A Comparison Between Gross Energy Requirement and Emergy Synthesis Methods. The Case of Agricultural Production

Abstract

Cropping for both food and energy is increasingly becoming an intensive economic activity aimed at maximizing biomass yields and economic returns. Food production aims at meeting the increasing demand of the day-by-day increasing world population at higher welfare levels and better diet. Bioenergy production aims at replacing declining fossil fuels storages and, at the same time, meeting the rising demand for energy in developed and developing countries. Both activities, strongly competing for available land and production tools, are placing a huge load on arable and even marginal land as well as on available resources that are needed in support to a highly productive agricultural process. The need for boosting productivity is generating a parallel increase of energy, material and environmental services demand all over the world. The present investigation compares such requirements in selected case studies of production activities in China (wheat), Italy (corn, sunflower and tomatoes) and Sweden (willow), in order to ascertain the main driving forces of agricultural production and its limiting factors in both food and bioenergy production systems. The study is performed by jointly applying the embodied energy and emergy methods to the whole life cycle of the investigated products and critically comparing the calculated performance indicators with other published results worldwide

Keywords

Energy Analysis; Gross Energy Requirement; Emergy Synthesis; Biomass

Published in

Title: 6th Biennial International Workshop. Advaces in Energy Studies
Publisher: Verlag der Technischen Universitet Graz

Conference

Towards a holistic approach based on science and humanity

SLU Authors

• Rydberg, Torbjörn

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Bioenergy
Agricultural Science
Economics and Business

Publication identifier

• ISBN: 978-3-85125-018-3

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/19370