Regional integrative benefits of converting livestock excrements to energy in China: An elaborative assessment from life cycle perspective

Livestock excrements (LEs) are important biomass, whose utilization for energy conversion can potentially ameliorate environmental problems and create economic profits. The integrative benefits contributed by LEs utilization have not been adequately explored especially from life cycle perspective. Due to different levels of husbandry development, LEs utilization in China’s provincial regions may present spatial disparity. We construct an integrated assessment model that is capable of elaborating the life cycle energy, environmental and socioeconomic benefits of utilizing LEs from commercial scale husbandry feedlots. The model is applied to 30 provincial regions in China to reveal the spatial features of the benefits. On the national level, the theoretical reserve of LEs shows an increasing trend during 2008–2017, reaching 200.36 Mt in 2017. 11.30 Mt coal-eq net energy benefits can be generated. The eutrophication potential is most significant as −9.08E+08 kg PO4-eq, accounting for 96.77% in total potential followed by the potentials of climate change, photochemical oxidation and acidification. Sichuan has the largest mitigated potentials of climate change and photochemical oxidation, and Henan has the largest mitigated potentials of eutrophication and acidification. In total 1.88 billion USD net profit and 73.06 thousand employments could be created. There overall forms a consistency among the three types of benefits spatially, with Sichuan, Yunnan, Shandong, Henan, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hunan and Hebei more advantageous. These regions should be prioritized when deploying LEs utilization. The comprehensive benefits and their spatial features presented by this study are expected to offer better support in formulating region-specific planning regarding LEs utilization and development.