scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Bioethanol Production: A Review of Feedstock, Technology and Methodology

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2939
Author(s):  
Tahereh Soleymani Angili ◽  
Katarzyna Grzesik ◽  
Anne Rödl ◽  
Martin Kaltschmitt
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Bioethanol Production ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Photochemical Oxidant ◽  
Biomass Resources ◽  
Complete Set ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Lca Results

So far, a lot of efforts have been put in life cycle assessments (LCA) of bioethanol production. There are many works that have assessed bioethanol production in different points of view to illustrate the environmental impacts. This study reviewed former LCA studies on bioethanol produced from various biomass resources by considering the effect of methodological components, technical pathways and feedstock provision on the result of LCA studies. The review evaluated 48 papers published 2002–2021 with a focus on studies that included a complete set of environmental impact categories. However, due to lack of harmony among studies, comparing the LCA results was challenging but the review indicated that the final results of studies are influenced by LCA methodological components, such as system boundary, functional unit, etc. Around 80% of the reviewed papers show the reduction in global warming potential, while contrary results have been found about increasing acidification, eutrophication and photochemical oxidant formation impact categories because of the feedstock provision. Regarding technical aspects, results from the review revealed that most of the studies considered the pre-treatment as a crucial step in bioconversion processes. Despite several LCA studies of bioethanol production, there is still low attention given to uncertainty analysis in the publications.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of viticultural technical management routes (TMRs): comparison between an organic and an integrated management route

OENO One ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Rouault ◽  
Sandra Beauchet ◽  
Christel Renaud-Gentie ◽  
Frédérique Jourjon
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Nitrogen Emissions ◽  
Technical Management ◽  
Lca Results

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), this study aims to compare the environmental impacts of two different viticultural technical management routes (TMRs); integrated and organic) and to identify the operations that contribute the most to the impacts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: LCA impact scores were expressed in two functional units: 1 ha of cultivated area and 1 kg of collected grape. We studied all operations from field preparation before planting to the end-of-life of the vine. Inputs and outputs were transformed into potential environmental impacts thanks to SALCA™ (V1.02) and USETox™ (V1.03) methods. Plant protection treatments were a major cause of impact for both TMRs for fuel-related impact categories. For both TMRs, the main contributors to natural resource depletion and freshwater ecotoxicity were trellis system installation and background heavy metal emissions, respectively.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: This study shows that the studied organic TMR has higher impact scores than the integrated TMR for all the chosen impact categories except eutrophication. However, the chosen TMRs are only typical of integrated and organic viticulture in Loire Valley and some emission models (heavy metal, fuel-related emissions, and nitrogen emissions) have to be improved in order to better assess the environmental impacts of viticulture. Soil quality should also be integrated to LCA results in viticulture because this lack may be a disadvantage for organic viticulture.</p><strong>Significance and impact of study</strong>: This study is among the first to compare LCA results of an integrated and an organic TMR.

scholarly journals Comparative Gate-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment for the Alkali and Acid Pre-Treatment Step in the Chemical Recycling of Waste Cotton

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8613
Author(s):  
Lucas Rosson ◽  
Nolene Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Degree Of Polymerization ◽  
Chemical Recycling ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Environmental Footprints ◽  
Lower Treatment ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Treatment Step

The development of textile recycling solutions is an area of intense research and commercialization. Chemical recycling solutions are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to separate complex blends and retain or improve the value of the original fiber. The chemical recycling of cotton requires a pre-treatment step to reduce the degree of polymerization (DP). The DP can be reduced in a variety of ways, and here, the environmental footprints of two different pre-treatment approaches are examined using life cycle assessment (LCA); sodium hydroxide pre-treatment and sulphuric acid pre-treatment. We find that the acid pre-treatment has a significantly lower environmental footprint across all impact categories calculated. This is attributed to the lower treatment times required and the lower material and energy requirements for the manufacture of chemicals. The results were normalized to show the most significant impact categories for each pre-treatment, and further environmental implications of the pre-treatments are discussed. The findings will aid academia and industry in implementing the most environmentally benign processes in chemical cotton recycling.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Recycled Aggregate Concrete, Geopolymer Concrete, and Recycled Aggregate-Based Geopolymer Concrete

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13515
Author(s):  
Lahiba Imtiaz ◽  
Sardar Kashif-ur-Rehman ◽  
Wesam Salah Alaloul ◽  
Kashif Nazir ◽  
Muhammad Faisal Javed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Impact Assessment ◽  
Recycled Aggregate Concrete ◽  
Recycled Aggregate ◽  
Geopolymer Concrete ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Aquatic Ecotoxicity ◽  
Photochemical Oxidant ◽  
Life Cycle Impact

