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Peatlands have been artificially drained and degraded over 100s of years and have released huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a result. In organic grassland soils, raising the water table to prevent such emissions is being proposed to meet national greenhouse gas emission targets for the land use sector. At present, all of these soils (335,000 ha) are assumed to be drained (as no information has been available on their drainage status) within national emission inventory reporting and are therefore responsible for significant emissions (8-9 million tonnes CO 2 -equivalent annually). The objective of the present study was to collate studies relating to the drainage status of peat soils in Ireland to present alternative scenarios with regard to actual drainage status of organic soils and their estimated emissions. From a drainage design perspective, evidence suggests that relatively small proportions of the grassland peat area was drained effectively using optimal in-field drain spacings required to control the water table at 0.4-0.5 m. Open drains excavated on such soils have limited capacity to laterally control the water table depth beyond short distances. Furthermore, the lack of long-term routine maintenance post installation ensures the redundancy of many drainage systems over time. New drainage installations are therefore likely replacing existing infrastructure and not necessarily increasing the drained area at any given time. This evidence supports literature from the 1980s which state that relatively low proportions of the grassland peat area has been subjected to effective drainage. Scenario testing results showed that likely emissions from the most probable scenario (with total area drained equating to 90,000-120,000 ha) are 3.6-4.7 million tonnes CO 2 -equivalent, approximately 40-53% of current national emission inventory estimates. The incorporation of such a refinement into the national inventory could offer a significant reduction in estimated GHG emissions from the grassland land use sector in national emission inventory reporting., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Despite the efforts to transition to a low carbon economy, greenhouse gas emissions are surging to critical levels. Carbon dioxide removals (CDR) methods, such as direct air capture (DAC), have been gaining substantial public attention in the last few years. DAC is essential in curbing CO2 concentrations and achieving climate targets. It is said that DAC can be deployed at anywhere, but a throughout life cycle assessment (LCA) is imperative to prove its viability. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the feasibility of constructing a 1 MT CO 2 plant in Ireland, using Kinsale and Corrib gas fields as storage points. The results showed that the country is an ideal candidate for scaling up this emerging industry. The efficiency is primarily influenced by the construction of the pipeline section, given a reliable sources of heat and electricity. The study highlights the significant impact of distances to the storage points on feasibility, favouring counties near of the gas fields. In conclusion, Ireland has the potential to establish its own DAC industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two wheat genotypes forming high and low biomass, exhibiting differential expression of an isoflavone reductase -like (IRL) gene, and resulting in contrasting grain yield under heat stress field conditions were analyzed in detail for their responses under controlled heat and elevated CO2 conditions. Significant differences in IRL expression between the two lines were hypothesized to be the basis of their differential performance under the tested conditions and their stress tolerance potential. By a holistic approach integrating advanced cell physiological phenotyping of the antioxidative and phytohormone system in spikes and leaves with measurements of ecophysiological and agronomic traits, the genetic differences of the genotypes in IRL expression were assessed. In response to heat and elevated CO2, the two genotypes showed opposite regulation of IRL expression, which was associated with cytokinin concentration, total flavonoid contents, activity of superoxide dismutase, antioxidant capacity and photosynthetic rate in leaves, and cytokinin concentration and ascorbate peroxidase activity in spikes. Our study showed that IRL expression is associated with wheat yield performance under heat stress at anthesis, mediated by diverse physiological mechanisms. Hence, based on our results, the IRL gene is a promising candidate for developing genetic markers for breeding heat-tolerant wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2018 recast European Renewable Energy Directive (RED recast) sets emissions savings criteria for renewable fuels. This paper assesses the life-cycle emissions from gasification methanation of willow to produce renewable biomethane in order to compare the heat and transport 2026 sustainability criteria in the RED recast. The criteria are more stringent for use of the fuel as heat, with both a higher specified emissions savings criteria (80% versus 65% for transport) and a lower Fossil Fuel Comparator (80 g CO 2 MJ−1 versus 94 CO 2 MJ−1 for transport). Scenarios tested were based on both the RED recast and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Global Warming Potential (GWP) values. Agro-chemical input data from Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) was used for both mineral and organic fertilisers. Previous land use was shown to have a significant impact on the results of the analysis. Overall, 24 scenarios were tested. Converting land from grassland for cultivation of willow results in greater emissions when compared to conversion from arable land. The gasification methanation pathway was found to meet emissions savings criteria for transport in most cases, and for heat when converting from arable land only. The highest emission saving of 97% was achieved through conversion from arable land for the transport end use. • Willow biomethane meets sustainability criteria in the RED recast for transport. • Converting from grassland as opposed to arable land results in higher emissions. • Willow biomethane from grassland does not meet sustainability criteria for heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]