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Environmental issues surrounding conventional annual biogas crops have led to growing interest in alternative crops, such as miscanthus. In addition to the better environmental performance, miscanthus can be grown on marginal land where no competition with feed and food crops is anticipated. On marginal land however, biomass yields are significantly lower than on good agricultural land. This raises the question of the economic and environmental sustainability of miscanthus cultivated on marginal land for biogas production. This study assessed the environmental and economic performance of miscanthus cultivated on marginal land for biogas production by conducting a Life‐Cycle Assessment and complementary Life‐Cycle Cost analysis. The functional unit chosen was 1 GJ of electricity (GJel.). The substitution of a fossil reference was included using a system expansion approach. Electricity generated by the combustion of miscanthus‐based biogas in a combined heat and power has considerably lower impacts on the environment than the fossil reference in most of the categories assessed. In the impact category “climate change”, the substitution of the marginal German electricity mix leads to a carbon mitigation potential of 256 kg CO2e/GJel.. At 45.12 €/GJel., the costs of miscanthus‐based biogas generation and utilization are considerably lower than those of maize (61.30 €/GJel.). The results of this study clearly show that it can make economic and environmental sense to cultivate miscanthus on marginal land as a substrate for biogas production. The economic sustainability is however limited by the biomass yield. By contrast, there are no clear thresholds limiting the environmental performance. The decision needs to be made on a case‐by‐case basis depending on site‐specific conditions such as local biodiversity. Environmental issues surrounding conventional annual biogas crops have led to growing interest in alternative crops, such as miscanthus. This study assessed the environmental and economic performance of miscanthus cultivated on marginal land for biogas production. The results clearly show that it can make economic and environmental sense to cultivate miscanthus on marginal land as a substrate for biogas production.

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a versatile platform chemical for a fossil free, bio‐based chemical industry. HMF can be produced by using fructose as a feedstock. Using edible, first‐generation biomass to produce chemicals has been questioned in terms of potential competition with food supply. Second‐generation biomass like miscanthus could be an alternative. However, there is a lack of information if second‐generation lignocellulosic biomass is a more sustainable feedstock to produce HMF. Therefore, a life cycle assessment was performed in this study to determine the environmental impacts of HMF production from miscanthus and to compare it with HMF from high‐fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS from either Hungary or Baden‐Württemberg (Germany) was considered. Compared to the HFCS biorefineries the miscanthus concept is producing less emissions in all impact categories studied, except land occupation. Overall, the production and usage of second‐generation biomass could be especially beneficial in areas where the use of N fertilizers is restricted. Besides, conclusions for the further development of the on‐farm biorefinery concept were elaborated. For this purpose, process simulations from a previous study were used. Results of the previous study in terms of TEA and the current LCA study in terms of environmental sustainability indicate that the lignin depolymerization unit in the miscanthus biorefinery has to be improved. The scenario without lignin depolymerization performs better in all impact categories. The authors recommend to not further convert the lignin to products like phenol and other aromatic compounds. The results of the contribution analyses show that the major impact in the HMF production is caused by the auxiliary materials in the separation units and the required heat. Further technical development should focus on efficient heat as well as solvent use and solvent recovery. At this point further optimizations will lead to reduced emissions and costs at the same time. A comparative LCA of two feedstock biomasses was prepared for the Hohenheim process for the production of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural. In most impact categories, the lignocellulosic biorefinery is superior to the fructose biorefinery. At the same time, this work provides indications for further optimization.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely recognized tool for the assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of a product or service. The environmental impact category most commonly quantified in LCAs is global warming potential, a measure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For agricultural products such as miscanthus, the creation of an inventory can be labour‐intensive and is context‐specific. This impairs the transfer of results to comparable but not necessarily similar situations. Farmers and small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises cannot easily dedicate resources for this purpose (in particular when using marginal land) and often lack the expertise to do so. Simplified LCA models could offer a promising solution to this problem. They are simplified versions of more complex models that require only a few critical parameters to calculate representative results. This study develops such a model for the computation of GHG emissions associated with commercial miscanthus cultivation. The model focuses on rhizome‐based propagation and the indirect harvesting method (cutting to swath, swathing, baling). A parametric life cycle inventory (LCI) was established and used to identify the most influential parameters by means of a global sensitivity analysis (GSA). A simplified model for calculating GHG emissions associated with miscanthus cultivation was developed by fixing input parameters with a low relevance at their median impact values. Six of 38 parameters were identified as relevant parameters: soil carbon sequestration, harvestable yield, duration of cultivation period, quantities of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer applied, and distance between field and customer. The simplified model allows practitioners an easy assessment of the GHG emissions associated with the production and supply of miscanthus. It thus provides a wider audience facilitated access to LCA knowledge and promotes its use as a management and reporting tool in bio‐based industries. Miscanthus cultivation in Europe is currently expanding. In light of GHG reduction targets, life cycle assessments become imperative. Due to the variation in biophysical conditions and management approaches, this can be time‐consuming. This study suggests a simplified model for computation of GHG emissions related to miscanthus cultivation across European condition. ​

