Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture

Timma, Lelde; Dace, Elina; Kristensen, Troels; Trydeman Knudsen, Marie

doi:10.3390/su12187389

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Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture

¹

Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark

²

Laboratory for Perceptual and Cognitive Systems at the Faculty of Computing, University of Latvia, Raina bulvaris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia

³

Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, 1 Jelgavas Street, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

⁴

Research Department, Riga Stradins University, 16 Dzirciema Street, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7389; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187389

Submission received: 26 June 2020 / Revised: 4 September 2020 / Accepted: 7 September 2020 / Published: 9 September 2020

(This article belongs to the Section Resources and Sustainable Utilization)

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Abstract

In this work, a novel, dynamic sustainability assessment tool is presented and validated in a case study. This tool combines two methods—system dynamics (SD) and temporal soil carbon modelling. The case study for sustainability analysis of Danish agriculture and green biorefineries supply chains in Denmark is used. The development of the Danish agriculture sector is simulated and assessed in relation to the ecosystem’s carrying capacity until 2050, defined as 1.4 livestock units per hectare. The results show that under the current development, the agriculture sector would exceed this carrying capacity shortly after 2030. The results obtained from the dynamic sustainability assessment tool show a more precise and less optimistic projection of future development than the assessment using constant soil carbon modelling values only. The study, therefore, suggests that the use of the temporal aspects in the sustainability assessment should be included and further developed.

Keywords: agriculture modeling; biorefineries; ecosystem carrying capacity; impact assessment; temporal aspects; planetary boundaries; sustainability assessment; system dynamics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Timma, L.; Dace, E.; Kristensen, T.; Trydeman Knudsen, M. Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7389. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187389

AMA Style

Timma L, Dace E, Kristensen T, Trydeman Knudsen M. Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture. Sustainability. 2020; 12(18):7389. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187389

Chicago/Turabian Style

Timma, Lelde, Elina Dace, Troels Kristensen, and Marie Trydeman Knudsen. 2020. "Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture" Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7389. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187389

APA Style

Timma, L., Dace, E., Kristensen, T., & Trydeman Knudsen, M. (2020). Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture. Sustainability, 12(18), 7389. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187389

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Dynamic Sustainability Assessment Tool: Case Study of Green Biorefineries in Danish Agriculture

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