TY - JOUR
T1 - The viability of biofuel production on urban marginal land
T2 - An analysis of metal contaminants and energy balance for pittsburgh's sunflower gardens
AU - Zhao, Xi
AU - Monnell, Jason D.
AU - Niblick, Briana
AU - Rovensky, Christopher D.
AU - Landis, Amy E.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank GTECH Strategies for providing assistance in sample and data collection and acknowledge the U.S. National Science Foundation CBET Grant No. 0933249 for funding this study.
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - After three years' monitoring of the concentration of Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Pb, As, Cd, Cr and Se in soil, Fe, Pb and As in Pittsburgh's vacant lots were found sometimes to exceed the residential maximum soil contaminant concentrations set by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Heavy metal uptake by sunflowers was insignificant at the soil metal concentrations observed in Pittsburgh, indicating that sunflowers produced on marginal urban land could be a safe biofuel feedstock. However, there was a risk that sunflowers grown on more contaminated spoils could be unsafe. Calculations of the energy balance of the total biofuel production system suggested that lots in Pittsburgh of over 0.2. ha would be able to produce an energy gain, particularly if community volunteers were involved in the process. Using marginal urban land for biofuel production can be a worthwhile strategy to replace costly traditional vacant lot management methods.
AB - After three years' monitoring of the concentration of Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Pb, As, Cd, Cr and Se in soil, Fe, Pb and As in Pittsburgh's vacant lots were found sometimes to exceed the residential maximum soil contaminant concentrations set by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Heavy metal uptake by sunflowers was insignificant at the soil metal concentrations observed in Pittsburgh, indicating that sunflowers produced on marginal urban land could be a safe biofuel feedstock. However, there was a risk that sunflowers grown on more contaminated spoils could be unsafe. Calculations of the energy balance of the total biofuel production system suggested that lots in Pittsburgh of over 0.2. ha would be able to produce an energy gain, particularly if community volunteers were involved in the process. Using marginal urban land for biofuel production can be a worthwhile strategy to replace costly traditional vacant lot management methods.
KW - Balance
KW - Biofuel
KW - Energy
KW - Soil contamination
KW - Sunflower
KW - Urban agriculture
KW - Urban vacant lot management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84894484882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84894484882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.12.015
DO - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.12.015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84894484882
SN - 0169-2046
VL - 124
SP - 22
EP - 33
JO - Landscape and Urban Planning
JF - Landscape and Urban Planning
ER -