Speaker
Description
Land-based carbon sequestration strategies require linking soil carbon dynamics with supply chain responses, accounting for land-use effects and biomass valorization. This work develops a parametric modelling workflow in Brightway 2.5 for consequential LCA of soil carbon sequestration strategies (SCS) in French croplands. Life cycle inventories integrate soil organic carbon (SOC) trajectories (C-TOOL and AMG soil models), tree growth modelling, and system expansion to represent multifunctionality and substitution pathways. Global sensitivity analysis is implemented through a modular Python toolkit with multiprocessing, enabling systematic perturbation of key parameters across both agronomic and supply-chain processes.
The analysis focuses on hedgerow integration and biochar-to-soil systems. In the hedgerow system, black locust hedges are introduced into conventional cropping systems, with biomass valorized through material substitution, including MDF replacing PVC and timber products substituting bricks. The model accounts for nitrogen-related, yield compensation, and iLUC. Climate benefits are driven by avoided materials, while both freshwater and marine eutrophication, as well as water use, are exacerbated by yield-compensation following cropland surface reduction from hedge planting. In the biochar system, pine plantations supply feedstock for pyrolysis, with biochar applied to soil and carbon storage assessed over 100 years. Agronomic side effects, including changes in yield, irrigation, nitrogen emissions, and albedo, are included. Results show that biochar offers substantial climate change mitigation from SOC sequestration, but iLUC drives increases in five of six assessed impact categories. Notably, oil recovery for energy is only beneficial if it substitutes fossil fuels; under a renewable energy matrix, this credit is lost.
Monte Carlo results show substantial overlap in impact distributions, indicating that variability across agronomic, SOC, and supply-chain parameters can offset the expected benefits of carbon sequestration.
This workflow enables transparent evaluation of how agronomic processes and supply-chain mechanisms interact in consequential LCA, supporting reproducible assessment of soil carbon mitigation strategies.
| How much time do you ideally wish for your contribution? | 10 min (Presentation, slides) |
|---|