stabilization levels (450 ppm CO2e). Major implications include significant increases in mitigation costs, increased risk that low stabilization targets become unattainable, and reduced chances of staying below the proposed temperature change target of 2 °C in case of overshoot. With respect to technologies, we find that following the pledge pathways to 2030 would narrow policy choices, and increases the risks that some currently optional technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) or the large-scale deployment of bioenergy, will become “a must” by 2030.
- ItemMid- and long-term climate projections for fragmented and delayed-action scenarios(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2013) Schaeffer, Michiel; Gohar, Laila; Kriegler, Elmar; Lowe, Jason; Riahi, Keywan; van Vuuren, DetlefThis paper explores the climate consequences of “delayed near-term action” and “staged accession” scenarios for limiting warming below 2 °C. The stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations at low levels requires a large-scale transformation of the energy system. Depending on policy choices, there are alternative pathways to reach this objective. An “optimal” path, as emerging from energy-economic modeling, implies immediate action with stringent emission reductions, while the currently proposed international policies translate into reduction delays and higher near-term emissions. In our delayed action scenarios, low stabilization levels need thus to be reached from comparatively high 2030 emission levels. Negative consequences are higher economic cost as explored in accompanying papers and significantly higher mid-term warming, as indicated by a rate of warming 50% higher by the 2040s. By contrast, both mid- and long-term warming are significantly higher in another class of scenarios of staged accession that lets some regions embark on emission reductions, while others follow later, with conservation of carbon-price pathways comparable to the optimal scenarios. Not only is mid-term warming higher in staged accession cases, but the probability to exceed 2 °C in the 21st century increases by a factor of 1.5.