2017 Volume 30 Issue 2 Pages 67-74
Tropical plantations are essential in order to meet the increasing global food demand. However, the yield per unit area of tropical plantations has been declining due to the decreasing soil quality. This has led researchers to focus on no-till farming, organic fertilization, and protection of bio-diversity. Furthermore, an efficient use of the large amounts of residue and biogas discharged from plantation factories has also been a major challenge. In this study, we assess the material and energy balance, and propose a mathematical model for describing the material and energy balance of plantation. We modeled the material and energy flows between two processes—plantation and factory—using material-, carbon- and energy-based variables. This model estimates the change in yield and environmental impacts, and the capacity of external biomass supply by using the relationship between each process and a feedback loop from a comprehensive point of view. Finally, we applied this model to biogas utilization in cassava factories. The results suggest that GHG emissions can be reduced by at least 60 percent.
