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Greenhouse Gas Fluxes of Soil in a Miscanthus x giganteus Crop Grown for Cellulosic Bioenergy on Abandoned Agricultural Land

Rodjom, Abbey M
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4076-4796
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1524837572902621

Abstract Details

2018, Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, Environmental Studies.
True emissions from bioenergy fuel sources not only depend on direct emissions from burning the fuel but also emissions associated with growing and processing the crop. An increase in demand for biofuel crops could cause an increase in agricultural land, increased competition with food crops and a decrease in pasture or forest land. This phenomenon is known as land use change (LUC) and is a concerning potential source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dedicated biofuel crops. To reduce emissions associated with land management, advanced bioenergy crops are often proposed to be produced on marginal or abandoned agricultural land. The change in land use may cause a change in soil GHG respiration, sometimes referred to as a flux. Direct measurement is critical to develop models and land management practices that mitigate the efflux of GHGs to the atmosphere. In this study, GHG fluxes under the growth of the lignocellulosic feedstock Miscanthus x giganteus was monitored and compared to GHG fluxes of fallow agricultural plots on land formerly used for hay and pasture. Knowing the GHG fluxes of soils under Miscanthus growth will help determine the viability of this grass as a cellulosic feedstock and potential carbon sink. This study found that replacing fallow land in SE Ohio with Miscanthus x giganteus did not change the respiration rates of CO2 during the fall season. No N2O fluxes were detected. This study only examined fall fluxes, but comparable literature included summer data, thus the fluxes were higher in CO2 flux. The CH4 fluxes, however, were comparable across studies. Repurposing abandoned land for production of Miscanthus x giganteus as a bioenergy crop did not lead to higher GHG emissions from soil respiration.
Sarah Davis, PhD (Advisor)
54 p.
Agriculture; Biogeochemistry; Climate Change; Energy; Environmental Studies; Soil Sciences
biofuel, agriculture, Miscanthus, giganteus, abandoned agriculture, land use change, soil respiration, flux, CO2, CH4, N2O

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rodjom, A. M. (2018). Greenhouse Gas Fluxes of Soil in a Miscanthus x giganteus Crop Grown for Cellulosic Bioenergy on Abandoned Agricultural Land [Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1524837572902621

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rodjom, Abbey. Greenhouse Gas Fluxes of Soil in a Miscanthus x giganteus Crop Grown for Cellulosic Bioenergy on Abandoned Agricultural Land. 2018. Ohio University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1524837572902621.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rodjom, Abbey. "Greenhouse Gas Fluxes of Soil in a Miscanthus x giganteus Crop Grown for Cellulosic Bioenergy on Abandoned Agricultural Land." Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1524837572902621

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ouhonors1524837572902621
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University Honors Tutorial College and OhioLINK.