Optimal energy use of agricultural crop residues preserving soil organic carbon stocks in Europe

The estimate provided builds on results from previous studies (e.g., Scarlat et al. Waste Manage 2010;30:1889-1897, Monforti et al. Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev 2013;19:666-677) and on the analysis of future scenarios of SOC content obtained from an innovative pan-EU modelling platform (Lugato et al. Global Change Biol 2014;20:313-326. doi:10.1111/gcb.12292. Such an integrated approach, making use of soil, climate and energy transformation modelling, is unique and constitutes a substantial applied value for assessing the sustainability of crop residues use.