Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment

Abstract

In order to compare the maximum potential environmental impact savings that may result from the implementation of innovative biorefinery alternatives at a regional scale, the Territorial Metabolism-Life Cycle Assessment (TM-LCA) framework is implemented. With the goal of examining environmental impacts arising from technology-to-region (territory) compatibility, the framework is applied to two biorefinery alternatives, treating a mixture of cow manure and grape marc. The biorefineries produce either biogas alone or biogas and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a naturally occurring polymer. The production of PHA substitutes either polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or biosourced polylactide (PLA) production. The assessment is performed for two regions, one in Southern France and the other in Oregon, USA. Changing energy systems are taken into account via multiple dynamic energy provision scenarios. Territorial scale impacts are quantified using both LCA midpoint impact categories and single score indicators derived through multi-criteria decision assessment (MCDA). It is determined that in all probable future scenarios, a biorefinery with PHA-biogas co-production is preferable to a biorefinery only producing biogas. The TM-LCA framework facilitates the capture of technology and regionally specific impacts, such as impacts caused by local energy provision and potential impacts due to limitations in the availability of the defined feedstock leading to additional transport.Sustainability 2019, 11, 3836 2 of 22 transition into a sustainable bioeconomy, as they allow for prospective studies. LCA of production systems/technologies, such as various agricultural productions, e.g., wine, cereal, and meat, can benefit from applying some of the new developments, since the large inputs and outputs to these systems, most likely, will have great environmental implications when changes to the production are implemented.By applying the TM-LCA framework, as used in this study, it is possible to assess said systems in the specific context of the region, i.e., taking into consideration the region's infrastructure, feedstock availability and accessibility, and the technical feasibility of technology implementation. Assessing large systems, as mentioned above, can be approached by defining the geographical boundaries in terms of a "producer territory" [4] so that the LCA can be applied for assessment of a delimited "territory", e.g., wine-producing areas, within a broadly defined region, e.g., Southern France. The producer territory is thus defined as the area of interaction between the aggregated producers and other systems within the region. The TM-LCA framework reduces data demand by aggregating individual areas of the production of, for example, a specific product, supply chain or waste treatment technology, while ignoring unchanging background systems, i.e., only changes to the region interacting with the producer territory are assessed. At the same time, representativeness is increased by merging local inventory data from individual pr...

Life Cycle Assessment and Energy Balance of a Novel Polyhydroxyalkanoates Production Process with Mixed Microbial Cultures Fed on Pyrolytic Products of Wastewater Treatment Sludge

“…Very recently, a review on the link between sustainability and industrial waste streams as feedstock for the production of PHAs has been published [44]; many different industrial streams have been taken into consideration, including activated sludge and industrial aqueous streams. The authors agree that the consideration of waste stream exploitation as a bacteria growth substrate is an interesting contribution towards a circular bioeconomy [44], economic competitiveness against fossil-based products [34,42], and eco-sustainability [43,45]. However, there is also a general agreement on the need for further investigations in order to improve the PHAs production process [40,44,46,47], and to deeply explore the environmental performances [41], thus avoiding possible burden shifting [43] and widening the analysis to include disregarded impacts like water use, land use, and eutrophication [39].…”

“…The authors agree that the consideration of waste stream exploitation as a bacteria growth substrate is an interesting contribution towards a circular bioeconomy [44], economic competitiveness against fossil-based products [34,42], and eco-sustainability [43,45]. However, there is also a general agreement on the need for further investigations in order to improve the PHAs production process [40,44,46,47], and to deeply explore the environmental performances [41], thus avoiding possible burden shifting [43] and widening the analysis to include disregarded impacts like water use, land use, and eutrophication [39]. The reviews of Narodoslawsky and co-authors [48] and Cristóbal and co-authors [49] show a great variability among the LCA results obtained by the different authors due to technological differences but also different choices in the LCA applications.…”

“…Dietrich and co-authors [42] analyzed the sustainability of PHAs production in integrated lignocellulose biorefineries. Vega and co-authors [43] examined the eco-sustainability of a biorefinery treating a mixture of cow manure and grape marc. Very recently, a review on the link between sustainability and industrial waste streams as feedstock for the production of PHAs has been published [44]; many different industrial streams have been taken into consideration, including activated sludge and industrial aqueous streams.…”

Assessing New Biotechnologies by Combining TEA and TM-LCA for an Efficient Use of Biomass Resources

“…This is due to the feedstock mix emissions in Bavaria, which are no longer counterbalanced by high emissions savings from offsetting of electricity. As has been shown before [26,84], offsets from replacing GHG intensive sources of electricity production such as coal, diminish as 'green' energy sources are implemented in the energy grid. The implications of this are very important for technologies producing renewable fuels, as their potential to produce savings will be bound to this future component.…”

“…An inadequate assessment of a plant's sourcing ability may lead to high operation costs from increased transport demand or inadequate sourcing of feedstock [25]. In turn, high transport distances may negate the environmental benefits brought about by biorefineries, as shown in Croxatto Vega et al [26] which applied the territorial metabolism-LCA approach (TM-LCA) [27] and found distances of 50 km to be the upper limit.…”