Inedible crop waste 2G ethanol vs biogas ?

[u/Small_Lawfulness9607]

Compare both approaches in terms of economic viability and environment benefits.
Here I am inclined towards biogas because it's easy to install, low cost. It don't need big companies money to setup. And can be installed near farmer's field.

[u/weather_watchman]

There are serious advantages in terms of soil health and structure, erosion prevention, and water retention to be had keeping crop waste in the field.

I'm less familiar with ethanol and biogas but any conversation about utilizing crop waste should also consider the environmental and agronomic benefits of leaving it in situ. That said, I'm sure there are many contexts in which its a net positive to use crop waste as feedstock for ethanol/methane

[u/Small_Lawfulness9607 → u/weather_watchman]

but leaving it in situ release lots of green house gas. And decomposition is time consuming. Not practical in most situations.

[u/weather_watchman → u/Small_Lawfulness9607]

Removing organic matter depletes the soil, requiring more amendments and irrigation. Bare soil is rapidly degraded and subject to increased erosion and continual loss of fertility, increased compaction, reduced rainwater infiltration, etc. Healthy, moist soil is resistant to changes in temperature, creating a beneficial microclimate for following crop rotations and reducing irrigation requirements.

The greenhouse gases released by natural decomposition of crop waste are negligible, I imagine, when compared to the logistics of hauling it out for processing, production of bioreactor facilities, additional pumping costs associated with aquifer depletion, hauling in and applying amendments, etc. A continuouslypresent and growing cover crop actively sequesters carbon and feeds the soil microbiome. The methane or ethanol you produced will just become more CO2 post combustion anyway

You seem to be thinking in a linear way, but there are really a lot of moving pieces when you're discussing agronomic systems and their interplay with the broader environment and economy. It really pays to take a more system level approach.

There are probably specific crops and locations where the benefits of leaving crop litter in situ are minimal and processed makes sense, but I suspect more often than not farmers can stay ahead of soil fertility and moisture issues by keeping as much of that organic matter in the field as possible

[u/Small_Lawfulness9607 → u/weather_watchman]

don't give AI generated responses, if I wanted to talk to AI I wouldn't have posted it here.

[u/weather_watchman → u/Small_Lawfulness9607]

Lol I wrote that, no AI whatsoever. I'm really interested in soil health and agronomic management as a way to mitigate desertification and flooding, water resources issues generally. I'm weirdly angry and flattered at the same time.

Regardless, look into soil health and the benefits of mulching before you go all in on bioreactors. From the farmer's pov selling crop litter is selling fertility, water retention, and ultimately the long-term profitability of their farm. You're sticking to your idea because its what you want to hear but doing yourself a disservice by doing so