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Emergy, Environmental and Economic (3E) Assessment of Biomass Pellets from Agricultural Waste

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  • Yun Deng

    (College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
    Key Laboratory of Clean Production and Utilization of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, China
    National Center for International Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Xueling Ran

    (College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
    Key Laboratory of Clean Production and Utilization of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, China
    National Center for International Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Hussien Elshareef

    (College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
    Key Laboratory of Clean Production and Utilization of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, China
    National Center for International Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Renjie Dong

    (College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
    Key Laboratory of Clean Production and Utilization of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, China
    National Center for International Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Yuguang Zhou

    (College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
    Key Laboratory of Clean Production and Utilization of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, China
    National Center for International Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China)

Abstract

Biomass pellets are increasingly recognized as a cost-effective and sustainable renewable energy source worldwide. However, comprehensive sustainability assessments of their production processes are scarce. To address this gap, three distinct scenarios in Northeast China were evaluated using emergy, economic, and environmental analysis methods: corn single production, corn–pellet co-production, and pellet production. A modified method for calculating the environmental loading rate ( ELR ) was proposed, which accounts for the environmental benefits associated with replacing coal with biomass pellets for heating. The results showed that corn–pellet co-production demonstrates superior energy efficiency compared to corn-only production, but presents a contrasting economic profile. The ELR for corn single production and corn–pellet co-production are 1.57 and 1.63, respectively, with corresponding emergy sustainability indices ( ESI ) of 0.89 and 0.84. After applying the modified method, the ELR and ESI for corn–pellet co-production were adjusted to 0.84 and 1.63, respectively, and the ESI of pellet production increased from 8.24 to 21.15. Furthermore, processing corn straw into biomass pellets for heating can reduce heating costs by approximately USD 254.26/hm 2 and reduce emissions of SO 2 , NO x , CO, PM 2.5 , and CO 2 by 9.12, 19.82, 580.31, 65.86, and 13,060.66 kg/hm 2 , respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that transportation distance and renewable electricity have a greater impact on pellet production than corn–pellet co-production. The ESI for pellet production decreases from 21.15 to 14.02 as transport distance increases from 20 km to 100 km, while it rises to 57.81 as the proportion of renewable energy in the power supply increases from 0% to 100%.

Suggested Citation

  • Yun Deng & Xueling Ran & Hussien Elshareef & Renjie Dong & Yuguang Zhou, 2025. "Emergy, Environmental and Economic (3E) Assessment of Biomass Pellets from Agricultural Waste," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:6:p:664-:d:1616738
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    References listed on IDEAS

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