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At least 829 records · Page 46
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Biodiesel Ethers: Fatty Acid-Derived Alkyl Ether Fuels as Improved Bioblendstocks for Mixing-Controlled Compression Ignition Engines

In the last 20 years, biodiesel consumption in the United States has swiftly increased to ~2 billion gallons per year as a renewable supplement to fossil fuel. However, further expansion of biodiesel use is currently limited in part by poor cold weather performance, which prevents year-round blending and necessitates blend walls ≤5% v/v. In order to provide a diesel fuel blendstock with improved cold weather performance (cloud point, pour point, and cold filter plug point), while at the same time maintaining other required fuel performance specifications, several biodiesel redox analogues were synthesized and tested. The best performing candidate fuels from this class showed improvement in the derived cetane number (29.3% shorter ignition delay), lower heating value (+4.7 MJ/kg), relative sooting tendency (–7.4 YSI/MJ), and cloud point (15 °C lower) when compared to a B100 biodiesel composed of an identical fatty acid profile. It was observed as a general trend that the reduced form of biodiesel, fatty alkyl ethers (FAEs), shows performance improvements in all fuel property metrics. The suite of improved properties provided by FAEs gives biodiesel producers the opportunity to diversify their portfolio of products derived from lipid and alcohol feedstocks to include long-chain alkyl ethers, a biodiesel alternative with particular applicability for winter weather conditions across the US.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

SCALEABLE HYDROTREATING OF HTL BIOCRUDE TO PRODUCE FUEL BLENDSTOCKS

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) offers an attractive route to produce fuel blendstocks from wet wastes. Scaleable hydrotreating data for the conversion of HTL biocrude to fuels is critical to the commercialization of HTL. Herein, we demonstrate pore diffusion limitations for the hydrotreating of HTL biocrudes. We demonstrate scale-able hydrotreating of HTL biocrude to produce a high cetane diesel fuel and demonstrate the hydrotreating limitations.

Biofuel, hydrotreating, HTL biocrude, hydrothermal↗
DOE OSTI2023

Water Contamination Impacts on Biodiesel Antioxidants and Storage Stability

Biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters) can oxidize in storage to form acids and gums that negatively impact engine performance and durability. Antioxidant additives are used to increase biodiesel storage stability, and previous studies that evaluated the effectiveness of antioxidants demonstrated that more polar antioxidants tend to be the most effective (provide the largest improvement in stability per unit of antioxidant added). However, polar antioxidants have significant water solubility, and diesel fuel storage tanks are commonly contaminated with water (forming a layer of water under the fuel). This study investigates whether nonpolar antioxidants, which are less effective in dry environments, might be more effective under wet conditions simulating real-world storage. Biodiesel blends treated with polar and nonpolar antioxidants were subjected to accelerated aging using the ASTM D4625 protocol (storage at 43 °C, open to air, for up to 24 weeks) both with and without added water. Fuels treated with polar/higher-effectiveness compounds and stored in contact with water (simulating water in a storage tank) or high humidity showed accelerated loss of stability compared to dry storage. The same fuel treated with a nonpolar antioxidant and stored in the same conditions did not exhibit accelerated stability loss and thus had higher storage stability over the long term despite treatment with an initially less effective additive. Analysis of the fuels during aging showed that this loss of stability was not due to oxidation but rather extraction of the polar antioxidant into the water layer. Antioxidant additives that are incompatible with wet or humid storage conditions were found to cause faster-than-anticipated loss of stability, which was preventable with use of nonpolar additives.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comparative Techno-economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Producing High-Value Chemicals and Fuels from Waste Plastic via Conventional Pyrolysis and Thermal Oxo-degradation

