| Title: | Impact of Biofuel Poplar Cultivation on Ground-Level Ozone and Premature Human Mortality Depends on Cultivar Selection and Planting Location |
| Author(s): | Ashworth K; Wild O; Eller AS; Hewitt CN; |
| Address: | "daggerLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, U.K. double daggerCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1520-5851 (Electronic) 0013-936X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Isoprene and other volatile organic compounds emitted from vegetation play a key role in governing the formation of ground-level ozone. Emission rates of such compounds depend critically on the plant species. The cultivation of biofuel feedstocks will contribute to future land use change, altering the distribution of plant species and hence the magnitude and distribution of emissions. Here we use relationships between biomass yield and isoprene emissions derived from experimental data for 29 commercially available poplar hybrids to assess the impact that the large-scale cultivation of poplar for use as a biofuel feedstock will have on air quality, specifically ground-level ozone concentrations, in Europe. We show that the increases in ground-level ozone across Europe will increase the number of premature deaths attributable to ozone pollution each year by up to 6%. Substantial crop losses (up to approximately 9 Mt y(-1) of wheat and maize) are also projected. We further demonstrate that these impacts are strongly dependent on the location of the poplar plantations, due to the prevailing meteorology, the population density, and the dominant crop type of the region. Our findings indicate the need for a concerted and centralized decision-making process that considers all aspects of future land use change in Europe, and not just the effect on greenhouse gas emissions" |
| Keywords: | "Air Pollution/analysis *Biofuels Biomass Butadienes/analysis Crops, Agricultural/growth & development Europe Hemiterpenes/analysis Humans *Mortality, Premature Ozone/*analysis Pentanes/analysis Populus/*growth & development/metabolism Seasons Volatile Org;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineAshworth, Kirsti Wild, Oliver Eller, Allyson S D Hewitt, C Nick eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2015/06/23 Environ Sci Technol. 2015 Jul 21; 49(14):8566-75. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00266. Epub 2015 Jul 9" |
