Biogas production and changes in soil carbon input - A regional analysis

The inclusion of biogas production into the agricultural system has modified crop management and as a result the soil organic carbon (SOC) cycle of the agricultural landscape. To evaluate the effects for the German federal state of Saxony this study determines: (1) the share of agricultural land required for biogas production, (2) the change in regional carbon input fluxes to soil during the time of the establishment of the biogas production considering also the quality of sources of different fresh organic matter (FOM) for the formation of SOC and (3) the differences in carbon input to SOC between the area influenced by biogas production (here “biogas fingerprint area” (BFA)) and the surrounding arable land.