Biofuel Potential and Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Corn Grain, Stover, and Switchgrass On Marginal Land.

Low-carbon biofuel sources are being developed and evaluated in the United States and Europe to partially offset petroleum transport fuels.  Long-term evaluations between feedstock sources and how management influences overall biofuel sustainability are needed to validate current and projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. Feedstock sources of no-tillage continuous corn (Zea mays L.) grain, corn stover (50% removal), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) were evaluated for biofuel potential, petroleum offset credits, and resulting GHG emissions on marginal cropland in the western Corn Belt USA.  We investigated the potential of soil carbon sequestration on these biofuel cropping systems and how this affects overall GHG emissions from bioethanol.  We also evaluated the potential to integrate cellulosic refining capacity with existing corn grain ethanol plants and if this would improve overall sustainability and reduce GHG intensity from corn grain ethanol.