Life cycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel as transportation fuel in rural India

Achten, Wouter; Almeida, Joana; Fobelets, Vincent A.; Bolle, E.a; Mathijs, Erik; Singh, Virendra; Tewari, Dina N. E.; Verchot, Louis; Muys, Bart

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.07.003

Cited by 146 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The performance of Jatropha biodiesel production systems may be enhanced by proper agronomic research into the crop (Achten et al 2010b). At the moment, Jatropha is considered to be a wild or semi-domesticated crop, at best (Achten et al 2010a, Achten et al 2010c).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oil palm biodiesel has been calculated to reduce GHG emissions (calculated in equivalents -CO 2 -eq) by 38-79.5% compared with fossil fuels (Zah et al 2007, Wicke et al 2008, Yee et al 2009. Estimates suggest that biodiesel from Jatropha can reduce emissions from 49% to 72% (Prueksakorn and Gheewala 2008, Ndong et al 2009, Ou et al 2009, Achten et al 2010b. Soybean-based biofuels have an estimated emissions reduction potential of 57% to 74% (Huo et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implications of Biodiesel-Induced Land-Use Changes for CO2 Emissions: Case Studies in Tropical America, Africa, and Southeast Asia

Achten¹,

Verchot²

2011

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Biofuels are receiving growing negative attention. Direct and/or indirect land-use changes that result from their cultivation can cause emissions due to carbon losses in soils and biomass and could negate any eventual greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefit. This paper evaluates the implications of land-use change emission on the climate-change mitigation potential of different biofuel production systems in 12 case studies in six countries. We calculated carbon debts created by conversion of different land-use types, ranging from annual cropland to primary forest. We evaluated case studies using three different biofuel crops: oil palm, Jatropha, and soybean. The time needed for each biofuel production system to pay back its carbon debt was calculated based on a life-cycle assessment of the GHG reduction potentials of the system. Carbon debts range from 39 to 1743.7 Mg C0 2 ha -1 . The oil palm case studies created the largest carbon debts (472.8-1743.7 t C0 2 ha -1 ) because most of the area expansion came at the expense of dense tropical forest. The highest debt was associated with plantation on peatland. For all cases evaluated, only soybean in Guarantã do Norte and Alta Floresta, Brazil needed less than one human generation (30 years) to repay the initial carbon debt. Highest repayment times were found for Jatropha (76-310 years) and oil palm (59-220 years) case studies. Oil palm established in peatlands had the greatest repayment times (206-220 years). High repayment times for Jatropha resulted from the combined effects of land-cover change and low CO 2 emission reduction rate. These outcomes raise serious questions about the sustainability of biofuel production. The carbon implications of conversion of (semi-)natural systems with medium to high biomass indicate that, in order to generate climate benefits, cultivation of biofuel feedstocks should be restricted to areas that already have low carbon content.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Biodiesel-Induced Land-Use Changes for CO2 Emissions: Case Studies in Tropical America, Africa, and Southeast Asia

Achten¹,

Verchot²

2011

E&S

Self Cite

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“…Authors such as Fargione and Romijn even warned of the possibility of creating "carbon debts" when tropical woodlands with considerable biomass were converted to biofuel plantations [31,32]. More recently, scholars have been exploring the negative environmental impact caused by jatropha processing on soil and water quality [33].…”

Section: Jatropha and Cdm Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Pioneering in Marginal Fields: Jatropha for Carbon Credits and Restoring Degraded Land in Eastern Indonesia

Rooijen

2014

Sustainability

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This paper highlights the role of a national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Indonesia as "pioneer" actor in the jatropha global production network, linking solutions for local problems with narratives concerning global concerns. Analysis of previous activities of the NGO positions their jatropha project as one period in a sequence of donor-funded appropriate technology programs. On the island of Flores in Eastern Indonesia the NGO aimed to establish community based jatropha cultivation exclusively on "degraded land", avoiding threats to food cultivation, and responding to local problems of land degradation and water resources depletion. In contrast with investors interested in jatropha based biofuel production for export, the NGO aimed at developing biofuel for local needs, including jatropha based electricity generation in the regional state-owned power plant. Anticipating progress in international and national regulations concerning the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) the 2008 project's design included carbon credit income as a main source of future project financing. Using methods of socio-legal studies and political ecology, this study indicates that when the economic feasibility of a project is based on the future financial value of a legally constructed commodity like carbon credits, the sustainability of the project outcome can be questionable. The author recommends precaution when it comes to including anticipated income from carbon credits in calculating the economic viability of a project, as price developments can fluctuate when political support and regulations change.