The rapid rise in global plastic production in recent decades has resulted in the massive generation of plastic waste. Over 75% of the plastic waste generated in the United States was sent to landfills, with a meager 8.7% recycled. Plastics are valuable feedstocks for platform chemicals and fuels. Chemical upcycling of waste high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is gaining more attention as a potentially feasible and environmentally friendly plastic waste management technology. Conventional pyrolysis (CPY) and thermal oxo-degradation (TOD) are two chemical upcycling technologies actively researched for decomposing waste HDPE into valuable chemicals and fuels. However, there are few studies on the techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of these technologies for converting waste HDPE to valuable products. This study conducts a comparative TEA and LCA study of the thermochemical decomposition of waste HDPE to produce gaseous (ethylene and propylene) and liquid (naphtha, diesel, and wax) products by CPY and TOD. The study elucidates and compares the impact of hydrocracking longer chain hydrocarbons to produce more valuable products on the TEA and LCA. The TEA showed that the fixed capital investment could range from $\$32.5$ million for TOD without hydrocracking to $\$244$ million for CPY with hydrocracking scenarios. Annual revenues range from $\$28.1$ million to $\$71.5$ million in favor of scenarios with hydrocracking. However, the net present value ranges from $\$1.4$ million to $\$265.8$ million in favor of scenarios without hydrocracking. Sensitivity analysis showed that fixed capital cost, facility capacity, and product prices have the biggest impact on the process economics of the facilities, while utilities and waste transportation to refineries have the biggest impact on environmental impacts. Here, the LCA showed that primary products from scenarios without hydrocracking can be more environmentally friendly than virgin products from petroleum processes. However, TOD and CPY with hydrocracking primary products have more emissions than those of virgin products.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Analysis of the Potential and Cost of the U.S. Refinery Sector Decarbonization

In 2019, U.S. petroleum refineries emitted 196 million metric tons (MT) of CO 2 , while the well-to-gate and the full life cycle CO 2 emissions were significantly higher, reaching 419 and 2843 million MT of CO 2 , respectively. This analysis examines decarbonization opportunities for U.S. refineries and the cost to achieve both refinery level and complete life-cycle CO 2 emission reductions. Here, we used 2019 life-cycle CO 2 emissions from U.S. refineries as a baseline and identified three categories of decarbonization opportunity: (1) switching refinery energy inputs from fossil to renewable sources (e.g., switch hydrogen source); (2) carbon capture and storage of CO 2 from various refining units; and (3) changing the feedstock from petroleum crude to biocrude using various blending levels. While all three options can reduce CO 2 emissions from refineries, only the third can reduce emissions throughout the life cycle of refinery products, including the combustion of fuels (e.g., gasoline and diesel) during end use applications. A decarbonization approach that combines strategies 1, 2, and 3 can achieve negative life-cycle CO 2 emissions, with an average CO 2 avoidance cost of $\$113$ - $\$477$/MT CO 2 , or $\$54$ - $\$227$/bbl of processed crude; these costs are driven primarily by the high cost of biocrude feedstock.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gas and Propane Combustion from Stoves Emits Benzene and Increases Indoor Air Pollution

Exposure pathways to the carcinogen benzene are well-established from tobacco smoke, oil and gas development, refining, gasoline pumping, and gasoline and diesel combustion. Combustion has also been linked to the formation of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde indoors from gas stoves. To our knowledge, however, no research has quantified the formation of benzene indoors from gas combustion by stoves. Across 87 homes in California and Colorado, natural gas and propane combustion emitted detectable and repeatable levels of benzene that in some homes raised indoor benzene concentrations above well-established health benchmarks. Mean benzene emissions from gas and propane burners on high and ovens set to 350 °F ranged from 2.8 to 6.5 μg min –1 , 10 to 25 times higher than emissions from electric coil and radiant alternatives; neither induction stoves nor the food being cooked emitted detectable benzene. Benzene produced by gas and propane stoves also migrated throughout homes, in some cases elevating bedroom benzene concentrations above chronic health benchmarks for hours after the stove was turned off. Combustion of gas and propane from stoves may be a substantial benzene exposure pathway and can reduce indoor air quality.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tuning the Interaction between Platinum Single Atoms and Ceria by Zirconia Doping for Efficient Catalytic Ammonia Oxidation