This study presents a life cycle impact assessment of OPC concrete, recycled aggregate concrete, geopolymer concrete, and recycled aggregate-based geopolymer concrete by using the mid-point approach of the CML 2001 impact-assessment method. The life cycle impact assessment was carried out using OpenLCA software with nine different impact categories, such as global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, photochemical oxidant formation, human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, and freshwater and terrestrial aquatic ecotoxicity potential. Subsequently, a contribution analysis was conducted for all nine impact categories. The analysis showed that using geopolymer concrete in place of OPC concrete can reduce global warming potential by up to 53.7%. Further, the use of geopolymer concrete represents the reduction of acidification potential and photochemical oxidant formation in the impact categories, along with climate change. However, the potential impacts of marine aquatic ecotoxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, and terrestrial aquatic ecotoxicity potential were increased using geopolymer concrete. The increase in these impacts was due to the presence of alkaline activators such as sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. The use of recycled aggregates in both OPC concrete and geopolymer concrete reduces all the environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Identifying the Major Construction Wastes in the Building Construction Phase Based on Life Cycle Assessments

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8096
Author(s):  
Won-Jun Park ◽  
Rakhyun Kim ◽  
Seungjun Roh ◽  
Hoki Ban
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Concrete Block ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Environmental Impact Categories ◽  
Acidification Potential ◽  
Contribution Level ◽  
Depletion Potential

The purpose of this study was to identify the major wastes generated during the construction phase using a life cycle assessment. To accomplish this, the amount of waste generated in the construction phase was deduced using the loss rate and weight conversions. Major construction wastes were assessed using six comprehensive environmental impact categories, including global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, and photochemical ozone creation potential. According to the analysis results, five main construction wastes—concrete, rebar, cement, polystyrene panel, and concrete block—comprehensively satisfied the 95% cutoff criteria for all six environmental impact categories. The results of the environmental impact characterization assessment revealed that concrete, concrete block, and cement waste accounted for over 70% of the contribution level in all the environmental impact categories except resource depletion. Insulation materials accounted for 1% of the total waste generated but were identified by the environmental impact assessment to have the highest contribution level.

scholarly journals Developing Conversion Factors of LCIA Methods for Comparison of LCA Results in the Construction Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9016
Author(s):  
Yahong Dong ◽  
Md. Uzzal Hossain ◽  
Hongyang Li ◽  
Peng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Conversion Factors ◽  
Characterization Methods ◽  
Fair Comparison ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lca Results

The inconsistency caused by different life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods is a long-term challenge for the life cycle assessment (LCA) community. It is necessary to systematically analyze the differences caused by LCIA methods and facilitate the fair comparison of LCA results. This study proposes an effective method of conversion factors (CFs) for converting the results of 8 LCIA methods for 14 impact categories and then demonstrates its application in the construction sector. Correlation analyses of the datasets of construction materials are conducted to develop CFs for the impact categories. A set of conversion cards are devised to present the CFs and the associated correlation information for the LCIA methods. It is revealed that the differences between LCIA methods are largely caused by the characterization methods, rather than due to the metrics. A comparison based only on the same metrics but ignoring the underlying LCIA mechanisms is misleading. High correlations are observed for the impact categories of climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and resource depletion. The developed CFs and conversion cards can greatly help LCA practitioners in the fair comparison of LCA results from different LCIA methods. Case studies are conducted, and verify that by applying the CFs the seemingly incomparable results from different LCIA methods become comparable. The CF method addresses the inconsistency problem of LCIA methods in a practical manner and helps improve the comparability and reliability of LCA studies in the construction sector. Suggestions are provided for the further development of LCIA conversion factors.

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ASSESSMENT OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM JATROPHA AND WASTE COOKING OIL (WCO)

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 606
Author(s):  
Khang Sy Dinh ◽  
Hung Phuoc Duong ◽  
Tuấn Đình Phan
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Waste Cooking Oil ◽  
Biodiesel Production ◽  
Agricultural Product ◽  
Cooking Oil ◽  
Photochemical Oxidant ◽  
Biomass Resources ◽  
Acidification Potential

Biodiesel that is produced from renewable resources has been rising as a promising candidate to replace conventional energy. Vietnam, with a large amount of land used in agriculture or forestry, has advantaged conditions to produce and develop renewable energy from biomass resources. However, developing biodiesel from agricultural product may affect food security significantly. Therefore, Jatropha that is inedible and waste cooking oil (WCO) could be suitable to biodiesel production. One of the most important aims of using biodiesel to replace fossil diesel is to reduce environmental impacts, particularly impact on Climate Change. It is necessary to analyze the environmental performance of biodiesel through the entire life cycle. In this paper, life cycle assessment of biodiesel production and use was applied to measure the environmental performance of biodiesel produced from jatropha oil and WCO under Vietnam conditions. Some main emissions, such as CO2, NOx, PM, CH4, VOC and land use, were computed through a cradle-to-grave analysis. The result shows that when using Jatropha biodiesel to replace diesel, global warming potential (GWP) and photochemical oxidant formation potential (POFP) could be improved, but some other impacts, such as acidification potential (AP) and eutrophication potential (EP), could tend to increase. The environmental impacts of WCO biodiesel are all reduced in comparison with fossil diesel.

