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Project

Model-based optimisation of the trade-offs between biomass production, climate feedback and water consumption in short rotation coppice forestry.

At present 81% of global energy production comes from fossil fuels, that are finite and emit CO2 into the atmosphere. For these reasons, alternative energy sources are sought for. Bioenergy, in particular Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) culture, is a promising alternative for the generation of electricity. SRCs can be defined as carefully tended, high-density plantations of fast-growing trees, in this project poplar, which are cut back every 2-5 years. The harvest is then burned or gasified to generate electricity. The CO2 that is emitted by this process was withdrawn from the atmosphere when the crop was growing; so theoretically there is no new carbon added to the atmosphere. However, SRC management (transport, harvest, fertilizers, irrigation), produces certainamounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Moreover, SRC consumes much water, which may be needed for surrounding regions. This project will use a computer model to predict biomass production, greenhouse gas balance and water use of SRC plantations, for different management types in different regions. The overall objective is to determine, for each region, the optimal management that maximizes wood growth for energy production, while minimizing the greenhouse gas emissions and water use.
Date:1 Oct 2010 →  30 Sep 2012
Keywords:BIOMASS, FORESTRY, CLIMATE
Disciplines:Applied mathematics in specific fields, Computer architecture and networks, Distributed computing, Information sciences, Information systems, Programming languages, Scientific computing, Theoretical computer science, Visual computing, Other information and computing sciences, Plant biology, Forestry sciences