Aiming at the development of an efficient NH 3 oxidation catalyst to eliminate the harmful NH 3 slip from the stationary flue gas denitrification system and diesel exhaust aftertreatment system, a facile ZrO 2 doping strategy was proposed to construct Pt 1 /Ce x Zr 1–x O 2 catalysts with a tunable Pt-CeO 2 interaction strength and Pt–O–Ce coordination environment. According to the results of systematic characterizations, Pt species supported on Ce x Zr 1–x O 2 were mainly in the form of single atoms when x ≥ 0.7, and the strength of the Pt-CeO 2 interaction and the coordination number of Pt–O–Ce bond (CN Pt–O–Ce ) on Pt 1 /Ce x Zr 1–x O 2 showed a volcanic change as a function of the ZrO 2 doping amount. Here, it was proposed that the balance between the reasonable concentration of oxygen defects and limited surface Zr–O x species well accounted for the strongest Pt-CeO 2 interaction and the highest CN Pt–O–Ce on Pt/Ce 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 2 . It was observed that the Pt/Ce 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 2 catalyst exhibited much higher NH 3 oxidation activity than other Pt/Ce x Zr 1–x O 2 catalysts. The mechanism study revealed that the Pt 1 species with the stronger Pt-CeO 2 interaction and higher CN Pt–O–Ce within Pt/Ce 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 2 could better activate NH 3 adsorbed on Lewis acid sites to react with O 2 thus resulting in superior NH 3 oxidation activity. This work provides a new approach for designing highly efficient Pt/CeO 2 based catalysts for low-temperature NH 3 oxidation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unraveling the Intermediate Reaction Complexes and Critical Role of Support-Derived Oxygen Atoms in CO Oxidation on Single-Atom Pt/CeO 2

CeO 2 -supported Pt single-atom catalysts have been extensively studied due to their relevance in automobile emission control and for the fundamental understanding of CeO 2 -based catalysts. Though CeO 2 -supported Pt nanoparticles are often more active than their single-atom counterparts, the former could easily redisperse to Pt single atom under oxidizing diesel conditions. Therefore, to maximize the reactivity of every Pt atom, it is important to fully understand the reaction mechanism of CeO 2 -supported Pt single atoms. Here, we report a CO oxidation study on a Pt/CeO 2 single-atom catalyst, where we can account for all of the neighbors using in situ and operando spectroscopy techniques and microcalorimetric measurements. Coupled with density functional theory calculations, we present a comprehensive picture of the dynamics of the surface species, the role of surface intermediates, and explain the observed reaction kinetics. We started with a catalyst containing exclusively single atoms and used in situ/operando spectroscopy to provide evidence for their stability during the reaction and to identify the Pt 1 complexes before and during the reaction and their binding to CO. The results reveal that in the precatalyst, Pt is present as Pt(O) 4 on the CeO 2 (111) step edge sites, but during CO oxidation, we find that two Pt 1 complexes coexist, representing two states of the same active site in the reaction cycle. The dominant state/complex remains Pt(O) 4 , which adsorbs CO very weakly as shown by CO microcalorimetry. The second, minority state/complex, Pt(CO)(O) 3 is generated through the reaction of Pt(O) 4 with CO, and CO is bound strongly to Pt 1 . Labile oxygen adatoms from the CeO 2 surface play a major role in the regeneration of Pt(O) 4 either directly from Pt(O) 3 or by reaction with the strongly adsorbed CO in Pt(CO)(O) 3 . We show that the formation of an oxygen vacancy and generation of a labile O* are not barrierless, which explains the long lifetime of Pt(CO)(O) 3 and its detectability despite being a minority complex. The results help to develop a comprehensive view of the dynamic evolution of Pt 1 complexes along the reaction cycle and provide mechanistic insights to guide the design of Pt-based single-atom catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Renewable Activated Carbon Sorbent for the Desulfurization of Liquid Fuels

In recent years, significant efforts have been devoted to the reduction of sulfur levels in transportation fuels in order to reach regulatory limits and reduce the emission of harmful SO x into the atmosphere. In particular, adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) has the potential to produce zero-sulfur fuels without the need for a high energy intensity process, high H 2 pressure, and long process times as in the case of other technologies such as hydrodesulfurization. In this work, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of renewable activated carbons derived from food waste (FWAC) for the ADS of model jet and diesel fuels. The optimal FWAC materials were those fabricated to maximize the micropore volume, providing available sites for the adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT). The FWAC had a greater sulfur adsorption capacity than commercial AC, Y zeolite sorbents, and AC derived from other biomass sources including miscanthus, coconut shell, and walnut shell. Elemental analysis suggests that the inorganic impurities inherent in food waste, notably K, Ca, P, and Na, may contribute to its improved sulfur adsorption compared to other AC materials. Microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies further demonstrated the presence of inorganic species on FWAC that may provide active sites for the chemisorption of sulfur molecules.

