Spatial assessment of the economic feasibility of short rotation coppice on radioactively contaminated land in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. I. Model description and scenario analysis.
The economic feasibility of short rotation coppice (SRC) production and energy conversion in areas contaminated by Chernobyl-derived (137)Cs was evaluated taking the spatial variability of environmental conditions into account. Two sequential GIS-embedded submodels were developed for a spatial assessment, which allow for spatial variation in soil contamination, soil type, and land use. These models were applied for four SRC production and four energy conversion scenarios for the entire contaminated area of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia and for a part of the Bragin district, Belarus. It was concluded that in general medium-scale SRC production using local machines is most profitable. The areas near Chernobyl are not suitable for SRC production since the contamination levels in SRC wood exceed the intervention limit. Large scale SRC production is not profitable in areas where dry and sandy soils predominate. If the soil contamination does not exceed the intervention limit and sufficient SRC wood is available, all energy conversion scenarios are profitable.
The Netherlands Centre for Geo-ecology, Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.vanderperk@geog.uu.nl
Marcel van der
Mv
Perk Mv
Jiske
J
Burema
Hildegarde
H
Vandenhove
François
F
Goor
Sergei
S
Timofeyev
D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000191:economics*; D018533:Biomass; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D017745:Incineration; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D002094:Republic of Belarus; D012426:Russia; D032108:Salix / Q000254:growth & development*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D014455:Ukraine
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive