The impact of lignocellulosic ethanol production on the environment from a life cycle perspective

Abstract

In the production process of cellulosic ethanol, all sections are closely related. It is difficult to study its producing law and key factors that affect the process only by experimental means. Computer simulation has a powerful data mining ability, which can analyze, design, and evaluate the production process of cellulosic ethanol. Specifically, it can use data calculated by Aspen Plus before, and analyze the impact of cellulose ethanol production on the environment by life cycle assessment (LCA). Results show that the total environmental impact value of the whole process is 0.20∼0.37 person·a/t. And in the whole process, the growth stage and the production stage have the biggest impact.