Bioenergy on Islands: An Environmental Comparison of Continental Palm Oil vs. Local Waste Cooking Oil for Electricity Generation

Parra, Christian R.; Corrêa-Guimarães, Adriana; Navas-Gracia, Luis M.; Narváez, A C Ricardo; Rivadeneira, Daniel; Rodríguez, Dario; Ramírez, Angel D.

doi:10.3390/app10113806

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Several LCA studies have been developed and applied to Ecuador's energy, transportation, and materials [74,[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]. Ramirez et al [78], analyzed the environmental sustainability of current (from 2012 to 2018) and forecasted electricity generation and supply scenarios using a life cycle approach.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessment Of Energy Systems In Ecuadormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The analyzed systems include a blended system (BS) with 20% JO and 80% diesel, a reference system consisting of 100% diesel, and a jatropha system (JS) made up of JO. Parra et al [83], explored the electricity produced in Galapagos from refined palm oil (RPO) produced in continental Ecuador and local waste cooking oil (WCO) using a comparative life cycle assessment methodological framework. Compared to refined palm oil, the results show better environmental performance in all the impact categories for the electricity produced from waste cooking oil.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessment Of Energy Systems In Ecuadormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex

2022

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The present study compiles a life cycle inventory for Ecuadorian sugarcane-derived ethanol production to quantify its environmental performance and identify the life cycle stages that cause major impacts. The scope of this study encompasses a cradle-to-gate analysis that includes the agriculture, the milling, the distillation, and the co-generation of electricity. This assessment is modeled using the OpenLCA v1.10.3 software. Two functional units (FU) were established in this study: “1 ton of sugarcane at-the-farm-gate” for the agricultural stage and “1 L of ethanol at-the-plant-gate”. A hybrid attributional and consequential life cycle analysis (LCA) approach has been followed. Economic allocation (EA) and system expansion (SE) were used to take co-products into account in the milling and co-generation of electricity stages, respectively. The co-generation stage is analyzed in three different scenarios: (i) average mix displacement scenario where the surplus electricity produced in the co-generation stage is displaced; (ii) marginal technology displacement scenario where the marginal surplus electricity is displaced from the mix and (iii) no displacement scenario. The global warming potential (GWP) impact at the farm gate level was reported as 53.6 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO2eq.) per ton of sugarcane produced. The two main contributors of the agricultural stage correspond to N2O lixiviation and volatilization with 34% followed by the diesel used in agricultural machinery with 24%. The GWP for 1 L of ethanol produced was reported as 0.60 kg CO2eq. based on the average mix displacement scenario. No displacement scenario has a GWP impact of 0.84 kg CO2/liter of ethanol The distillation stage has the highest contribution to GWP impact with approximately 61% followed by the agricultural stage with 47%. The co-generation stage reports a contribution of −8.4% due to the surplus electricity displacement. The scenarios where the system expansion method is applied have a lower GWP impact compared to the scenario where no surplus electricity is displaced. Regarding terrestrial acidification potential impact, 0.01528 kg of SO2eq. was reported at the ethanol production level especially due to the nitrogen and phosphorous content in the vinasse produced from the distillation process. The marine eutrophication impact for 1 L of ethanol produced was 0.00381 kg of Neq. due to the content of nitrogen contained in the vinasse and the use of nitrogenous fertilizers in the agricultural stage. Finally, to create more eco-friendly Ecuadorian sugarcane and ethanol industries, sustainable and less polluting processes should be sought to reduce the environmental burdens. Companies should apply industrial symbiosis and circular economy strategies to produce lesser environmental loads within the ethanol production chain. The sugarcane industrial sector should also promote the surplus electricity production in order to gain credits.

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Section: Life Cycle Assessment Of Energy Systems In Ecuadormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Life Cycle Assessment Of Energy Systems In Ecuadormentioning

confidence: 99%

The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex

2022

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“…Published by CBIORE 2019). The dependence on fossil fuels contributes to climate change and threatens these islands' existence (Parra et al, 2020).…”

Section: Review Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass Feedstocks for Liquid Biofuels Production in Hawaii & Tropical Islands: A Review

Usman

Cheng

Cross

2021

Int. J. Renew. Energy Dev.

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Many tropical islands, including Aruba, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Pacific Island countries, are entirely dependent on importing fossil fuels to meet their energy demands. Due to global warming, improving energy use efficiency and developing regionally available renewable energy resources are necessary to reduce carbon emissions. This review analyzed and identified biomass feedstocks to produce liquid biofuels targeting tropical islands, particularly focusing on Hawaii as a case study. Transportation and energy generation sectors consume 25.5% and 11.6%, respectively, of Hawaii's imported fossil fuels. Various nonedible feedstocks with information on their availability, production, and average yields of oils, fiber, sugars, and lipid content for liquid biofuels production are identified to add value to the total energy mix. The available biomass conversion technologies and production costs are summarized. In addition, a section on potentially using sewage sludge to produce biodiesel is also included. Based on a comparative analysis of kamani, croton, pongamia, jatropha, energycane, Leucaena hybrid, gliricidia, and eucalyptus feedstock resources, this study proposes that Hawaii and other similar tropical regions can potentially benefit from growing and producing economical liquid biofuels locally, especially for the transportation and electricity generation sectors

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“…Since the beginning of the pilot project, 52,771.025 gallons of anhydrous ethanol have been produced [23]. The environmental impact of some biofuels and bioelectricity systems in Ecuador has been studied with a life cycle [24][25][26][27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for Bioenergy Development Potential from Dedicated Energy Crops in Ecuador: An Agroecological Zoning Study

et al. 2023

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Most climate change mitigation scenarios rely on the incremental use of biomass as energy feedstock. Therefore, increasing the share of alternative sustainable energy sources as biomass is crucial to provide both peak and base electricity loads in future scenarios. The bioenergy potential of Ecuador has been addressed for agricultural by-products but not for dedicated bioenergy crops. Agricultural zoning studies have been developed for food crops but not for energy crops. Currently, the bioenergy share of electricity produced in Ecuador (1.4%) comes mainly from the use of sugar cane bagasse from sugar production. This study aims to identify potential sustainable bioenergy resources for continental Ecuador using agroecological zoning methodologies and considerations regarding land management, food security, in-direct land use change and ecological and climate change risks. The results identified 222,060.71 ha available to grow dedicated bioenergy crops and potential electricity production of 8603 GWh/year; giant reed ranks first with a potential net energy yield of 4024 GWh per year, and Manabí province presents the highest potential with 3768 GWh/year. Large-scale deployment of bioenergy in Ecuador would require the study of sustainability considerations of each project. The species studied are traditional bioenergy crops; research on novel species is encouraged.

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Bioenergy on Islands: An Environmental Comparison of Continental Palm Oil vs. Local Waste Cooking Oil for Electricity Generation

Cited by 12 publications

References 77 publications

The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex

The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex

Biomass Feedstocks for Liquid Biofuels Production in Hawaii & Tropical Islands: A Review

Prospects for Bioenergy Development Potential from Dedicated Energy Crops in Ecuador: An Agroecological Zoning Study

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