Estimating geographic origins of corn and soybean biomass for biofuel production: A detailed dataset

Abstract

Sustainable fuel initiatives in the United States such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard and the Department of Energy's Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge have increased the production of corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel. However, the lack of precise information regarding biomass sourcing at a localized level has hindered accurate understanding of both biofuel costs and environmental impact of these production pathways. By harnessing the power of geospatial analysis and leveraging United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop census data, this dataset fills this critical knowledge gap. This dataset offers a novel estimation of geospatial biomass sourcing for biofuel production in the United States by synthesizing 2017 USDA crop census data, biorefinery data from the United States Energy Information Administration, and publicly available information about biomass sourcing for biofuel production. This dataset provides a detailed understanding of biomass use for first generation biofuel production, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions about resource allocation, investment strategies, and infrastructure development. Furthermore, the county-level granularity of the dataset allows for increased fidelity in the techno-economic assessments and life-cycle analyses of first-generation biofuels in the United States.

Keywords

• Bioenergy
• Biofuels
• Corn ethanol
• Soybean biodiesel
• Geospatial biomass sourcing