1. Introduction What are short rotation coppices (SRCs)? Woody, - PDF document

2017-07-07 C ONVERTING W ASTE T O R ESOURCES: A DECISION-SUPPORT MODEL FOR WASTEWATER-IRRIGATED SHORT ROTATION CROPS (General Introduction) By Huy Nguyen 1,* , Evan Davies 2 , Miles Dyck 3 , Martin Blank 4 , Richard Krygier 4 1. Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada 2. Department of Civil and Environmental, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada 3. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada 4. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada *Corresponding author: huy.nguyen5@mail.mcgill.ca 1 Content 1. Project Introduction 2. Application of System Dynamics to SRC System 3. Model Description 4. Model Uses & Applications 5. Conclusions 2 http://www.ceh.ac.uk/staffwebpages/images/willowebnm.jpg 1

2017-07-07 1. Introduction • What are short rotation coppices (SRCs)? • Woody, perennial crops: willow, poplar, • High-yielding 7-10 T/ha/yr (North America) • Harvest: 3-4 year cycle , life cycle > 20 years (~7 coppices) • Environmentally friendly : permitting disposal of treated, nutrient- rich, domestic wastewater and biosolids • Economically viable : providing a sustainable source of wood fibre for biofuel and biochar production (Keoleian & Volk, 2005, Yemshanov & McKenney, 2008) 3 http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/biomass-can-only-offer-major-emission-reductions-if-best-practices-are-followed-new-uk-report-says.html 1. Introduction • The Big Picture: SRC as a “SYSTEM” • Complex interactions and feedbacks between the system components Willow Biomass production, Poplar WWT, Irrigation, Bioenergy, Land-use, Environmental quality, Production Cost, SRWC policies 3-year- rotation (Caslin et al., 2011; Dimitriou et al., 2011; Langeveld et al., 2012; Weih, 2009) (Image source: EUBIA, n.y.) 4 2

2017-07-07 1. Introduction • Goals and Challenges: The interactions and feedbacks within and between components are complex and hard to quantify Soil – Water – Climate – Plant growth & yield component Image source: http://www.mberg.com.au/successful-tree-planting/ 5 1. Introduction • Goals and Challenges : Development of a decision-support model to aid in long-term planning for environmentally and economically sustainable SRC plantations Such a model can be used to: ▪ Simulate crop growth and inputs, their interaction with yield and end-uses ▪ Simulate soil water and solute transport ▪ Estimate the biomass energy content (biofuel), project economy ▪ Identify how alternative decisions affect system behaviour through the use of “what - if” scenarios ▪ Provide insights into the SRC plantation and management 6 3

2017-07-07 1. Introduction • Part of our decision-support model: 1. PLANT GROWTH & YIELD 2. SOIL WATER 7 Content 1. Project Introduction 2.Application of System Dynamics to SRC System 3. Model Description 4. Model Uses & Applications 5. Conclusions 8 http://www.ceh.ac.uk/staffwebpages/images/willowebnm.jpg 4

2017-07-07 2. Application of SD to SRC system • What is “system dynamics”? “A rigorous method of system description that facilitates feedback analysis – usually via a simulation model – of the effects of alternative system structure and control policies on system behavior”. (Simonovic & Davies, 2007) • System dynamics tools – Causal loop diagram (CLD), – Stock and flow diagram (SFD) and simulation model (Model) CLD SFD & Model (Sterman, 2000) 9 2. Application of SD to SRC system Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) – Causality: (+), (-), delay – Feedback Processes – Feedback Loop: reinforcing, balancing delay A B (+) A B A B (-) A B (Sterman, 2000) 10 5

2017-07-07 2. Application of SD to SRC system Stock and Flow Diagram (SFD) “Stocks are accumulations. They characterize the state of the system and generate the source sink information upon which decisions and actions are based” Examples: • Stock: Bank account balance, number of trees in plot, water in lake • Flow: income, timber harvesting, stream flows (Sterman, 2000) 11 2. Application of SD to SRC system Basic feedback processes of dynamic behaviour Combination of basic feedback processes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_dynamics Note: these behaviors are typically seen in numerical simulation models (based on SFDs), not in CLDs. (Sterman, 2000) 12 6

2017-07-07 2. Application of SD to SRC system How did we construct the systems model for SRC, ‘ WISDOM ’, or Willow System Dynamics Model ? Literature Review Four Causal Loop Diagrams study Stock & Flow Diagrams components Decision-support Model 13 2. Application of SD to SRC system Entire system visualization Job Creation + Literature Review Climate - Employment Change GHG emission reduction Selling Fuel/ + + Local Heat/Energy Economy - Energy Supply for Bioenergy facilities + + Treatment Plants Biomass Production Phyto-remediation - SRC Growth + Waste Water + + Biodiversity + Treatment Costs Heavy metal General CLD Govenrment Policies SRWCP extraction - on SRWC Treated Municipal Nutrients - + - Waste Water Soil Quality Environmental + Irrigation Threats to Public Sub-system visualization Regulations Health, Aquatic Life Effluents Net Profits - + Producers Water Quality /Farmers <SRC planting> <Irrigation Req> - Land Use Agriculture + <Irrigation Supply> + - SRC Growth + Irrigation - - + + <Salinity in - Fertilizer rootzone> Nutrient leaching <Sewage Sludge> + Soil P BC uptake - Respiration by SRC + + + - + Soil K + + <AET> + Soil nutrient - + Base cations + + - + Ca2+, Mg2+, K2+ + Nutrient uptake Wat deficie by SRC - + Nitrates NO3- 7 Sub-system CLDs + + + - + Weathering CO2 O2 + + Denitrification + Nitrificatrion + Photosynthesis + Precipitation - + DOC Decomposition + + SFD & Model + + Ammonium Soil water Radiation + + + NH4+ content Immobilization - + - + - DATA - <CO2> <SRC Foliage> Soil Organic Mineralisation Matter - + Litter + <Drainage> + <SRC Root + + - Biomass> Salinity in Water uptake by SRC rootzone + + 14 Water Extraction 7

2017-07-07 Content 1. Project Introduction 2. Application of System Dynamics to SRC System 3. Model Description 4. Model Uses & Applications 5. Conclusions 15 http://www.ceh.ac.uk/staffwebpages/images/willowebnm.jpg 7 interconnected 3. Model Description components 16 8