An environmental and economic evaluation of carbon sequestration from pyrolysis and biochar application in China

Abstract

In the past decade, China has more than doubled its consumption of fossil fuels resulting in the emission of substantial amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which are considered to be the main cause of climate change. To mitigate climate change and ensure the continued survival of life on earth, the current level of CO_2R emissions must be cut. This study establishes a price endogenous mathematical programming (Jiangxi Agricultural Sector Model) and incorporates bioenergy technologies such as ethanol, conventional co-firing and pyrolysis to examine how an agricultural province may contribute to bioenergy development and carbon sequestration. The results indicate that under moderate energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) prices, net electricity generation reaches 6.5 billion kWh annually. Net emission reduction is affected by market operations. At high GHG prices, pyrolysis and biochar application can sequester up to 4.74 million tons of CO_2R emissions annually. However, this measure fluctuates significantly when GHG prices vary. Our study shows that pyrolysis and biochar application provide significant environmental effects in terms of carbon sequestration.