Crop residue

Some algorithms have been developed to estimate the potential capacity of biofuel production from agricultural residues.

[4][5] Based on the experimental data obtained from a study that used ethanol organosolv pretreated rice straw to produce biohydrogen using Enterobacter aerogenes, the annual global amount of collectable rice straw (not total produced straw) for biofuel production was estimated about 249 million tonnes, that could approximately produce 355.78 kilotonnes of hydrogen and 11.32 million tonnes of lignin by the proposed organosolv technology and it was found that China contributes to about 32% of global potential capacity to produce biohydrogen from rice straw.

Over time, the nutrients fixed by soil microbes and humus are released and available to crops.

The efficiency of nutrient uptake by crops from fertilizers or residue release is generally thought to be similar.

There is some residual benefit of fertilizers as the crops take up a small amount of the nutrients two and three years later.