Wheat-straw derived bioethanol production: A review of Life Cycle Assessments

2021 ◽  
pp. 146751
Author(s):  
Carlo Ingrao ◽  
Agata Matarazzo ◽  
Shiva Gorjian ◽  
Janusz Adamczyk ◽  
Sabina Failla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Bioethanol Production ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments

PADDY RESIDUE AS FEEDSTOCK IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION: REDEMPTION OF LIFE CYCLE EMISSIONS AND COST ANALYSIS

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (Number 1) ◽  
pp. 55-67
Author(s):  
Shafini M. Shafie ◽  
Zakirah Othman ◽  
N Hami
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Economic Sector ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Coal Fuel ◽  
Biomass Resources

Malaysia has an abundance of biomass resources that can be utilised for power generation. One of them is paddy residue. Paddy residue creates ahuge potential in the power generation sector. The consumption of paddy residue can help Malaysia become less dependent on conventional sources of energy, mitigate greenhouse gas(GHG) emission, offer positive feedback in the economic sector, and at the same time, provide thebest solution for waste management activities. The forecast datafor 20 years on electricity generation wasused to calculate the GHG emission and its saving when paddy residue is used for electricity generation. The government’scost saving was also identified when paddy residue substituted coal fuel in electricity generation.This paper can provide forecast information so that Malaysia is able to move forward to apply paddy residue as feedstock in energy supply. Hopefully, the data achieved can encourage stakeholder bodies in the implementation of paddy residue inelectricity generation since there is apositive impact towardscost and emission saving.

scholarly journals A scalable and spatiotemporally resolved agricultural life cycle assessment of California almonds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Marvinney ◽  
Alissa Kendall
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Freshwater Use ◽  
California's Central Valley

Abstract Purpose California’s Central Valley produces more than 75% of global commercial almond supply, making the life cycle performance of almond production in California of global interest. This article describes the life cycle assessment of California almond production using a Scalable, Process-based, Agronomically Responsive Cropping System Life Cycle Assessment (SPARCS-LCA) model that includes crop responses to orchard management and modeling of California’s water supply and biomass energy infrastructure. Methods A spatially and temporally resolved LCA model was developed to reflect the regional climate, resource, and agronomic conditions across California’s Central Valley by hydrologic subregion (San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Tulare Lake regions). The model couples a LCA framework with region-specific data, including water supply infrastructure and economics, crop productivity response models, and dynamic co-product markets, to characterize the environmental performance of California almonds. Previous LCAs of California almond found that irrigation and management of co-products were most influential in determining life cycle CO2eq emissions and energy intensity of California almond production, and both have experienced extensive changes since previous studies due to drought and changing regulatory conditions, making them a focus of sensitivity and scenario analysis. Results and discussion Results using economic allocation show that 1 kg of hulled, brown-skin almond kernel at post-harvest facility gate causes 1.92 kg CO2eq (GWP100), 50.9 MJ energy use, and 4820 L freshwater use, with regional ranges of 2.0–2.69 kg CO2eq, 42.7–59.4 MJ, and 4540–5150 L, respectively. With a substitution approach for co-product allocation, 1 kg almond kernel results in 1.23 kg CO2eq, 18.05 MJ energy use, and 4804 L freshwater use, with regional ranges of 0.51–1.95 kg CO2eq, 3.68–36.5 MJ, and 4521–5140 L, respectively. Almond freshwater use is comparable with other nut crops in California and globally. Results showed significant variability across subregions. While the San Joaquin Valley performed best in most impact categories, the Tulare Lake region produced the lowest eutrophication impacts. Conclusion While CO2eq and energy intensity of almond production increased over previous estimates, so too did credits to the system for displacement of dairy feed. These changes result from a more comprehensive model scope and improved assumptions, as well as drought-related increases in groundwater depth and associated energy demand, and decreased utilization of biomass residues for energy recovery due to closure of bioenergy plants in California. The variation among different impact categories between subregions and over time highlight the need for spatially and temporally resolved agricultural LCA.

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