Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Site-Specific Trade-offs of Harvesting Cereal Residues as Biofuel Feedstocks in Dryland Annual Cropping Systems of the Pacific Northwest, USA

  • Published:
BioEnergy Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cereal residues are considered an important feedstock for future biofuel production. Harvesting residues, however, could lead to serious soil degradation and impaired agroecosystem services. Our objective was to evaluate trade-offs of harvesting wheat and barley residues including impacts on soil erosion and quality, soil organic C (SOC), and nutrient removal. We used agricultural data from 369 geo-referenced points on the 37-ha Washington State University Cook Agronomy Farm combined with model simulations to develop straw harvest scenarios for conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) and both 2- and 3-year crop rotations with sequences of wheat, barley, and peas. Site-specific estimates of ethanol production from 2- and 3-year rotation scenarios ranged from 681 to 1,541 L ha−1 yr−1, indicating that both crop rotation and site-specific targeting of residue harvest are important factors. Harvesting straw reduced residue C inputs by 46 % and resulted in levels below that required to maintain SOC under CT. This occurred as a function of both straw harvest and low residue producing crops in rotation. Harvesting straw under CT was predicted to reduce soil quality as Soil Conditioning Indices (SCIs) were negative throughout the field. In contrast, SCIs under NT were positive despite straw harvest. Replacement value of nutrients (N, P, K, S) removed in harvested straw averaged $14.54 Mg−1 dry straw and ranged from $36.04 to $80.30 ha−1, while straw harvesting costs averaged $34.25 Mg−1, and the current (2014) market value of straw is $65 Mg−1. We concluded that substantial trade-offs exist in harvesting straw for biofuel, that trade-offs should be evaluated on a site-specific basis, and that support practices such as crop rotation, reduced tillage, and site-specific nutrient management need to be considered if residue harvest is to be sustainable.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

(CT):

conventional tillage

(NT):

no-tillage

(SOC):

soil organic carbon

(SCI):

soil conditioning index

(PNW):

Pacific Northwest

(CAF):

Cook Agronomy Farm

(RUSLE):

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation

(GIS):

geographical information systems

(DEM):

digital elevation model

(WW):

winter wheat

(SW):

spring wheat

(SB):

spring barley

(SP):

spring pea

References

  1. Perlack RD, Wright LL, Turhollow AF, Graham RL, Stokes BJ, Erbach DC. Biomass as feedstock for a bioenergy and bioproducts industry: the technical feasibility of a billion-ton annual supply DOE/GO-102005-2135 and ORNL/TM-2005/66. 2005

  2. USDOE-EIA (United States Department of Energy-Energy Information Administration). 2013. Available at http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/index.cfm (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  3. Melillo JM, Gurgel AC, Kicklighter DW, Reilly JM, Cronin TW, Felzer BS, Paltsev S, Schlosser CA, Sokolov AP, Wang X (2009) Unintended environmental consequences of a global biofuels program. Report No. 168. Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, MIT, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  4. Righelato R, Spracklen DV (2007) Carbon mitigation by biofuels or by saving and restoring forests? Science 317(5840):902

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Searchinger T, Heimlich R, Houghton RA, Dong F, Elobeid A, Fabiosa J, Tokgoz S, Hayes D, Yu TH (2008) Use of U.S. croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use change. Science 319:1238–1240

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Pimentel D, Patzek T, Cecil G (2007) Ethanol production: energy, economic, and environmental losses. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 189:25–41

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Fargione JE, Cooper TR, Flaspohler DJ, Hill J, Lehman C, McCoy T, McCleod S, Nelson EJ, Oberhauser KS, Tilman D (2008) Bioenergy and wildlife: threats and opportunities for grassland conservation. Bioscience 59:767–777

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wiens J, Fargione J, Hill J (2011) Biofuels and biodiversity. Ecol Appl 21(4):1085–1095

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Vadas PA, Barnett KH, Undersander DJ (2008) Economics and energy of ethanol production from alfalfa, corn, and switchgrass in the upper Midwest, USA. Bioenergy Res 1:44–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hill J, Nelson E, Tilman D, Polasky S, Tiffany D (2006) Environmental, economic, and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and ethanol biofuels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:11206–11210

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Graham RL, Nelson R, Sheehan J, Perlack RD, Wright LL (2007) Current and potential U.S. corn stover supplies. Agron J 99:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sala OE, Sax D, Leslie H (2009) Biodiversity consequences of biofuel production. In: Howarth RW, Bringezu S (eds) Biofuels: environmental consequences and interactions with changing land use. Proceedings of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) International Biofuels Project Rapid Assessment, 22–25 September 2008. Cornell University, Ithaca, pp 127–137

