Energy Production from Natural Gas: Evaluation of Pontential Environmental Impacts Using Life Cycle Assesment Approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 864-867 ◽  
pp. 1132-1138
Author(s):  
C. Hafizan ◽  
Zainura Z. Noor ◽  
F. L Michael

Nowadays, sustainability is one of the main driving forces for worldwide economic growth especially in energy production. Conbustion of fuel such as natural gas for energy production not only produce electricity but also impacts to environment. In order to assess the environmental impacts of the natural gas power plant, study of life cycle assessment (LCA) has been carried out based on the data obtained from natural gas (NG) power plant in Johor, Malaysia. Data validation has been done by comparing the result with other assessment using the data available in the database. This paper presents the results of the LCA. From this study, it was found that there are insignificant differences in terms of the potential environmental impacts between the LCA study conducted using the data from the NG power with the assessment conducted using data from the database.KeywordsLife cycle assessment, sustainability, energy, natural gas

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 826-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binita Shah ◽  
Seema Unnikrishnan

Purpose India is a developing economy along with an increasing population estimated to be the largest populated country in about seven years. Simultaneously, its power consumption is projected to increase more than double by 2020. Currently, the dependence on coal is relatively high, making it the largest global greenhouse gas emitting sector which is a matter of great concern. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the environmental impacts of the natural gas electricity generation in India and propose a model using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Design/methodology/approach LCA is used as a tool to evaluate the environmental impact of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, as it adopts a holistic approach towards the whole process. The LCA methodology used in this study follows the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards (ISO 14040: 2009; ISO 14044: 2009). A questionnaire was designed for data collection and validated by expert review primary data for the annual environmental emission was collected by personally visiting the power plant. The study follows a cradle to gate assessment using the CML (2001) methodology. Findings The analysis reveals that the main impacts were during the process of combustion. The Global warming potential is approximately 0.50 kg CO2 equivalents per kWh of electricity generation from this gas-based power plant. These results can be used by stakeholders, experts and members who are authorised to probe positive initiative for the reduction of environmental impacts from the power generation sector. Practical implications Considering the pace of growth of economic development of India, it is the need of the hour to emphasise on the patterns of sustainable energy generation which is an important subject to be addressed considering India’s ratification to the Paris Climate Change Agreement. This paper analyzes the environmental impacts of gas-based electricity generation. Originality/value Presenting this case study is an opportunity to get a glimpse of the challenges associated with gas-based electricity generation in India. It gives a direction and helps us to better understand the right spot which require efforts for the improvement of sustainable energy generation processes, by taking appropriate measures for emission reduction. This paper also proposes a model for gas-based electricity generation in India. It has been developed following an LCA approach. As far as we aware, this is the first study which proposes an LCA model for gas-based electricity generation in India. The model is developed in line with the LCA methodology and focusses on the impact categories specific for gas-based electricity generation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
Sang Soo Hwang ◽  
Sung Jin Gil ◽  
Gang Nam Lee ◽  
Ji Won Lee ◽  
Hyun Park ◽  
...  

In this study, the environmental impacts of various alternative ship fuels for a coastal ferry were assessed by the life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis. The comparative study was performed with marine gas oil (MGO), natural gas, and hydrogen with various energy sources for a 12,000 gross tonne (GT) coastal ferry operating in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Considering the energy imports of ROK, i.e., MGO from Saudi Arabia and natural gas from Qatar, these countries were chosen to provide the MGO and the natural gas for the LCA. The hydrogen is considered to be produced by steam methane reforming (SMR) from natural gas with hard coal, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and electricity in the ROK model. The lifecycles of the fuels were analyzed in classifications of Well-to- Tank, Tank-to-Wake, and Well-to-Wake phases. The environmental impacts were provided in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), photochemical potential (POCP), eutrophication potential (EP), and particulate matter (PM). The results showed that MGO and natural gas cannot be used for ships to meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2050 GHG regulation. Moreover, it was pointed out that the energy sources in SMR are important contributing factors to emission levels. The paper concludes with suggestions for a hydrogen application plan for ships from small, nearshore ships in order to truly achieve a ship with zero emissions based on the results of this study.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1256
Author(s):  
Simone Marzeddu ◽  
Andrea Cappelli ◽  
Andrea Ambrosio ◽  
María Alejandra Décima ◽  
Paolo Viotti ◽  
...  

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a fundamental tool for evaluating the environmental and energy load of a production cycle. Its application to renewable energy production systems offers the possibility of identifying the environmental benefits of such processes—especially those related to the by-products of production processes (i.e., digestion or biochar). Biochar has received worldwide interest because of its potential uses in bioenergy production, due to its coproducts (bio-oil and syngas), as well as in global warming mitigation, sustainable agriculture, pollutant removal, and other uses. Biochar production and use of soil is a strategy for carbon sequestration that could contribute to the reduction of emissions, providing simultaneous benefits to soil and opportunities for bioenergy generation. However, to confirm all of biochar’s benefits, it is necessary to characterize the environmental and energy loads of the production cycle. In this work, soil carbon sequestration, nitrous oxide emissions, use of fertilizers, and use of water for irrigation have been considered in the biochar’s LCA, where the latter is used as a soil conditioner. Primary data taken from experiments and prior studies, as well as open-source available databases, were combined to evaluate the environmental impacts of energy production from biomass, as well as the biochar life cycle, including pre- and post-conversion processes. From the found results, it can be deduced that the use of gasification production of energy and biochar is an attractive strategy for mitigating the environmental impacts analyzed here—especially climate change, with a net decrease of about −8.3 × 103 kg CO2 eq. Finally, this study highlighted strategic research developments that combine the specific characteristics of biochar and soil that need to be amended.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Laing ◽  
W. D. Steinmann ◽  
P. Viebahn ◽  
F. Gräter ◽  
C. Bahl

For parabolic trough power plants using synthetic oil as the heat transfer medium, the application of solid media sensible heat storage is an attractive option in terms of investment and maintenance costs. One important aspect in storage development is the storage integration into the power plant. A modular operation concept for thermal storage systems was previously suggested by DLR, showing an increase in storage capacity of more than 100%. However, in these investigations, the additional costs needed to implement this storage concept into the power plant, such as for extra piping, valves, pumps, and control, had not been considered. These aspects are discussed in this paper, showing a decrease in levelized energy costs with a modular storage integration of 2–3%. In a life cycle assessment a comparison of an AndaSol-I type solar thermal power plant with the original two-tank molten salt storage and with a “hypothetical” concrete storage shows an advantage of the concrete storage technology concerning environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the hypothetical concrete based AndaSol-I decreased by 7%, considering 1 kW h of solar electricity delivered to the grid. Regarding only the production of the power plant, the emissions decreased by 9.5%.


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