Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods

Biogas production is widely recognized as an effective solution for addressing agricultural waste treatment in rural areas. However, its development is often hindered by economic and environmental constraints. This study combined emergy evaluation and carbon footprint analysis methods to establish a...

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Main Authors: Bin Yang, Weiguo Jia, Yi Yu, Hui Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/1912
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author Bin Yang
Weiguo Jia
Yi Yu
Hui Zhang
author_facet Bin Yang
Weiguo Jia
Yi Yu
Hui Zhang
author_sort Bin Yang
collection DOAJ
description Biogas production is widely recognized as an effective solution for addressing agricultural waste treatment in rural areas. However, its development is often hindered by economic and environmental constraints. This study combined emergy evaluation and carbon footprint analysis methods to establish a new environmental radius assessment model for evaluating the ecological performance and optimization direction of an agricultural waste biogas production system, using a biogas production company in China as a case study. Compared with the straw return model and straw power generation model, the results of emergy indicators and carbon accounting showed that the biogas production model had a lower environmental load and higher economic output and level of emergy sustainability. Additionally, the biogas production system was found to reduce 0.47 kg of carbon emissions per 1 kg of agricultural waste utilized. The application of the biogas production model in rural areas had high ecological sustainability and carbon emission reduction benefits. Environmental radius assessment results confirmed that the reasonable changes in resource collection distance could further enhance the ecological sustainability, carbon mitigation ability, and economic benefits of the biogas production system. The environmental radius assessment method offers a new approach to the location planning of agricultural waste biogas utilization companies in rural areas.
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publishDate 2024-10-01
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spelling doaj-art-a04cfbe9fe5942e083a5d95fd0f4e6942025-08-20T02:08:00ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722024-10-011411191210.3390/agriculture14111912Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation MethodsBin Yang0Weiguo Jia1Yi Yu2Hui Zhang3College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBiogas production is widely recognized as an effective solution for addressing agricultural waste treatment in rural areas. However, its development is often hindered by economic and environmental constraints. This study combined emergy evaluation and carbon footprint analysis methods to establish a new environmental radius assessment model for evaluating the ecological performance and optimization direction of an agricultural waste biogas production system, using a biogas production company in China as a case study. Compared with the straw return model and straw power generation model, the results of emergy indicators and carbon accounting showed that the biogas production model had a lower environmental load and higher economic output and level of emergy sustainability. Additionally, the biogas production system was found to reduce 0.47 kg of carbon emissions per 1 kg of agricultural waste utilized. The application of the biogas production model in rural areas had high ecological sustainability and carbon emission reduction benefits. Environmental radius assessment results confirmed that the reasonable changes in resource collection distance could further enhance the ecological sustainability, carbon mitigation ability, and economic benefits of the biogas production system. The environmental radius assessment method offers a new approach to the location planning of agricultural waste biogas utilization companies in rural areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/1912agricultural waste biogas systememergy evaluationcarbon footprint analysisenvironmental radius assessment
spellingShingle Bin Yang
Weiguo Jia
Yi Yu
Hui Zhang
Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
Agriculture
agricultural waste biogas system
emergy evaluation
carbon footprint analysis
environmental radius assessment
title Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
title_full Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
title_fullStr Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
title_full_unstemmed Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
title_short Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Waste Biogas Production System in China Based on Emergy and Carbon Evaluation Methods
title_sort sustainability assessment of agricultural waste biogas production system in china based on emergy and carbon evaluation methods
topic agricultural waste biogas system
emergy evaluation
carbon footprint analysis
environmental radius assessment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/1912
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AT yiyu sustainabilityassessmentofagriculturalwastebiogasproductionsysteminchinabasedonemergyandcarbonevaluationmethods
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