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“…Similarly, for Jatropha grown in West Africa and Thailand, the energy yield defined as the ratio of biodiesel energy output compared to the fossil energy input ranged from 4.7 to 6.03 [74,76]. Achten et al [77] recently conducted a life cycle assessment for Jatropha in rural India and showed that the production and use of Jatropha biodiesel results in a 55% reduction in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared to the reference fossil-fuel-based system. This reduction in GWP is similar to that estimated for other bioenergy crops including oil palm, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, corn stover, and switchgrass.…”

Section: Potential Impact On Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Improvement, Sustainable Production and Scalable Small Microenterprise of Jatropha as a Biodiesel Feedstock

Martin¹,

Gunter²

2013

J Bioremed Biodeg

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There is widespread interest in Jatropha curcas L. as a renewable source of biodiesel and a potential replacement for petroleum-based transportation fuels. As an oil-bearing feedstock it displays rapid growth and high seed yield across soils of varying fertility. Unfortunately, despite current optimism there exists little information on the agronomic management of this genus as a feedstock for biodiesel. Therefore, this article reviews research on Jatropha as a biofuels feedstock and explores the fast adaptation of Jatropha across India through a "lab-to-market" approach. An integrated approach to understanding the long-term viability of using Jatropha as a bioenergy crop is assessed. A variety of issues are discussed to understand and survey research that has been done on Jatropha and its applications in developing countries where it is being implemented. These issues include understanding the fundamentals of the biology, ecology, propagation, and cultivation of Jatropha, especially focusing on the thrust in developing countries to use wastelands and reclaimed lands for growing Jatropha as a bioenergy crop. This article also provides a status report with regard to germplasm collections and genomic resources for future accelerated crop improvement. A viable argument is made in favor of developing pilot energy farm enterprise clusters, which seems to be the best option for small farms in developing parts of the world. This thematic approach is discussed in detail under a "sun-to-satellite" regional model in which farmers can be engaged as stakeholders and participate in the decision making process. The potential impact of fossil-fuel replacement by Jatropha on climate change is also discussed. Citation: Martin MZ, Gunter LE, Jawdy SS, Wullschleger SD, Wheeler CS, et al. (2013) particularly if small in scale, offers the possibility of reducing poverty by providing income-generating opportunities for farmers [16,17]. If used locally for cooking, heating, or power generation, liquid biofuels may also improve availability of and access to modern energy services in rural areas, where most households rely completely on firewood for their energy needs.This article reviews research that has been performed on Jatropha as a biofuels crop and explores a small farm enterprise model approach for fast adaptation of Jatropha plantations across India through a "lab-tomarket" pilot demonstration. The origin and domestication of J. curcas, its ecological and genetic diversity, genomic resources, and how those resources can be used or expanded to fit the needs of an accelerated domestication of Jatropha will be discussed. Specifically, this includes 1) sources of genetic diversity, 2) development of a genomics toolbox, 3) increasing production through innovative agronomic practices, and 4) developing a pilot "lab-to-market" approach through a biofuels farm cooperative. The purpose of a cooperative model is to share land and resources for equitable benefit and sustained growth for the future. There are benefits for both l...

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Life cycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel as transportation fuel in rural India

Cited by 146 publications

References 41 publications

Implications of Biodiesel-Induced Land-Use Changes for CO2 Emissions: Case Studies in Tropical America, Africa, and Southeast Asia

Implications of Biodiesel-Induced Land-Use Changes for CO2 Emissions: Case Studies in Tropical America, Africa, and Southeast Asia

Pioneering in Marginal Fields: Jatropha for Carbon Credits and Restoring Degraded Land in Eastern Indonesia

Genetic Improvement, Sustainable Production and Scalable Small Microenterprise of Jatropha as a Biodiesel Feedstock

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