The demand for food and renewable energy is increasing significantly, whereas the availability of land for agricultural use is declining. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation on the same area, are a promising opportunity with the potential to satisfy this demand while avoiding land-use conflicts. In the current study, a Consequential Life-Cycle Assessment (CLCA) was conducted to holistically assess the environmental consequences arising from a shift from single-use agriculture to AVS in Germany. The results of the study show that the environmental consequences of the installation of overhead AVS on agricultural land are positive and reduce the impacts in 15 of the 16 analysed impact categories especially for climate change, eutrophication and fossil resource use, as well as in the single score assessment, mainly due to the substitution of the marginal energy mix. It was demonstrated that, under certain conditions, AVS can contribute to the extension of renewable energy production resources without reducing food production resources. These include maintaining the agricultural yields underneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules, seeking synergies between solar energy generation and crop production and minimising the loss of good agricultural land.

The growing bioeconomy will require a greater supply of biomass in the future for both bioenergy and bio-based products. Today, many bioenergy cropping systems (BCS) are suboptimal due to either social-ecological threats or technical limitations. In addition, the competition for land between bioenergy-crop cultivation, food-crop cultivation, and biodiversity conservation is expected to increase as a result of both continuous world population growth and expected severe climate change effects. This study investigates how BCS can become more social-ecologically sustainable in future. It brings together expert opinions from the fields of agronomy, economics, meteorology, and geography. Potential solutions to the following five main requirements for a more holistically sustainable supply of biomass are summarized: (i) bioenergy-crop cultivation should provide a beneficial social-ecological contribution, such as an increase in both biodiversity and landscape aesthetics, (ii) bioenergy crops should be cultivated on marginal agricultural land so as not to compete with food-crop production, (iii) BCS need to be resilient in the face of projected severe climate change effects, (iv) BCS should foster rural development and support the vast number of small-scale family farmers, managing about 80% of agricultural land and natural resources globally, and (v) bioenergy-crop cultivation must be planned and implemented systematically, using holistic approaches. Further research activities and policy incentives should not only consider the economic potential of bioenergy-crop cultivation, but also aspects of biodiversity, soil fertility, and climate change adaptation specific to site conditions and the given social context. This will help to adapt existing agricultural systems in a changing world and foster the development of a more social-ecologically sustainable bioeconomy.

Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRG), such as miscanthus and switchgrass, are considered promising lignocellulosic feedstocks. Their cultivation is expected to experience a significant increase in the near future, as it offers a wide range of benefits. For instance, when PRG replace typical annual crops, positive biodiversity impacts are usually anticipated. However, to date, there is no solid, statistically strong evidence for this hypothesis. This study aims to evaluate its validity through a meta‐analysis based on an extensive systematic literature review of research comparing biodiversity attributes in PRG and common annual crops. Dynamics of species richness and abundance in response to PRG cultivation were quantitatively evaluated drawing on 220 paired comparisons from 25 studies. This includes data on five taxonomic groups—arthropods, birds, earthworms, mammals and plants—and three PRG—miscanthus, switchgrass and reed canary grass. The results indicate that biodiversity tends to be higher in PRG cultivations relative to the reference crops, but the initial hypothesis of significantly beneficial impacts could not be confirmed. Trends were specific to the individual taxonomic groups: significantly higher biodiversity was found for plants and small mammals. Positive but insignificant trends were observed for arthropods and birds, while earthworm response was neutral and insignificant. More substantial conclusions could not be drawn, which is mainly due to the low number of studies conducting biodiversity assessments in PRG cultivations that included a comparison with annual crops. In addition, a detailed analysis of the observed responses was impaired by poor reporting of the parameters influencing biodiversity in the studies reviewed, such as planting and crop density, as well as yields. For this reason, we conclude with a call for improved data reporting in biodiversity assessments of PRG cultivations and detail requirements for future biodiversity research. It is commonly hypothesized that the cultivation of perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRG) benefits biodiversity when replacing typical annual crops. However, to date, there is no solid, statistically strong evidence for this hypothesis. This study aimed to deliver a test of its validity. Based on a systematic literature review, a meta‐analysis was conducted. Data on species richness and abundance were extracted from 25 studies. The analysis indicated positive effects on five taxonomic groups (arthropods, birds, earthworms, mammals, plants). However, the positive effects of the cultivation of PRG were not statistically significant.

The combination of bioethanol production and carbon capture and storage technologies (BECCS) is considered an indispensable method for the achievement of the targets set by the Paris agreement. In Croatia, a first‐of‐its‐kind biorefinery project is currently underway that aims to integrate a second‐generation ethanol plant into an existing fossil refinery. The goal is to replace the fossil fuel production by second‐generation ethanol production using miscanthus. In the ethanol fermentation, CO2 is emitted in highly concentrated form and this can be directly compressed, injected and stored in exploited oil reservoirs. This study presents an assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of miscanthus ethanol produced in combination with CCS technology, based on data from the planning process of this biorefinery project. The GHG reduction potential is evaluated as part of a full environmental life cycle assessment. This is of particular relevance as a lignocellulosic ethanol industry is currently emerging in the European Union (EU) and LCAs of BECCS systems have, so far, often omitted environmental impacts other than GHG emissions. Overall, the ethanol to be produced in this planned biorefinery project would clearly achieve the EU's global warming potential (GWP) reduction target for biofuels. Depending on the accounting approach applied for the biological carbon storage, reduction potentials between 104% and 138% relative to the fossil comparator are likely. In addition, ethanol can reduce risks to resource availability. As such, the results generated from data based on the intended biorefinery project support the two major rationales for biofuel use. However, these reductions could come at the expense of human health and ecosystem quality impacts associated with the combustion of lignin and biogas. In order to prevent potential environmental trade‐offs, it will be imperative to monitor and manage these emissions from residue combustion, as they represent significant drivers of the overall environmental impacts. The combination of bioethanol production and carbon capture and storage technologies (BECCS) is considered an indispensable method for the achievement of the targets set by the Paris agreement. In Croatia, a first‐of‐its‐kind BECCS project is currently underway. This study presents an assessment of the GHG reduction and potential environmental trade‐offs based on data from the project planning phase. The ethanol to be produced could achieve reduction potentials between 104% and 138% relative to petrol. However, these reductions could come at the expense of impacts on human health and ecosystem quality, which are often neglected in LCAs of bioenergy systems.

