IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v10y2021i1p72-d480637.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land Use and Management Effects on Sustainable Sugarcane-Derived Bioenergy

Author

Listed:
  • Maurício Roberto Cherubin

    (Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil)

  • João Luís Nunes Carvalho

    (Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Campinas, SP 13083-100, Brazil)

  • Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

    (Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil)

  • Luiz Augusto Horta Nogueira

    (Interdisciplinary Center of Energy Planning (NIPE), State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP 13083-896, Brazil)

  • Glaucia Mendes Souza

    (Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil)

  • Heitor Cantarella

    (Agronomic Institute (IAC), Soils and Environmental Resources Center, Campinas, SP 13020-902, Brazil)

Abstract

Bioenergy is an important and feasible option for mitigating global warming and climate change. However, large-scale land-use change (LUC) to expand bioenergy crops, such as sugarcane, raises concerns about the potential negative environmental and socioeconomic side effects. Such effects are context-specific, and depending on the LUC scenario and management practices, several co-benefits can be attained. We reviewed the literature and discussed how LUC and best management practices affect key components of sustainability (e.g., soil health, soil carbon (C) sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions, nutrient cycling, water quality, among others) of sugarcane-derived bioenergy production in Brazil. Sugarcane expansion has occurred predominantly over pasture areas, although converting croplands could be also an environmentally feasible option. The land transition from low-productivity pastures to sugarcane cultivation seems to be a sustainable pathway to increase bioenergy production. This LUC scenario enhances soil health and soil C sequestration over time, although soil compaction, biodiversity loss, and erosion are still challenging. Besides, adopting best management practices, such as conservation tillage, sustainable crop residue management, rational fertilization, and recycling by-products, has been fundamental to ensuring sustainable bioenergy production. Public policies and well-designed legal frameworks and regulations, such as the Forest Code and the RenovaBio legislations in Brazil, are necessary to make bioenergy production compatible with rational land use and protection. Lastly, our analysis provided insights into sugarcane expansion over a small proportion (1%) of pasture areas in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) and sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, which may result in a substantial impact on global bioenergy supply. We concluded that sugarcane-derived bioenergy is a sustainable option to tackle climate change while provisioning other key ecosystem services and promoting socioeconomic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Maurício Roberto Cherubin & João Luís Nunes Carvalho & Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri & Luiz Augusto Horta Nogueira & Glaucia Mendes Souza & Heitor Cantarella, 2021. "Land Use and Management Effects on Sustainable Sugarcane-Derived Bioenergy," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:72-:d:480637
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/72/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/72/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Filoso, Solange & Carmo, Janaina Braga do & Mardegan, Sílvia Fernanda & Lins, Silvia Rafaela Machado & Gomes, Taciana Figueiredo & Martinelli, Luiz Antonio, 2015. "Reassessing the environmental impacts of sugarcane ethanol production in Brazil to help meet sustainability goals," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 1847-1856.
    2. S. V. Hanssen & V. Daioglou & Z. J. N. Steinmann & J. C. Doelman & D. P. Vuuren & M. A. J. Huijbregts, 2020. "The climate change mitigation potential of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 10(11), pages 1023-1029, November.
    3. Maurício R Cherubin & Douglas L Karlen & Carlos E P Cerri & André L C Franco & Cássio A Tormena & Christian A Davies & Carlos C Cerri, 2016. "Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Souza, Simone Pereira & Nogueira, Luiz Augusto Horta & Martinez, Johan & Cortez, Luis Augusto Barbosa, 2018. "Sugarcane can afford a cleaner energy profile in Latin America & Caribbean," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 164-172.
    5. Camila Viana Vieira Farhate & Zigomar Menezes de Souza & Maurício Roberto Cherubin & Lenon Herique Lovera & Ingrid Nehmi de Oliveira & Marina Pedroso Carneiro & Newton La Scala Jr., 2020. "Abiotic Soil Health Indicators that Respond to Sustainable Management Practices in Sugarcane Cultivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Manoel Regis Lima Verde Leal & João Guilherme Dal Belo Leite & Mateus Ferreira Chagas & Rui Da Maia & Luís Augusto Barbosa Cortez, 2016. "Feasibility Assessment of Converting Sugar Mills to Bioenergy Production in Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-10, September.
