Life cycle assessment of selected future energy crops for Europe

Rettenmaier, Nils; Köppen, Susanne; Gärtner, Sven O.; Reinhardt, Guido A.

doi:10.1002/bbb.245

Cited by 49 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Higher yields are reported for dedicated species for biomass production, such as the woody willow (8.2-15.0 Mg DM ha -1 ), poplar (10.7-15.0 Mg DM ha -1 ), eucalyptus (15.0-20.0 Mg DM ha -1 ) (Venendaal et al, 1997;Kauter et al, 2003;Rettenmaier et al, 2010;Cosentino et al, 2012c), or the herbaceous perennial switchgrass (5.0-20.0 Mg DM ha -1 ) (Elbersen et al, 2013;.…”

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 95%

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Perennial grasses as lignocellulosic feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production in Mediterranean environment

2014

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In this paper the suitability of three perennial, herbaceous, lignocellulosic grasses (Arundo donax, Saccharum spontaneous spp. aegyptiacum and Miscanthus x giganteus) for the production of second-generation bioethanol in semi-arid Mediterranean environment was stud- .9 Mg ha -1 , respectively) and Miscanthus (19.6±2.8 and 17.2±1.6 Mg ha -1 , respectively). Structural polysaccharides of the raw material were higher in Miscanthus (63.4% w/w) followed by Saccharum (61.5% w/w) and Arundo (57.6% w/w). The same trend was identified for the cellulose content (41.0%, 36.8% and 34.6%, respectively). The highest values in the total hemicellulose complex were observed in Saccharum (24.7%), followed by Arundo (23.1%) and Miscanthus (22.4%). The composition of structural polysaccharides leads to a higher theoretical ethanol yield (TEY) from one dry ton of Miscanthus feedstock (kg DM Mg -1 ), followed by Saccharum and Arundo. On the other hand, the TEY per unit surface (Mg ha -1 ) was greater in Arundo than in Saccharum and Miscanthus. When compared to other lignocellulosic sources used in the second-generation bioethanol technology, such as agricultural residues, woody species and other herbaceous perennial crops, Arundo, Saccharum and Miscanthus showed a great potential in terms of TEY ha -1 .Given the high levels of biomass yield and composition of structural polysaccharides, the three species might be introduced into the Mediterranean cropping systems to supply lignocellulosic biomass for second-generation industrial plants or bio-refineries.

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Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 95%

“…It has been reported that perennial herbaceous crops have the potential to reduce the disadvantage associated with the change in land use (e.g. due to their potential introduction in marginal lands), competition of food vs fuels and in general environmental threats as compared to annual crops (Fernando et al, 2010;Rettenmaier et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perennial grasses as lignocellulosic feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production in Mediterranean environment

2014

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“…Energy savings, greenhouse eff ects, and acidifi cation issues are being dealt in Rettenmaier et al 17 environmental performance and the liabilities of dedicated crops. [2][3][4][5][6] Most energy crop systems require intensive use of land.…”

Section: Environmental Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental impact assessment of energy crops cultivation in Europe

Fernando

Duarte

Almeida

et al. 2010

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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The production of energy crops must be studied and evaluated in terms of environmental impact, in order to integrate them into a sustainable agricultural development. As bioenergy carriers they offer ecological advantages over fossil fuels by contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases and acidifying emissions. However, there could be ecological shortcomings related to the intensity of agricultural production. There is a risk of polluting water and air, losing soil quality, enhancing erosion, and reducing biodiversity. In the scope of the project Future Crops for Food, Feed, Fiber and Fuel (4F Crops), supported by the European Union, an environmental impact assessment study was developed and applied to the production of potential energy crops in Europe. The following variables were selected as categories: use of water and mineral resources, soil quality and erosion, emission of minerals and pesticides to soil and water, waste generation and utilization, landscape, and biodiversity. In addition, a normalization and weighting procedure was applied, which attempts to aggregate environmental impacts. Results suggest that growing energy crops does not infl ict higher impact on the environment compared to potato and wheat farming (regarding the studied categories). Although the different indicators did not yield a common pattern, overall results suggest that woody and lignocellulosic crops have an advantage over annual crop systems, namely regarding erodibility and biodiversity. Some crop management options, such as pesticides and fertilizers inputs, can infl uence the outcomes.However, site-specifi c factors should be accurately assessed to evaluate the adequacy between crop and location.Environmental hotspots in the systems are detected and options for improvement are presented.

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“…The whole life cycle of the products: the cultivation of the plants, production and transportation, the utilization, and the disposal, has to be assessed. Several factors may affect the amount of fossil energy sources replaced/conserved, such as the crop management and biomass yield (which is highly dependent on geographical location), the conversion technologies and its use for bioenergy, biofuels or bioproducts (Biewinga and van der Bijl 1996;Rettenmaier et al 2010b).…”

Section: Replacement/conservation Of Fossil Energy Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Aspects of Kenaf Production and Use

Fernando

2013

Kenaf: A Multi-Purpose Crop for Several Industrial Applications

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This chapter outlines the environmental aspects of kenaf production and utilization, focusing on the impact on biotic and abiotic resources, through the analysis of the crop's interaction with its environment and management practices. In this study, the assessment of data retrieved from literature was supplemented with results obtained from the Biokenaf project. As a bioenergy and biomaterials carrier, kenaf offers ecological advantages over fossil sources by contributing to reduction of greenhouse gases and energy savings. Nevertheless, a negative impact may be perceived in terms of acidifying emissions. Although the different indicators did not yield a common pattern, overall results suggest that kenaf crop have an advantage over other annual energy crop systems, namely regarding pesticides and fertilizers inputs. However, risks associated with soil quality, erodibility, use of resources, and biodiversity are equivalent to most annual energy crops. Crop management options can influence the outcomes, but site specific factors should be accurately assessed to evaluate the adequacy between crop and location. In addition, environmental hot spots in the systems are detected and options for improvement are presented.

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Life cycle assessment of selected future energy crops for Europe

Cited by 49 publications

References 24 publications

Perennial grasses as lignocellulosic feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production in Mediterranean environment

Perennial grasses as lignocellulosic feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production in Mediterranean environment

Environmental impact assessment of energy crops cultivation in Europe

Environmental Aspects of Kenaf Production and Use

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