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Emergy and greenhouse gas assessment of a sustainable, integrated agricultural model (SIAM) for plant, animal and biogas production: Analysis of the ecological recycle of wastes

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  • Wu, Xihui
  • Wu, Faqi
  • Tong, Xiaogang
  • Wu, Jia
  • Sun, Lu
  • Peng, Xiaoyu

Abstract

The use of ecological recycling in agriculture represents a new type of agricultural development that is coming into increasing use in China. This approach to cultivation is driven by developing reciprocating, multilevel, high-efficiency energy and material flows in the use of agricultural resources. In the present study, the emergy method was used to assess an integrated agricultural model in Northwest China consisting of multiple subsystems (walnut and grains; pigs and poultry; and biogas) by considering the partial renewability factor of each input. The recycle benefit ratio, greenhouse gas emission mitigation intensity, and conventional emergy indices of the integrated model were quantified by analyzing the structure of recycling. This model for agricultural production achieved great benefits from recycling and a net greenhouse gas emission mitigation potential of 94,174.28kg CO2-eq/yr compared to conventional production models. For example, the integrated model had improved resource and land use efficiencies, environmental performance, output per unit area, and sustainability compared to the local conventional corn production system, despite its relatively high environmental load and poor sustainability. Using renewable materials such as organic corn in place of conventional corn provides an alternative way of improving the sustainability of the integrated production system but with a considerable decrease in economic profitability.

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  • Wu, Xihui & Wu, Faqi & Tong, Xiaogang & Wu, Jia & Sun, Lu & Peng, Xiaoyu, 2015. "Emergy and greenhouse gas assessment of a sustainable, integrated agricultural model (SIAM) for plant, animal and biogas production: Analysis of the ecological recycle of wastes," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 40-50.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:96:y:2015:i:c:p:40-50
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.01.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rui Zhang & Lingling Zhang & Meijuan He & Zongzhi Wang, 2023. "Spatial Association Network and Driving Factors of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in the Hanjiang River Basin, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, May.
    2. You, Heyuan & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2017. "Sustainable livelihoods and rural sustainability in China: Ecologically secure, economically efficient or socially equitable?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 1-13.
    3. Sun, Yufeng & Yang, Bin & Wang, Yapeng & Zheng, Zipeng & Wang, Jinwei & Yue, Yaping & Mu, Wenlong & Xu, Guangyin & Jilai Ying,, 2023. "Emergy evaluation of biogas production system in China from perspective of collection radius," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    4. Wang, Xiaolong & Li, Zhejin & Long, Pan & Yan, Lingling & Gao, Wangsheng & Chen, Yuanquan & Sui, Peng, 2017. "Sustainability evaluation of recycling in agricultural systems by emergy accounting," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 114-124.
    5. Yue, Qiong & Guo, Ping & Wu, Hui & Wang, Youzhi & Zhang, Chenglong, 2022. "Towards sustainable circular agriculture: An integrated optimization framework for crop-livestock-biogas-crop recycling system management under uncertainty," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    6. Marta Szyba & Jerzy Mikulik, 2022. "Energy Production from Biodegradable Waste as an Example of the Circular Economy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-16, February.
    7. Grzegorz Augustyn & Jerzy Mikulik & Rafał Rumin & Marta Szyba, 2021. "Energy Self-Sufficient Livestock Farm as the Example of Agricultural Hybrid Off-Grid System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-22, October.
    8. Tan, Kangming & Li, Yuliang & Chen, Yun & Liu, Fangdan & Ou, Jingmin & Zhang, Yuhan & Wang, Xiaolong, 2022. "Modified framework to reflect contribution of soil storage in emergy synthesis under different agricultural practices at farm level," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 465(C).

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