Ecological considerations on the use and production of biosynthetic and synthetic biodegradable polymers

Heyde, Mieke

doi:10.1016/s0141-3910(97)00017-7

Cited by 66 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…PHAs are polyesters of high energy content and the microbial cells need a substantial amount of reducing power (NADPH) and bioenergy (ATP) in PHA biosynthesis (7). Aerobic respiration is an efficient way for the cells to obtain energy from carbonaceous substrates.…”

Section: Overall Results and Sensitivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fossil Energy Requirement of Bioplastics from Cradle to Gate of a Biomass Refinery

Chen

2008

Environ. Sci. Technol.

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are promising eco-friendly bioplastics that can be produced from cellulosic ethanol biorefineries as value-added coproducts. A cradle-to-factory-gate life cycle assessment is performed with two important categories: the greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions and fossil energy requirement per kg of bioplastics produced. The analysis indicates that PHA bioplastics contribute clearly to the goal of mitigating GHG emissions with only 0.49 kg CO(2-e) being emitted from production of 1 kg of resin. Compared with 2-3 kg CO(2-e) of petrochemical counterparts, it is about 80% reduction of the global warming potential. The fossil energy requirement per kg of bioplastics is 44 MJ, lowerthan those of petrochemical counterparts (78-88 MJ/kg resin). About 62% of fossil energy is used for processing utilities and wastewater treatment, and the rest is required for raw materials in different life cycle stages.

show abstract

Section: Overall Results and Sensitivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fossil Energy Requirement of Bioplastics from Cradle to Gate of a Biomass Refinery

Chen

2008

Environ. Sci. Technol.

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Also, all TPS materials improve their relative position when ranked by savings per hectare. PHA from sugar beet (Heyde 1998) scores less well on a perhectare basis compared to a per-kilogram basis. The difference in results between the areabased versus the mass-based approach is particularly large if agricultural residues are used for the production of heat/electricity (table 10).…”

Section: Energy Savings and Ghg Emission Reduction Per Hectarementioning

confidence: 98%

“…In this assessment, we analyzed 11 LCA studies of biobased polymers (Dinkel et al 1996;Würdinger et al 2002;Estermann et al 2000;Vink et al 2003;Gärtner et al 2002;Gerngross and Slater 2000;Heyde 1998;Diener and Siehler 1999;Wötzel et al 1999;Pervaiz and Sain 2003;Corbière-Nicollier et al 2001). These cover thermoplastic starch (TPS), polyhydroxyalkaonates (PHAs), polylactides (PLAs), and natural fiber reinforced composites.…”

Section: Lca Studies Of Biobased Polymersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Land Requirements, Energy Savings, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction of Biobased Polymers and Bioenergy

Dornburg

Lewandowski

Patel³

2003

J of Industrial Ecology

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryThis study compares energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of biobased polymers with those of bioenergy on a per unit of agricultural land-use basis by extending existing life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies. In view of policy goals to increase the energy supply from biomass and current efforts to produce biobased polymers in bulk, the amount of available land for the production of nonfood crops could become a limitation. Hence, given the prominence of energy and greenhouse issues in current environmental policy, it is desirable to include land demand in the comparison of different biomass options. Over the past few years, numerous LCA studies have been prepared for different types of biobased polymers, but only a few of these studies address the aspect of land use. This comparison shows that referring energy savings and GHG emission reduction of biobased polymers to a unit of agricultural land, instead of to a unit of polymer produced, leads to a different ranking of options. If land use is chosen as the basis of comparison, natural fiber composites and thermoplastic starch score better than bioenergy production from energy crops, whereas polylactides score comparably well and polyhydroxyalkaonates score worse. Additionally, including the use of agricultural residues for energy purposes improves the environmental performance of biobased polymers significantly. Moreover, it is very likely that higher production efficiencies will be achieved for biobased polymers in the medium term. Biobased polymers thus offer interesting opportunities to reduce the utilization of nonrenewable energy and to contribute to GHG mitigation in view of potentially scarce land resources.

show abstract

“…While the constituent materials for bio-based composites appear to have lower associated feedstock burdens compared to their synthetic counterparts, studies have shown that the process energy for manufacture of biopolymers and woven fibers can still be high and cause the composite to have a greater than expected environmental impact. For example, while the production of poly(hydroxyalkoanates) results in a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to their petrochemical counterparts (Heyde, 1998;Grengross, 1999;Kurkidar et al, 2001;Akiyama et al, 2003), energy demand for production of these polymers is varied. There are reports of both a net negative fuel demand and a net positive fuel demand depending on scope and processing technology (Grengross, 1999;Kurkidar et al, 2001;Akiyama et al, 2003).…”

Section: Method: Life Cycle Assessment and Process Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement in environmental performance of poly(β-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(β-hydroxyvalerate) composites through process modifications

Miller

Billington

Lepech

2013

Journal of Cleaner Production

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecological considerations on the use and production of biosynthetic and synthetic biodegradable polymers

Cited by 66 publications

References 0 publications

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fossil Energy Requirement of Bioplastics from Cradle to Gate of a Biomass Refinery

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fossil Energy Requirement of Bioplastics from Cradle to Gate of a Biomass Refinery

Comparing the Land Requirements, Energy Savings, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction of Biobased Polymers and Bioenergy

Improvement in environmental performance of poly(β-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(β-hydroxyvalerate) composites through process modifications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About