Environmental performances of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) cultivated in fertile and marginal lands: A case study in the Mediterranean

• Environmental impact of giant reed in fertile and marginal lands was assessed by LCA.
• Cultivating giant reed in marginal soils reduce crop yield of about 35%.
• Giant reed is a net sink of carbon in both fertile and marginal lands.
• Both on hectare and tonne basis environmental impacts were higher in marginal land.

Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRGs) tend to have a high yield combined with a low environmental impact. Cultivation in marginal or poorly cultivated land is recommended in order not to compromise food security and to overcome land use controversies. However, the environmental impacts of using different types of soil are still unclear. We thus assessed the environmental impact of two giant reed (GR) systems cultivated in a fertile soil (FS) and in a marginal soil (MS) through a cradle-to-plant gate LCA. We analyzed energy balance, GHG emissions (including LUC, not including iLUC), and the main impacts on air, water and soil quality. In both systems the annualized soil carbon sequestration was more than twofold the total GHG emitted, equal to −6464 kg CO2eq ha−1 in FS and −5757 kg CO2eq ha−1 in MS. Overall, soil characteristics affected not only GR yield level, but also its environmental impact, which seems to be higher in the MS system both on a hectare and tonne basis. The production of GR biomass in marginal soil could thus lead to higher environmental impacts and a more extensive land requirement.