Adsorption↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reducing Coke and Increasing Bio-Oil Yield during Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass Using Phosphorus-Modified Zeolite Catalysts

Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) is a promising strategy for producing hydrocarbon transportation fuels from biomass feedstocks. However, catalyst development is needed to increase bio-oil yields and enhance process economics. In this work, we demonstrate how post synthetic modification of formed ZSM-5 with phosphorus shifts CFP selectivity from coke and light gases toward the desired bio-oil product. Microscale experiments demonstrated reduced coke production relative to unmodified ZSM-5 and identified an optimal P loading. Extensive catalyst characterization revealed that P interacted with Al sites to reduce the acid site density, with preferential binding to the strongest acid sites. Insights from the microscale experiments were leveraged to produce kilogram quantities of formed P-ZSM-5 for evaluation in a larger semi-integrated process. These experiments generated liters of bio-oil that was hydrotreated and fractionated into gasoline, diesel, and jet cuts. The phosphorus-modified ZSM-5 improved CFP bio-oil yield, resulting in an 11% relative increase in the carbon yield from biomass to aviation fuel and a 14% decrease in the minimum fuel selling price. These results highlight the impact targeted changes in catalyst acidity, achieved by adding 2.5 wt % P, can have on the carbon efficiency and feasibility of fuel production from biomass feedstocks.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Life Cycle Analysis of Growing Canola for Biofuel Production in the United States

This study quantifies and compares the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of renewable diesel (RD), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and biodiesel (BD) produced from two U.S. canola production systems: 1) emerging intermediate winter canola, typically grown in double- or relay-cropping systems between the growing seasons of main crops, and 2) main canola, mostly spring canola but also including winter canola, which are grown as primary crops occupying the field for a full growing season. Using the Research and Development version of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (R&D GREET) model and the most up-to-date life cycle inventory data─field trial data for intermediate winter canola (>37,000 acres) and recent national survey data for spring canola─this life cycle analysis (LCA) estimates the direct emissions from canola cultivation and harvest, the conversion of canola into fuels, fuel transportation, and combustion. In addition, we account for market-mediated emissions associated with a scenario of 0.5 billion gallons per year of spring canola-based biofuels, including induced land use change (ILUC), induced other crop (nonfeedstock) production changes, and induced livestock production changes. For intermediate winter canola, these market-mediated effects were not modeled, as ILUC is expected to be negligible due to its integration into existing rotations, and data are currently insufficient to reliably quantify other market-mediated changes. The estimated life cycle direct emissions of RD/SAF derived from intermediate winter canola and main spring canola are about 32 and 33 g of CO2-equivalent per megajoule of fuel (g CO 2 e/MJ), respectively. Corresponding emissions for BD from intermediate winter canola and main spring canola are about 30 and 31 g of CO 2 e/MJ, respectively. Farming is the dominant emissions source for both canola systems, with intermediate winter canola and main spring canola emitting about 19 and 20 g of CO 2 e/MJ, respectively. ILUC and other induced changes increase emissions of main spring canola-derived RD/SAF and BD by about 18 and 17 g of CO 2 e/MJ, respectively. These results indicate that the GHG emissions of biofuels produced from the two canola systems may differ substantially due to the different land use dynamics of the systems.

biodiesel↗
DOE OSTI2023

Single Ru(II) Ions on Ceria as a Highly Active Catalyst for Abatement of NO

Atom trapping leads to catalysts with atomically dispersed Ru 1 O 5 sites on (100) facets of ceria, as identified by spectroscopy and DFT calculations. This is a new class of ceria-based materials with Ru properties drastically different from the known M/ceria materials. They show excellent activity in catalytic NO oxidation, a critical step that requires use of large loadings of expensive noble metals in diesel aftertreatment systems. Ru 1 /CeO 2 is stable during continuous cycling, ramping, and cooling as well as the presence of moisture. Furthermore, Ru 1 /CeO 2 shows very high NO x storage properties due to formation of stable Ru–NO complexes as well as a high spill-over rate of NO x onto CeO 2 . Only ~0.05 wt % of Ru is required for excellent NO x storage. Ru 1 O 5 sites exhibit much higher stability during calcination in air/steam up to 750 °C in contrast to RuO 2 nanoparticles. Here we clarify the location of Ru(II) ions on the ceria surface and experimentally identify the mechanism of NO storage and oxidation using DFT calculations and in situ DRIFTS/mass spectroscopy. Moreover, we show excellent reactivity of Ru 1 /CeO 2 for NO reduction by CO at low temperatures: only 0.1–0.5 wt % of Ru is sufficient to achieve high activity. Modulation-excitation in situ infrared and XPS measurements reveal the individual elementary steps of NO reduction by CO on an atomically dispersed Ru ceria catalyst, highlighting unique properties of Ru 1 /CeO 2 and its propensity to form oxygen vacancies/Ce +3 sites that are critical for NO reduction, even at low Ru loadings. Our study highlights the applicability of novel ceria-based single-atom catalysts to NO and CO abatement.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Conversion of Compositionally Diverse Plastic Waste over Earth-Abundant Sulfides

Chemical deconstruction of polyolefin plastic wastes via hydroconversion is promising for mitigating plastic accumulation in landfills and the environment. However, hydroconversion catalysts cannot handle complex feedstocks containing multiple polymers, additives, and heteroatom impurities. Here, we report a single-step strategy using earth-abundant metal sulfide catalysts to deconstruct these wastes. We show that NiMoS x /HY catalysts deconstruct polyolefin feedstocks, achieving ~81–94% selectivity to liquid products. Postsynthetic zeolite modification enhances the catalyst’s activity by >2.5 times, achieving over 95% selectivity to liquid fuels with controllable product distribution in the naphtha, jet fuel, and diesel range. The catalyst is resilient to increasingly complex feedstocks, such as additive-containing polymers and mixed plastics composed of polyolefins and heteroatom-containing polymers, including poly(vinyl chloride). As a result, we extend the strategy to single-use polyolefin wastes that can generate toxic byproducts, such as HCl and NH 3 , and eliminate their emissions by integrating reaction and sorption in a one-step process.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Polyethylene Upcycling to Liquid Alkanes in Molten Salts under Neat and External Hydrogen Source-Free Conditions

Development of facile approaches to convert plastic waste into liquid fuels under neat conditions is highly desired but challenging, particularly without noble metal catalysts and an external hydrogen source. Herein, highly efficient and selective polyethylene-to-gasoline oil (branched C 6 –C 12 alkanes) conversion was achieved under mild conditions (<170 °C) using commercially available AlCl 3 -containing molten salts as reaction media and to provide catalytic sites (no extra solvents, additives, or hydrogen feeding). The high catalytic efficiency and selectivity was ensured by the abundant active Al sites with strong Lewis acidity (comparable to the Al type in acidic zeolite) and highly ionic nature of the molten salts to stabilize the carbenium intermediates. Dynamic genesis of the Al sites was elucidated via time-resolved Al K-edge soft X-ray and 27 Al NMR, confirming the tricoordinated Al 3+ as active sites and its coordination with the as-generated alkene/aromatic intermediates. Further, the carbenium formation and polyethylene chain variation was illustrated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and an isotope-labeling experiment. Theoretical simulations further demonstrated the successive hydride abstraction, β-scission, isomerization, and internal hydrogen transfer reaction pathway with AlCl 3 as active sites. This facile catalytic system can further achieve the conversion of robust, densely assembled, and high molecular weight plastic model compounds to liquid alkane products in the diesel range.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Single-Atom Nickel Dispersed on Mo 2 TiC 2 T x MXene for Upcycling of Polyolefins via Catalytic Hydropyrolysis for Fuels and Lubricants

