China Can Supply About 250 Million Metric Tons of Crop Residues for Bioenergy Production Every Year

We use county-level data on crop yields and cropland to estimate the potential biomass supply from crop residues in China. We find that China can potentially produce about 250 million dry metric tons of crop residues per year when biomass prices are greater than $100 per metric ton. We also find that rice straw is expected to account for about 47% of total residue production, while corn stover (residue) can contribute 28% to total biomass production in China and wheat straw can contribute 25%. Our findings suggest that, if crop residues can be effectively utilized, China can significantly reduce coal consumption and improve air quality.