    Google Scholar 

  13. Shinners KJ, Boettcher GC, Hoffman DS, Munk JT, Muck RE, Weimer PJ (2009) Single-pass harvest of corn grain and stover: performance of three harvester configurations. Trans ASABE 52(1):51–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Sarath G, Mitchell RB, Sattler SE, Funnell D, Pedersen JF, Graybosch RA, Vogel KP (2008) Opportunities and roadblocks in utilizing forages and small grains for liquid fuels. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 35:343–354

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (2009) Crop residue removal impacts on soil productivity and environmental quality. Crit Rev Plant Sci 28:139–163

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Nelson RG, Walsh M, Sheehan JJ, Graham R (2004) Methodology for estimating removable quantities of agricultural residues for bioenergy and bioproduct use. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 113:13–26

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Lal R (2005) World crop residues production and implications of its use as a biofuel. Environ Intl 31:575–584

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lemus R, Lal R (2005) Bioenergy crops and carbon sequestration. Crit Rev Plant Sci 24:1–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Johnson JMF, Reicosky D, Allmaras R, Archer D, Wilhelm WW (2006) A matter of balance: conservation and renewable energy. J Soil Water Conserv 61:120A–125A

    Google Scholar 

  20. Johnson JMF, Coleman MD, Gesch R, Jaradat A, Mitchell RB, Reicosky D, Wilhelm WW (2007) Biomass-bioenergy crops in the United States: a changing paradigm. Am J Plant Sci Biotechnol 1:1–28

    Google Scholar 

  21. Wilhelm WW, Johnson JMF, Karlen DL, Lightle DT (2007) Corn stover to sustain soil organic carbon further constrains biomass supply. Agron J 99:1665–1667

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Lal R (2009) Soil quality impacts of residue removal for bioethanol production. Soil Till Res 102:233–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mann L, Tolbert V, Cushman J (2002) Potential environmental effects of corn (Zea mays L.) stover removal with emphasis on soil organic matter and erosion. Agric Ecosyst Environ 89:149–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Montgomery DR (2007) Dirt: the erosion of civilizations. University of California, Berkeley, 295 p

    Google Scholar 

  25. Dale VH, Kline KL, Wright LL, Perlack RD, Downing M, Graham RL (2011) Interactions among bioenergy feedstock choices, landscape dynamics, and land use. Ecol Appl 21:1039–1054

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Huggins DR, Karow RS, Collins HP, Ransom JK (2011) Introduction: evaluating long-term impacts of harvesting crop residues on soil quality. Agron J 103:230–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Duft KD, Pray J. The prospects for an electrical generation and transmission cooperative fueled by straw produced in eastern Washington. WSU Farm Business Management Report EB1946E. 2002. Available at http://www.agribusiness-mgmt.wsu.edu/agbusresearch/docs/EB1946E.pdf (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  28. USDA (1980) Soil Conservation Service. Soil survey of Whitman County, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  29. Deutsch CV, Journel AG (1998) GSLIB Geostatistical Software Library and User’s Guide, Second editionth edn. Oxford University Press, New York, 369 pp

    Google Scholar 

  30. Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcGIS version 10.0. Redlands, CA. 2011

  31. Kadam KL, McMillan JD (2003) Availability of corn stover as a sustainable feedstock for bioethanol production. Bioresour Technol 88:17–25

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Idaho Input Cost publication series. Cost and return estimates (enterprise budgets). 2011. Available at http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/aers/r_crops.htm (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  33. Patterson, P and Painter K. Custom rates for Idaho agricultural operations 2010-2011. BUL 729, University of Idaho. Available at http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/BUL/BUL0729.pdf (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  34. USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation version 2. 2011. Available at http://fargo.nserl.purdue.edu/rusle2_dataweb/RUSLE2_Index.htm (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  35. Renard KG, Foster GR, Weesies GA, McCool DK, Yoder DC (1997) Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). USDA Agricultural Handbook No. 703. US Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 404 pp

    Google Scholar 

  36. National Climate Data Center. NOAA station # 456789, Pullman 2 NW, WA. 2008. Available at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwDI~StnSrch~StnID~20027538 (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  37. USDA (1993) Soil survey manual. Natural Resources Conservation Service. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 189 pp

    Google Scholar 

  38. Desmet PJJ, Glovers G (1996) A GIS procedure for automatically calculating the USLE LS factor on topographically complex landscape units. J Soil and Water Cons 51(5):427–433

    Google Scholar 

  39. Mitasova H, Hofierka J, Zlocha M, Iverson LR (1996) Modelling topographic potential for erosion and deposition using GIS. Int J Geogr Inf Syst 10:629–641

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. McCool DK, Foster GR, Mutchler CK, Meyer LD (1989) Revised slope length factor for the Universal Soil Loss Equation. Trans ASAE 32:1571–1576

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. SAS Institute Inc (2009) SAS OnlineDoc® 9.2. SAS Institute Inc, Cary