    7. Maristela C. Morais & Marcos Siqueira-Neto & Henrique P. Guerra & Lucas S. Satiro & Amin Soltangheisi & Carlos E. P. Cerri & Brigitte J. Feigl & Maurício R. Cherubin, 2020. "Trade-Offs between Sugarcane Straw Removal and Soil Organic Matter in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-13, November.
    8. Cristian Youlton & Edson Wendland & Jamil Alexandre Ayach Anache & Carlos Poblete-Echeverría & Seth Dabney, 2016. "Changes in Erosion and Runoff due to Replacement of Pasture Land with Sugarcane Crops," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-12, July.
    9. Marcos Adami & Bernardo Friedrich Theodor Rudorff & Ramon Morais Freitas & Daniel Alves Aguiar & Luciana Miura Sugawara & Marcio Pupin Mello, 2012. "Remote Sensing Time Series to Evaluate Direct Land Use Change of Recent Expanded Sugarcane Crop in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-12, April.
    10. Ivan Vera & Birka Wicke & Floor van der Hilst, 2020. "Spatial Variation in Environmental Impacts of Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-20, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rafael dos Santos Silva & Arshad Jalal & Raimunda Eliane Nascimento do Nascimento & Nathércia Castro Elias & Karen Cossi Kawakami & Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior & Fernando Carvalho Oliveira & Arun Dil, 2022. "Composted Sewage Sludge Application Reduces Mineral Fertilization Requirements and Improves Soil Fertility in Sugarcane Seedling Nurseries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Canabarro, N.I. & Silva-Ortiz, P. & Nogueira, L.A.H. & Cantarella, H. & Maciel-Filho, R. & Souza, G.M., 2023. "Sustainability assessment of ethanol and biodiesel production in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Comineti, Camila da Silva Serra & Pretel, Ariel Fernandes & Schlindwein, Madalena Maria, 2023. "The type of development promoted by Brazilian National Biofuels Policy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    4. Luis Ramirez Camargo & Gabriel Castro & Katharina Gruber & Jessica Jewell & Michael Klingler & Olga Turkovska & Elisabeth Wetterlund & Johannes Schmidt, 2022. "Pathway to a land-neutral expansion of Brazilian renewable fuel production," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Lisandra Rocha-Meneses & Mario Luna-delRisco & Carlos Arrieta González & Sebastián Villegas Moncada & Andrés Moreno & Jorge Sierra-Del Rio & Luis E. Castillo-Meza, 2023. "An Overview of the Socio-Economic, Technological, and Environmental Opportunities and Challenges for Renewable Energy Generation from Residual Biomass: A Case Study of Biogas Production in Colombia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Palacios-Bereche, M.C. & Palacios-Bereche, R. & Ensinas, A.V. & Gallego, A. Garrido & Modesto, Marcelo & Nebra, S.A., 2022. "Brazilian sugar cane industry – A survey on future improvements in the process energy management," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    7. Nicholas Glass & Brenda Molano-Flores & Eduardo Dias de Oliveira & Erika Meraz & Samira Umar & Christopher J. Whelan & Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, 2021. "Does Pastoral Land-Use Legacy Influence Topsoil Carbon and Nitrogen Accrual Rates in Tallgrass Prairie Restorations?," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-20, July.
    8. Vera, Ivan & Wicke, Birka & Lamers, Patrick & Cowie, Annette & Repo, Anna & Heukels, Bas & Zumpf, Colleen & Styles, David & Parish, Esther & Cherubini, Francesco & Berndes, Göran & Jager, Henriette & , 2022. "Land use for bioenergy: Synergies and trade-offs between sustainable development goals," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    9. Forsberg, C.W. & Dale, B.E. & Jones, D.S. & Hossain, T. & Morais, A.R.C. & Wendt, L.M., 2021. "Replacing liquid fossil fuels and hydrocarbon chemical feedstocks with liquid biofuels from large-scale nuclear biorefineries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Klebson de Medeiros Silva, Wallysson & Neves, Talles Iwasawa & de Souza Silva, Cleiton & Carvalho, Monica & Abrahão, Raphael, 2020. "Sustainable enhancement of sugarcane fertilization for energy purposes in hot climates," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 547-552.
    2. Ivan Vera & Birka Wicke & Floor van der Hilst, 2020. "Spatial Variation in Environmental Impacts of Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Turetta, Ana Paula Dias & Kuyper, Thomas & Malheiros, Tadeu Fabrício & Coutinho, Heitor Luiz da Costa, 2017. "A framework proposal for sustainability assessment of sugarcane in Brazil," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 597-603.
