Life Cycle Assessment of Bioenergy and Bio-Based Products from Perennial Grasses Cultivated on Marginal Land in the Mediterranean Region

Schmidt, Tobias S.; Fernando, Ana Luísa Almaça da Cruz; Monti, Andrea; Rettenmaier, Nils

doi:10.1007/s12155-015-9691-1

Cited by 52 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…For most impact categories, the regional variation reflects the yield differences between the marginal site in Aberystwyth and the more fertile site in Stuttgart (9.7 t DM/ha vs. 15.3 t DM/ha). Thus, as previously reported (Gerbrandt et al, 2016;Meyer et al, 2017;Schmidt et al, 2015), biomass yield is one of the major factors determining the overall performance of ethanol production from miscanthus. Biomass yield potential therefore needs to be taken into consideration when deciding whether miscanthus production on a specific site is recommendable from an environmental point of view (also see Wagner et al, 2019).…”

Section: Miscanthus Cultivationmentioning

confidence: 62%

Life cycle assessment of ethanol production from miscanthus: A comparison of production pathways at two European sites

et al. 2018

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Lignocellulosic ethanol represents a renewable alternative to petrol. Miscanthus, a perennial plant that grows on marginal land, is characterized by efficient use of resources and is considered a promising source of lignocellulosic biomass. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to determine the environmental impacts of ethanol production from miscanthus grown on marginal land in Great Britain (Aberystwyth) and an average-yield site in Germany (Stuttgart; functional unit: 1 GJ). As the conversion process has substantial influence on the overall environmental performance, the comparison examined three pretreatment options for miscanthus. Overall, results indicate lower impacts for the production in Stuttgart in comparison with the corresponding pathways in Aberystwyth across the analysed categories. Disparities between the sites were mainly attributed to differences in biomass yield. When comparing the conversion options, liquid hot water treatment resulted in the lowest impacts, followed by dilute sulphuric acid. Dilute sodium hydroxide pretreatment represented the least favourable option. Site-dependent variation in biomass composition and degradability did not have substantial influence on the environmental performance of the analysed pathways. Additionally, implications of replacing petrol with miscanthus ethanol were examined. Ethanol derived from miscanthus resulted in lower impacts with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, fossil resource depletion, natural land transformation and ozone depletion. However, for other categories, including toxicity, eutrophication and agricultural land occupation, net scores were substantially higher than for the fossil reference. Nevertheless, the results indicate that miscanthus ethanol produced via dilute acid and liquid hot water treatment at the site in Stuttgart has the potential to comply with the requirements of the European Renewable energy directive for greenhouse gas emission reduction. For ethanol production at the marginal site, carbon sequestration needs to be considered in order to meet the requirements for greenhouse gas mitigation.

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Section: Miscanthus Cultivationmentioning

confidence: 62%

Life cycle assessment of ethanol production from miscanthus: A comparison of production pathways at two European sites

et al. 2018

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“…In addition, the perennial grasses could be beneficial to the reduction of N 2 O emission (about 40-50% less emissions compared to fossil fuels). The LCA results obtained by Schmidt et al (2015) also indicate that the cultivation of perennial grasses on marginal land and their use for heat and power generation can achieve substantial greenhouse gas savings, ranging up to 13 t CO 2 eq ./(ha year) with Miscanthus, in spite of the negative environmental impacts. According to Escobar et al (2017), the switchgrass cultivation in the Mediterranean region of Spain, aiming to generate electricity power, could significantly decrease the GHG emissions.…”

Section: Life Cycle Environmental Impact Assessment Of Bioenergy Prodmentioning

confidence: 95%

Bioenergy production and environmental impacts

Zhao

Liu

et al. 2018

Geosci. Lett.

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Compared with the conventional fossil fuel, bioenergy has obvious advantages due to its renewability and large quantity, and thus plays a crucial role in helping defend the energy security. However, the bioenergy development may potentially cause serious environmental alterations, which remain unclear. The study summarizes the environmental impacts of bioenergy production based on the compilation and published data. Our analysis shows that more and more attention is being paid to the environmental protection as the development of bioenergy, and among the influencing terms of bioenergy production, water issues (i.e., water quantity and quality) gain the greatest concern, whereas the least attention has been given to soil erosion. Although we recognize that the bioenergy production can indeed exert negative effects on the environment in terms of water quantity and quality, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and soil organic carbon, and soil erosion, the adverse impacts varied greatly depending on biomass types, land locations, and management practices. Identifying the reasonable cultivation locations, appropriate bioenergy crop types, and optimal management practices can be beneficial to environment and sustainable development of bioenergy. In this field, Chinese bioenergy production has lagged behind and does not match its rising energy consumption, but it has a great potential of and demand for biomass-based energy especially under its urbanization, in spite of the negative environmental impacts. Therefore, this article is expected to serve as a reference and guideline on what has been done in the bioenergy-oriented countries that might stimulate development of more effective and environmentally sound guidelines for promoting bioenergy production in China and other developing countries as well.

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“…Similarly, [26] point to the need for further research on the trade-offs between biofuel water and carbon footprints, especially if they are meant to be produced in water-stressed areas. Studies such as those from [28][29][30] show that there is still a great uncertainty on the impacts generated by bioenergy, depending on the feedstock, edaphoclimatic conditions of the site, and agricultural practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiyear Life Cycle Assessment of switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) production in the Mediterranean region of Spain: A comparative case study

Escobar

Ramírez-Sanz

Chueca

et al. 2017

Biomass and Bioenergy

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An LCA of switchgrass production in the Mediterranean region of Spain is carried out, from a cradle-to-farm gate perspective. Experimental plots were previously established in two locations, Moncofar and Orihuela, providing inventory data for 2010-2013. This allowed for the environmental performance to be evaluated throughout a 4-year cycle, considering different sources of variability. The functional unit is 1 t of switchgrass (dry basis) for electricity generation. Besides typical impact categories, blue and green water consumption impacts are also addressed by using watershed characterization factors. In 2010, the production in Orihuela is more input-intensive than in Moncofar, while the biomass yield is lower, causing greater impacts (959.4 vs. 95.9 kg of CO2eq•t-1 for climate change or 19.1 vs. 4.7 kg of Fe-eq•t-1 for metal depletion). In the subsequent years, the yields are higher in Orihuela, hence Moncofar performs worse for some specific impact categories (43.9 vs. 28.5 CO2-eq•t-1 or 8.0 vs. 2.4 kg of Feeq•t-1 in 2011). Due to larger irrigation doses in Orihuela, the blue water impact is always higher than that in Moncofar (on average, 1243 vs. 277 m 3 ecosystem-eq. water•t-1). The green water impact is greater in the latter, except for the first year (on average, 6.9 vs. 53.0 m 3 ecosystem-eq. water•t-1). Overall, both locations deliver sufficient greenhouse gas savings throughout the life cycle, in compliance with the EU requirements for bio-electricity production. However, results show that ad hoc decisions on crop management are critical to the environmental impact, evidencing the importance of considering a multi-year LCA approach.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Bioenergy and Bio-Based Products from Perennial Grasses Cultivated on Marginal Land in the Mediterranean Region

Cited by 52 publications

References 35 publications

Life cycle assessment of ethanol production from miscanthus: A comparison of production pathways at two European sites

Life cycle assessment of ethanol production from miscanthus: A comparison of production pathways at two European sites

Bioenergy production and environmental impacts

Multiyear Life Cycle Assessment of switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) production in the Mediterranean region of Spain: A comparative case study

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