Plastic waste has been a major social and environmental problem. Chemical upcycling of plastic waste into transportation fuels or lubricant oil has emerged as an attractive and promising approach to convert plastic waste into valuable products. However, conventional catalyst systems often require high-pressure hydrogen, prolonged residence time, and the use of noble metal catalysts. Here, we present zero-valent nickel single atoms on Mo-based MXenes (Ni/Mo 2 TiC 2 T x ) for effective hydrogenation of polyolefins. In situ spectroscopic and microscopic characterizations demonstrate the formation of Ni–Mo and Ni–C bonds at a low Ni loading, resulting in the formation of dispersed intercalated Ni atoms. The catalysts were then employed to convert polyethylene into fuels and lubricant molecules under atmospheric hydrogen pressure, short vapor residence time (τ < 1 s), and mild reaction temperature (300 °C). We further demonstrated the possibility of tuning the Ni structure by changing the Ni loading, attributed to the strong metal–support interactions (MSIs) with the Mo 2 TiC 2 T x support. Under optimized conditions, 22.5 C% gasoline, 12.0 C% diesel, 19.2 C% jet fuel (JP-8), and 37.4 C% lubricant were produced over 0.5% Ni/Mo 2 TiC 2 T x . This work highlights the potential of utilizing MSIs of Mo 2 TiC 2 T x MXenes to synthesize single-atom catalysts (SACs) for upcycling plastic waste into higher-value products.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantifying the Diversity of an Atmospheric Aerosol Population in an Arctic Oil Field on a Single‐Particle Level

As the Arctic rapidly warms, sea ice extent is decreasing and oil and gas extraction activities are expanding. Local combustion emissions affect the Arctic atmospheric aerosol chemical mixing state (the distribution of chemical species across the aerosol population), which impacts climate-relevant properties. Bulk and single-particle measurements of submicron aerosols were conducted at Oliktok Point, Alaska within the North Slope of Alaska oil fields. In this work, we quantify aerosol diversity using online single-particle mass spectrometry data (32,880 individual particles), offline single-particle microscopy data (20,912 individual particles), and online bulk aerosol mass spectrometry and aethalometer data. This method was used to derive individual particle mass fractions for both refractory and non-refractory material within distinct particle types. Single-particle, average single-particle, and bulk population diversities (D i , D α , D γ , respectively) and mixing state indices (χ) were calculated for the data set. Calculated D i values were generally low (2.2 ± 0.6), as individual particle masses were dominated by a few chemical species of interest. Aged aerosol particles (those internally mixed with nitrate and/or sulfate) exhibited higher D i values (>3) compared to recently emitted (fresh) aerosol particles. During oil field plume periods, D α values approached three due to the abundance of diesel combustion particles, which were rich in sulfate, black carbon, and organic aerosol. Overall, the submicron aerosol population within the Arctic oil fields was found to be relatively externally mixed (χ < 50%), due to the constant local emissions within oil fields combining with background aerosol and locally emitted sea spray aerosol at the coastal site.

Wu, J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Historical and Future Global Irrigation Energy Consumption by Fuel and Region

Irrigation energy use is a significant component of agricultural production costs, contributing directly to the energy and emissions intensity of crop production and ultimately to food prices. Understanding the existing structure of irrigation energy consumption help achieve food-energy-water security and environmental goals. We present a comprehensive global data set detailing country-level irrigation energy consumption, emphasizing the comparative use of electric, diesel, and emerging solar pumps. To our knowledge, no such data set exists. We draw from a literature review to develop a logistic transformed regression model to estimate the shares of fuel sources for irrigation across countries over historical years to construct a global data set of country-level irrigation energy consumption by multiple fuel sources. Additionally, we compare our estimates of irrigation energy use with agricultural energy use as reported by the International Energy Agency and other external sources. We then use this data to project future irrigation energy use with the Global Change Analysis Model, which is a multisector dynamics model, to showcase the usage of this data set. Projections under the reference scenario show a global shift in fuel types for irrigation pumping, while patterns vary across regions, with India and Pakistan leading in solar-powered irrigation growth and countries like the USA and China continuing to rely primarily on grid electricity. This data set provides a resource to understand the role of irrigation fuel choices within the broader energy sector, as well as the connected agricultural, land use, and water sectors under alternative future scenarios, enabling informed decision making toward efficient agricultural practices.

Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM)↗