    4. Mercure, J.-F. & Paim, M.A. & Bocquillon, P. & Lindner, S. & Salas, P. & Martinelli, P. & Berchin, I.I. & de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S.O & Derani, C. & de Albuquerque Junior, C.L. & Ribeiro, J.M.P. & Knob, 2019. "System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 230-243.
    5. Ming Tang & Huchang Liao & Zhengjun Wan & Enrique Herrera-Viedma & Marc A. Rosen, 2018. "Ten Years of Sustainability (2009 to 2018): A Bibliometric Overview," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Xin Zhao & Bryan K. Mignone & Marshall A. Wise & Haewon C. McJeon, 2024. "Trade-offs in land-based carbon removal measures under 1.5 °C and 2 °C futures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Pedro Pérez Medina & María Guadalupe Galindo Mendoza & Gregorio Álvarez Fuentes & Leonardo David Tenorio Martínez & Valter Armando Barrera López, 2023. "Economic Assessment of the Impact of the Sugarcane Industry: An Empirical Approach with Two Focuses for San Luis Potosí, México," J, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-19, June.
    8. Ángel Galán-Martín & Daniel Vázquez & Selene Cobo & Niall Dowell & José Antonio Caballero & Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez, 2021. "Delaying carbon dioxide removal in the European Union puts climate targets at risk," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Bernardo F. T. Rudorff & Marcos Adami & Joel Risso & Daniel Alves De Aguiar & Bernardo Pires & Daniel Amaral & Leandro Fabiani & Izabel Cecarelli, 2012. "Remote Sensing Images to Detect Soy Plantations in the Amazon Biome—The Soy Moratorium Initiative," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(5), pages 1-15, May.
    10. Lin Zhang & Zhe Liu & Diyou Liu & Quan Xiong & Ning Yang & Tianwei Ren & Chao Zhang & Xiaodong Zhang & Shaoming Li, 2019. "Crop Mapping Based on Historical Samples and New Training Samples Generation in Heilongjiang Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-17, September.
    11. Keles, Derya & Choumert-Nkolo, Johanna & Combes Motel, Pascale & Nazindigouba Kéré, Eric, 2018. "Does the expansion of biofuels encroach on the forest?," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 75-82.
    12. Anjinho, Phelipe da Silva & Barbosa, Mariana Abibi Guimarães Araujo & Costa, Carlos Wilmer & Mauad, Frederico Fábio, 2021. "Environmental fragility analysis in reservoir drainage basin land use planning: A Brazilian basin case study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    13. Vera, Ivan & Wicke, Birka & Lamers, Patrick & Cowie, Annette & Repo, Anna & Heukels, Bas & Zumpf, Colleen & Styles, David & Parish, Esther & Cherubini, Francesco & Berndes, Göran & Jager, Henriette & , 2022. "Land use for bioenergy: Synergies and trade-offs between sustainable development goals," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    14. Rivera-Alvarez, Alejandro & Osorio, Julian D. & Montoya-Duque, Laura & Fontalvo, Jose & Botero, Edgar & Escudero-Atehortua, Ana, 2020. "Comparative analysis of natural gas cogeneration incentives on electricity production in Latin America," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    15. Marjorie M. Guarenghi & Danilo F. T. Garofalo & Joaquim E. A. Seabra & Marcelo M. R. Moreira & Renan M. L. Novaes & Nilza Patrícia Ramos & Sandra F. Nogueira & Cristiano A. de Andrade, 2023. "Land Use Change Net Removals Associated with Sugarcane in Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-26, February.
    16. Paola Sakai & Stavros Afionis & Nicola Favretto & Lindsay C. Stringer & Caroline Ward & Marco Sakai & Pedro Henrique Weirich Neto & Carlos Hugo Rocha & Jaime Alberti Gomes & Nátali Maidl de Souza & No, 2020. "Understanding the Implications of Alternative Bioenergy Crops to Support Smallholder Farmers in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, March.
    17. Nilsa Duarte da Silva Lima & Irenilza de Alencar Nääs & João Gilberto Mendes dos Reis & Raquel Baracat Tosi Rodrigues da Silva, 2020. "Classifying the Level of Energy-Environmental Efficiency Rating of Brazilian Ethanol," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, April.
    18. Andreas Mayer & Gerald Kalt & Lisa Kaufmann & Elin Röös & Adrian Muller & Rainer Weisshaidinger & Anita Frehner & Nicolas Roux & Pete Smith & Michaela C. Theurl & Sarah Matej & Karlheinz Erb, 2022. "Impacts of Scaling up Agroecology on the Sustainability of European Agriculture in 2050," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 21(3), pages 27-36, December.
    19. Quanlong Feng & Jianhua Gong & Jiantao Liu & Yi Li, 2015. "Monitoring Cropland Dynamics of the Yellow River Delta based on Multi-Temporal Landsat Imagery over 1986 to 2015," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-25, November.
    20. Pietzcker, Robert C. & Osorio, Sebastian & Rodrigues, Renato, 2021. "Tightening EU ETS targets in line with the European Green Deal: Impacts on the decarbonization of the EU power sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:72-:d:480637. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.