Life cycle assessment of switchgrass-derived ethanol as transport fuel

Bai, Yu; Luo, Lin; Voet, Ester van der

doi:10.1007/s11367-010-0177-2

Cited by 120 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, iLUC impacts could be substantial for the switchgrass and Miscanthus scenarios: Searchinger et al [35] estimated that replacing corn production with switchgrass production may increase GHG emissions by 50 % over 30 Current LCA literature discusses environmental impacts due to CE production from corn stover, switchgrass, and Miscanthus, though results are difficult to compare due to differences in data, assumptions, and site-specific conditions [1,37]. Analyses similar to the present study often include incongruent system boundaries [38,39], geographical scope [40], or some combination of these and other factors [41][42][43]. Of the analyses most comparable to this study, the prevailing metric for evaluating environmental impact is global warming potential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Analysis of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Scenarios in Southwestern Michigan

et al. 2016

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Modeling the life cycle of fuel pathways for cellulosic ethanol (CE) can help identify logistical barriers and anticipated impacts for the emerging commercial CE industry. Such models contain high amounts of variability, primarily due to the varying nature of agricultural production but also because of limitations in the availability of data at the local scale, resulting in the typical practice of using average values. In this study, 12 spatially explicit, cradle-to-refinery gate CE pathways were developed that vary by feedstock (corn stover, switchgrass, and Miscanthus), nitrogen application rate (higher, lower), pretreatment method (ammonia fiber expansion [AFEX], dilute acid), and co-product treatment method (mass allocation, sub-division), in which feedstock production was modeled at the watershed scale over a nine-county area in Southwestern Michigan. When comparing feedstocks, the model showed that corn stover yielded higher global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and eutrophication potential (EP) than the perennial feedstocks of switchgrass and Miscanthus, on an average per area basis. Full life cycle results per MJ of produced ethanol demonstrated more mixed results, with corn stover-derived CE scenarios that use sub-division as a co-product treatment method yielding similarly favorable outcomes as switchgrass-and Miscanthus-derived CE scenarios. Variability was found to be greater between feedstocks than watersheds. Additionally, scenarios using dilute acid pretreatment had more favorable results than those using AFEX pretreatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Analysis of Cellulosic Ethanol Production Scenarios in Southwestern Michigan

et al. 2016

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“…Most contributions to the global warming impact are from switchgrass production. The fertilizer (N and P) used for cultivating switchgrass results in increasing nitrous oxide emissions which are a major contributor of climate change [40]. Another reason for the high impact on climate change is the electricity and fuel oil used (leading to GHG emissions) in planting and transportation.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessment Of Nickel Catalyst Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment of Biochar versus Metal Catalysts Used in Syngas Cleaning

2015

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Abstract:Biomass gasification has the potential to produce renewable fuels, chemicals and power at large utility scale facilities. In these plants catalysts would likely be used to reform and clean the generated biomass syngas. Traditional catalysts are made from transition metals, while catalysts made from biochar are being studied. A life cycle assessment (LCA) study was performed to analyze the sustainability, via impact assessments, of producing a metal catalyst versus a dedicated biochar catalyst. The LCA results indicate that biochar has a 93% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and requires 95.7% less energy than the metal catalyst to produce. The study also estimated that biochar production would also have fewer impacts on human health (e.g., carcinogens and respiratory impacts) than the production of a metal catalyst. The possible disadvantage of biochar production in the ecosystem quality is due mostly to its impacts on agricultural land occupation. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to assess environmental impacts of variability in the two production systems. In the metal catalyst manufacture, the extraction and production of nickel (Ni) had significant negative effects on the environmental impacts. For biochar production, low moisture content (MC, 9%) and high yield type (8 tons/acre) switchgrass appeared more sustainable.

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“…Bioenergy production is an important existing bioeconomy initiative whose current and potential environmental impacts have been studied extensively. Bioenergy production may cause eutrophication of water, increases ecosystem and human exposure to toxins, causes loss of biodiversity, degrades air quality, and increases acidification of the ecosystem (Bai et al, 2010). Informed decisions by society require comparative studies of environmental impact of alternatives.…”

Section: Environmental Impacts Of Biobased Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second generation biofuels using biomass crops and crop residues have been estimated to achieve GHG reductions greater than 50%. (Bai et al, 2010) However, some studies argue that the GHG emissions associated with bioenergy production are underestimated and that there is no net GHG savings for many biofuels (Crutzen et al, 2008). Considering changes in soil carbon associated with crop production can reduce GHG emissions.…”

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%