IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v9y2005i3p109-126.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mixtures of UK Wheat as an Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Source for Bioethanol

Author

Listed:
  • J. Stuart Swanston
  • Adrian C. Newton

Abstract

Concerns about access to oil supplies have encouraged the exploration of renewable fuel and energy sources. Industrial ecology offers tools to compare the energy implications and benefits of differing strategies, but using botanical sources of raw materials to replace nonrenewable ones also requires appreciation of plant science, especially the variation in genetic potential within species. Whereas cultivation methods determine whether genetic potential is realized, different methods impact the environment to varying degrees. Experience with barley variety mixtures, aimed at reducing chemical input, has shown them to improve yield and reduce disease, while maintaining or even enhancing quality. Yield improvements still occurred in the absence of disease and increased in proportion to the number of component varieties. Because other research showed mixtures to be similarly effective in wheat, a protocol to grow and exploit a complex mixture of soft wheat is proposed, offering a cost‐effective and energy efficient feedstock for a possible bioethanol industry in the United Kingdom. Ethanol would be produced initially from grain, with the straw used for heating or electricity generation. Fertilizer production and use and vehicle fuels have been shown as the main forms of energy consumption in growing a crop, and targets for enhancing the energy balance, by growing mixtures under an integrated farming system, are postulated. A close but negative association between grain protein and alcohol yield is demonstrated and a mixture giving comparable grain yield, but superior alcohol yield, to its best component is identified. Mixing varieties differing in plant morphology may also increase total biomass yield and, therefore, the energy generated from the crop. Pesticide reduction has another positive, though small, effect on the energy balance, from using mixtures. Eliminating prophylactic spraying also reduces vehicle fuel consumption, and may provide the low‐toxicity benefits of organic agriculture without the yield penalty. A range of alternative uses for straw and other by‐products is also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • J. Stuart Swanston & Adrian C. Newton, 2005. "Mixtures of UK Wheat as an Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Source for Bioethanol," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 9(3), pages 109-126, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:9:y:2005:i:3:p:109-126
    DOI: 10.1162/1088198054821708
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1162/1088198054821708
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1162/1088198054821708?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

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


    Cited by:

    1. Malça, João & Freire, Fausto, 2012. "Addressing land use change and uncertainty in the life-cycle assessment of wheat-based bioethanol," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 519-527.
    2. Reijnders, L., 2008. "Ethanol production from crop residues and soil organic carbon," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 653-658.
    3. Prespa Ymeri & Csaba Gyuricza & Csaba Fogarassy, 2020. "Farmers’ Attitudes Towards the Use of Biomass as Renewable Energy—A Case Study from Southeastern Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Faraco, Vincenza & Hadar, Yitzhak, 2011. "The potential of lignocellulosic ethanol production in the Mediterranean Basin," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 252-266, January.
    5. Glithero, N.J. & Ramsden, S.J. & Wilson, P., 2013. "Barriers and incentives to the production of bioethanol from cereal straw: A farm business perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 161-171.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:inecol:v:9:y:2005:i:3:p:109-126. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    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.