    Google Scholar 

  42. McCool DK (1992) Using divided slopes and field strips for managing variable cropland: effectiveness for reducing runoff and soil erosion. In: Veseth R, Miller B (eds) Precision farming for profit and conservation. 10th Inland Northwest Conservation Farming Conference Proceedings, Washington State University, Pullman, pp 67–69

    Google Scholar 

  43. USDA, NRCS. Soil conditioning index. 2014. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1077271.pdf (assessed 06 February, 2014)

  44. USDA, NRCS. Soil conditioning index worksheet (version 25). 2003. Available at ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/SQI/web/sciver25.xls (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  45. Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Ethanol futures price for Sept. 2012. 2012. Available at http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/energy/ethanol/cbot-ethanol.html (accessed 27 Aug. 2012)

  46. Long DS, McCallum JD, Huggins DR. On-combine sensing technique for mapping straw yield within wheat fields. In: R. Khosia (ed.) Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, Denver, Colorado, USA. July 18–21, 2010

  47. Huggins DR, Reganold JP (2008) No-till: the quiet revolution. Sci Am 299:70–77

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Rasmussen PE, Collins HP (1991) Long-term impacts of tillage, fertilizer, and crop residue on soil organic matter in temperate semi-arid regions. Adv Agron 45:93–134

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Kerstetter JD, Lyons JK. Wheat straw for ethanol production in Washington: a resource, technical and economic assessment. Washington State University Energy Publication WSUCEEP2001084. 2001.Available at https://pubs.wsu.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=15319 (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  50. Banowetz GM, Boateng A, Steiner JH, Griffith SM, Sethi V, el Nasharr H (2008) Assessment of straw biomass feedstock resources in the Pacific Northwest. Biomass Bioenergy 32:629–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Schillinger W F, Papendick RI, Guy SO, Rasmussen PE, van Kessel C. Dryland cropping in the western United States. Pacific Northwest conservation tillage handbook series no. 28 chapter 2—conservation tillage systems and equipment. 2003. Available at http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/tillagehandbook/chapter2/pdf/022804.pdf (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  52. Western Governors’ Association. Clean energy, a strong economy and a healthy environment. Biomass Task Force Report. 2006. Available at http://www.westgov.org/reports/cat_view/95-reports/100-2006 (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  53. USDA, SCS, FS, ESCS. Erosion in the Palouse: a summary of the Palouse River Basin Study. 1979. Available at http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/resourcelinks/eip.pdf (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  54. USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service. Conservation stewardship program. 2014. Available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main?ss=16&navid=100120300000000&pnavid=100120000000000&position=SUBNAVIGATION&ttype=main&navtype=SUBNAVIGATION&pname=Conservation Stewardship Program | NRCS (accessed 06 February, 2014)

  55. Gollany HT, Rickman RW, Liang Y, Albrecht SL, Machado S, Kang S (2011) Predicting agricultural management influence on long-term soil organic carbon dynamics: implications for biofuel production. Agron J 103:234–246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Machado S (2011) Soil organic carbon dynamics in the Pendleton long-term experiments: implications for biofuel production in Pacific Northwest. Agron J 103:253–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Qiu H, Huggins DR, Wu JQ, Barber ME, McCool DK, Dun S (2011) Residue management impacts on field-scale snow distribution and soil water storage. Trans ASAE 54:1639–1647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Schillinger WF, Schofstoll SE, Alldredge JR (2008) Available water and wheat grain yield relations in a Mediterranean climate. Field Crop Res 109:45–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Brown TT, Koenig RT, Huggins DR, Harsh JB, Rossi RE (2008) Lime effects on soil acidity, crop yield and aluminum chemistry in direct-seed cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:634–640

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as part of the Climate Friendly Farming Project with funding provided by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Additional support was provided through the USDA Solutions to Economic and Environmental Problems (STEEP) as well as the projects “Regional Approaches to Climate Change for Pacific Northwest Agriculture” (REACCH) and “Site-Specific Climate-Friendly Farming” (SCF) funded through awards #2011-68002-30191 and #2011-67003-30341, respectively, from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Land Management and Water Conservation Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Washington State University, 215 Johnson Hall, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

    David R. Huggins

  2. Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, 1100 N. Western Ave, Wenatchee, WA, 98801, USA

    Chad E. Kruger

  3. Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 2334, Moscow, ID, 83844-2334, USA

    Kathleen M. Painter

  4. Department of Crop and Soil Science, Washington State University, 201 Johnson Hall, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

    David P. Uberuaga

Authors
  1. David R. Huggins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chad E. Kruger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kathleen M. Painter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David P. Uberuaga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David R. Huggins.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huggins, D.R., Kruger, C.E., Painter, K.M. et al. Site-Specific Trade-offs of Harvesting Cereal Residues as Biofuel Feedstocks in Dryland Annual Cropping Systems of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Bioenerg. Res. 7, 598–608 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9438-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9438-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation