Identifying potential field sites for production of cellulosic energy plants in Asia

Cellulosic bioethanol produced from non-edible plants avoids food-fuel competition. Growing such plants on marginal non-arable lands also avoids the use of farmland. In this study, attempts were made to identify potential field sites for cellulosic bioethanol production in Asia. In this study, GIS databases containing information about requirements such as land use, landform, and climate were superimposed. Areas with terrestrial constraints were then removed from the candidate field sites using a terrain slope database. The remaining lands were evaluated using a net primary production (NPP) database. Of these areas, southern and eastern India, northeastern Thailand, and southern Sumatra (Indonesia) had high NPP. In the 2nd phase, local information regarding infrastructure, and agriculture were analyzed. Field-establishment feasibility was high for eastern India and southern Sumatra. Potential field sites were then located in satellite images of these two areas. In the 3rd phase, soils around potential sites were evaluated. Local residents were interviewed to estimate the cost of producing plants for biomass energy. Sites selected using this simple method are suitable for biomass production.