Applying life-cycle assessment to low carbon fuel standards—How allocation choices influence carbon intensity for renewable transportation fuels

Kaufman, Andrew S.; Meier, P.J.; Sinistore, Julie; Reinemann, Douglas J.

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.05.008

Cited by 65 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…There are a number of LCAs of the corn stover to ethanol process (e.g., Sheehan et al, 2004, Luo et al, 2009, Hsu et al, 2010, Spatari and MacLean, 2010, Kaufman et al, 2010. These studies all reported that replacing gasoline with ethanol produced from corn stover would reduce GHG emissions; however, the percentage reductions (compared to gasoline) reported in the studies vary between 58% and 106%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Spatari and MacLean (2010) studied both National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (Aden et al, 2002) and Michigan State University conversion process design models, but most other studies relied only on technical process information for conversion of stover to ethanol reported by NREL (Aden et al, 2002). Hsu et al(2010), Spatari and MacLean (2010) and Kaufman et al (2010) used US-average data for corn yield, fertilizer application rate and electricity grid intensity. Sheehan et al (2004) determined the aforelisted data based on a specific location in Iowa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol

et al. 2015

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. (2015) Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol. Renewable Energy, 76 . pp. 726-734. ISSN 1879-0682 Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33577/1/Tech%20development%20and%20regional %20factors%20ethanol%20Resub%20FINAL2.pdf Copyright and reuse:The Nottingham ePrints service makes this work by researchers of the University of Nottingham available open access under the following conditions. This article is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives licence and may be reused according to the conditions of the licence. For more details see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. design contribute to reducing the electricity co-product and associated emissions credit, which is also dependent on the GHG-intensity of regional electricity supply. Life cycle emissions vary between 1.5 and 22 gCO2eq./MJ ethanol (2011 design) depending on production location (98% to 77% reduction vs. gasoline). Using system expansion for co-product allocation, ethanol production in studied locations meet the Energy Independence and Security Act emissions requirements for cellulosic biofuels; however, regional factors and on-going technology developments significantly influence these results. Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment, Corn Stover, EthanolHighlights:  We evaluate the impacts of regional parameters and technology development on the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover-derived ethanol  The impacts of corn stover removal on soil carbon stocks and N2O emissions are the dominant regionally-dependent parameters  Biorefinery emissions based on the 2011 NREL design model are approximately double that of the preceding 2002 NREL model due to inclusion of greenhouse gas-intensive inputs (caustic, ammonia, glucose)  For all regions and process design models considered, corn-stover derived ethanol would meet the emissions reduction threshold of the US Energy Independence and Security Act when system expansion is used for co-product allocation.3

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol

et al. 2015

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“…Emissions would be about 25-35% lower than the near-term scenario if the mid-term scenario (2020) is considered. The use of corn stover as a feedstock results in lower GHG emissions relative to conventional corn-grain ethanol 70,132 , although this reduction is dependent on the allocation method used 67,70,132 . The carbon intensity of stover-derived ethanol is reportedly 10-44% that of gasoline 67 .…”

Section: Lca Of Bioethanol Produced From Agri-residuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of corn stover as a feedstock results in lower GHG emissions relative to conventional corn-grain ethanol 70,132 , although this reduction is dependent on the allocation method used 67,70,132 . The carbon intensity of stover-derived ethanol is reportedly 10-44% that of gasoline 67 . The corn stover collection emits GHGs after corn harvesting unless equipment capable of performing a singlepass harvest becomes commercially available 108 .…”

Section: Lca Of Bioethanol Produced From Agri-residuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, the bioenergy system can release more GHG emissions than its fossil alternative when the energy used to feed the biomass conversion process comes from carbon-intensive fossil sources 38 . The reduction in GHG emission is reported to be dependent on feedstocks, conversion technology, utilization of coproducts and allocation methods 67,77,78,115,123 . Biofuel production is reported to be beneficial in terms of the reduction of non-renewable energy consumption and the global warming impact if biomass from cropping systems is utilized.…”

Section: Lca Of Bioethanol Produced From Agri-residuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bioethanol from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Roy

Tokuyasu

Orikasa

et al. 2012

JARQ

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Liquid biofuels are widely recognized alternatives to fossil fuel not only to combat the global warming potential, but also to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to facilitate economic development. The production and use of lignocellulosic liquid biofuel have been emphasized because it is highly reproducible and does not compete with food. This study summarizes the LCA studies on lignocellulosic ethanol produced from various biomass resources focusing on energy balance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other impact categories, and the production cost to discuss their potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Numerous efforts have been made to evaluate the life cycle of lignocellulosic ethanol with LCA methodologies and deals with feedstock, energy paths, conversion technologies, allocation methods, utilization of by-products etc. to determine the environmental impacts as well as the production cost. The environmental benefits are reported in most of the studies except for few examples. A wide variation was observed in the reported production cost of ethanol, which is dependent on the feedstock, conversion technologies, allocation methods and plant sizes. Onsite enzymes production/purchase appeared to be the main hotspot, demands a vigorous study to improve their productivity and reduce costs. Another promising alternative for compensating production costs seem to be the generation of valuable coproducts and integration of ethanol production processes (ethanol and energy). Reviewed literature indicates that despite the environmental benefits of ethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass, its economic viability remains doubtful at present, even if highly optimistic assumptions are made for the cost calculation, especially in the case of enzyme. Hence, the biotechnological revolution is must for the sustainability of bioethanol, especially in the field of enzymes and microorganisms. Moreover, the adaptation of innovative technologies and renewable energy policy may help limit costs, but careful consideration of land use changes and soil quality is required to avoid any loss of productivity.

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Greenhouse gas abatement from sugarcane bioenergy, biofuels, and biomaterials

Renouf

2016

Sugarcane‐Based Biofuels and Bioproducts

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Applying life-cycle assessment to low carbon fuel standards—How allocation choices influence carbon intensity for renewable transportation fuels

Cited by 65 publications

References 24 publications

Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol

Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol

A Review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bioethanol from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Greenhouse gas abatement from sugarcane bioenergy, biofuels, and biomaterials

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