2006 Volume 68 Issue 5 Pages 41-51
This paper describes the feasibility of fuel biomass ethanol production in a double cropping system. Rice and wheat/barley production using double cropping system is a traditional, sustainable and environmentally sound cultivation technique in Japan. The double cropping system also has a merit of higher land productivity compared to single crop system, resulting to higher and sustainable energy crop production of biomass ethanol. Cultivation system to increase biomass ethanol production was determined using Developmental Index (DVI) for crop variety, planting system and cultivation period in Tochigi prefecture, Japan. Inventory analysis of energy input was conducted for cultivation, industrial ethanol plant and material transportation while net energy production was calculated based on energy input and output of biomass ethanol. In a double cropping system, net energy production of 21.7GJ per 10 ares and 18.8GJ per 10 ares were obtained in the southern and northern Tochigi, respectively. Results showed that fuel biomass ethanol in a double cropping system are enough to be feasible due to large amount of net energy production. However further cost reduction is required for ethanol production because the calculated ethanol production cost is about 145yen/L and the calorific value of ethanol is only about 60 percent of fossil fuel.