Two major global challenges related to agriculture are climate change and the unbalanced nitrogen cycle. For both, national and international reduction targets have been defined to catalyse policy support for more sustainable farming systems. Miscanthus cultivation in water protection areas has been proposed as a contribution to achieving these targets. However, a thorough understanding of the underlying system dynamics at various spatial levels is required before recommendations for policy development can be provided. In this study, a model framework was established to provide economic and environmental indicator results at regional and sub‐regional levels. It presents a consequential Life Cycle Assessment coupled with an agro‐economic supply model (Economic Farm Emission Model) that simulates crop and livestock production, and an agricultural hydrology model (DAISY) that assesses effects on the nitrogen cycle. The framework is applied to Baden‐Württemberg, a federal state in southwest Germany with eight agro‐ecological regions. Scenarios investigating the differences between mandatory and voluntary miscanthus cultivation were also explored. While the results show the high potential of miscanthus cultivation for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (−16% to −724%), the potential to reduce nitrate leaching (−4% to −44%) is compromised in some sub‐regions and scenarios (+4% to +13%) by substantial effects on the crop rotation. Furthermore, the cultivation of miscanthus reduces gross margins in most sub‐regions (−0.1% to −9.6%) and decreases domestic food production (−1% to −50%). However, in regions with low livestock density and high yields, miscanthus cultivation can maintain or increase farmers' income (0.1%–5.8%) and improve environmental protection. The study shows that the heterogeneity of arable land requires a flexible promotion programme for miscanthus. Voluntary cultivation schemes were identified as most suitable to capture sub‐regional differences. Policies should address the demand for miscanthus, for example, support the development of regional value chains, including farmers, water suppliers and the biobased industry. Miscanthus cultivation in water protection areas has been proposed as a contribution to achieving sustainability targets in the European farming sector. To investigate underlying system dynamics, a model framework (Life Cycle Assessment, Economic Farm Emission Model and agricultural hydrology model) was established to provide indicator results at regional and sub‐regional levels for Baden‐Württemberg. While the results show high potential of miscanthus cultivation for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and (in most cases) of nitrate leaching, the gross margins were reduced in most sub‐regions and the domestic food production in all sub‐regions. The study shows that the heterogeneity of arable land requires a flexible promotion programme for miscanthus.

Agroecosystems provide numerous ecosystem services (ESs) such as provisioning, regulating, habitat and cultural services. At the same time, the management of these agroecosystems can cause various negative impacts on the environment such as the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the way humans manage agroecosystems often focuses only on the production of agricultural goods, which yield monetary benefits in the short term but do not include the positive and negative external effects on ESs. In order to enable a holistic assessment of the economic and environmental costs and benefits, the current study combines the production costs, the monetary value of the ESs provided and the monetization of the environmental impacts caused by the management of agroecosystems using the perennial crop miscanthus as an example. Depending on the scenario assessed, the cultivation of miscanthus leads to a net benefit of 140 to 3051 EUR ha−1 yr−1. The monetary value of the ESs provided by the miscanthus cultivation thereby considerably outweighs the internal and external costs. The approach applied allows for a holistic assessment of the benefits and costs of agroecosystems and thus enables management decisions that are not only based on the biomass yield but include the various interactions with the environment.

Biodiversity loss is a global problem, with agriculture being a major driver. Every agricultural operation, including management, has an impact on biodiversity because it interferes with nature. It is challenging to assess these impacts. Correspondingly, it can be difficult to support farmers to work in a more biodiversity-friendly way. This paper presents a conceptual framework for farmers to predictively assess their biodiversity potential and compare it over several years. On the one hand, parameters at field level (\"on-crop\") are taken into account and, on the other hand, the landscape level (\"off-crop\") with corresponding parameters is also included. The simple application and the easy integration in field record systems through data already collected by the farmer allows widespread use.In conclusion, the framework is a recommendation for biodiversity assessment. It should be further developed and validated so that new scientific findings can be incorporated into the assessment of biodiversity in order to be able to calculate and predict it even more accurately.