Research shows significant mitigation of Global Warming possible with Biomass Fuels

As per a long-field study by a group of researchers, the research stated that biomass-derived from various grasses could significantly mitigate global warming by reducing carbon. 

The collaborative paper has been published by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Michigan State University (MSU) by the researchers. The research has examined several different cellulosic biofuel crops to test their potential as a petroleum alternative in ethanol fuel and electric light-duty vehicles including passenger cars and small trucks.

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Climate change mitigation scenarios limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 °C rely on decarbonizing vehicle fuel with bioenergy production together with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

As per the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Technology, it can help capture up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) which is emitted from electricity generation and industrial processes. It prevents an atmospheric increase in CO2 concentration. 

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For the first time, the research has evaluated bioenergy feedstocks side-by-side. The research has included seven crops, switchgrass, giant miscanthus, poplar trees, maize residuals, restored native prairie, and a combination of grasses and vegetation that grows spontaneously following field abandonment.

Dr IIya Gelfand of the BGU French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, said, "Every crop we tested had a very significant mitigation capacity despite being grown on very different soils and under natural climate variability." 

It is critical to limit rising temperatures through decarbonization of transportation. 

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The study stated that when compared with petroleum only emissions, ethanol with bioenergy was 78-290 percent better in reducing carbon emissions; ethanol was 204-416 percent improved.

A pertinent finding of the study is that biomass powered electric vehicles were 74-303 percent cleaner and biomass-powered electric vehicles combined with CSS were 329-558 percent superior. 

A senior authority of the study, Prof Phil Robertson of MSU asserted, "This is significant because it means that we're likely to be able to produce these crops on marginal lands and still get high productivity." 

Prof added, "Long-term field experiments that include weather extremes such as drought, and actual rather than estimated greenhouse gas emissions, are crucial for stress-testing models assumptions."

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