Determining the bioenergy potential of multiple crops (palm oil, soybean and sugarcane) in the Philippines by land suitability analysis

• Main Authors: Bacayo, JV Nicole Pausal, Laconico, Lorraine Ysabel Abesamis, Somera, Denise Alyssa Cordero, Teng, Chloe Brianna Valbuena
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Land use—Philippines—Planning; Biomass energy—Philippines; Agricultural wastes as fuel—Philippines; Chemical Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_chemeng/9; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=etdb_chemeng
• Institution: De La Salle University

Palm oil, sugarcane, and soybean are three leading crops for cultivation in the Philippines and due to the significant amount of generated waste, they can be utilized for bioenergy use and land planning. To assess the extent of cultivation, a decision framework was developed, and the estimation of bioenergy potential was determined using the land distribution of each crop per region. The potentially available lands were identified and quantified using a GIS-based land suitability analysis. The biophysical and biochemical requirements, such as rainfall, soil depth, soil texture, slope, and pH level, of the three crops were compiled from literature into sets of suitability criteria. Through QGIS, the suitability and availability maps of each crop were generated and integrated to perform a multi-crop analysis. After obtaining the distribution of lands of all three crops, it was found that sugarcane could provide the largest amount with 1.30 million hectares of available land for production and could yield 149 million megawatt-hours of bioenergy in a year. This is followed by palm oil and soybean respectively. Generally, Luzon is the island group found to contain the largest amount of available and suitable land for cultivation, with an exception for soybean, and Mindanao possessing the most land to produce higher quality crops. However, the utilization of these available areas must be done using sustainable practices. The data generated from the study may promote the limits for expansion of the bioenergy sector while improving the state of the agricultural sector in the Philippines. Consequently, the maps would contribute to the future of Philippine bioenergy policies. With proper planning and balance between the agricultural and energy sector, the PhilippineV· energy mix and economic standing may greatly improve.