Life cycle assessment of biodiesel in Spain: Comparing the environmental sustainability of Spanish production versus Argentinean imports

Fernández-Tirado, Francisca; Parra-López, Carlos; Romero-Gámez, Mercedes

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2016.04.005

Cited by 28 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…That is the case for rapeseed, a popular crop to produce biodiesel, especially in Europe, where its production is considerable and relatively cheap [56], which can contribute to sustainability as it is resistant to extreme climates and its production is relatively easy in many different areas (presenting resistance to extreme weather conditions and to different kind of soils). Indeed, it has been widely studied, normally under homogeneous catalysis, and the subsequent biodiesel showed good results, complying with most of the requirements of standards [57][58][59].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Use of NaNO3/SiAl as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Production from Rapeseed Oil

et al. 2021

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The use of heterogeneous catalysts to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) through transesterification with methanol might contribute to both green chemistry and a circular economy, as the process can be simplified, not requiring additional stages to recover the catalyst once the reaction takes place. For this purpose, different catalysts are used, including a wide range of possibilities. In this research the use of NaNO3/SiAl as a heterogeneous catalyst for FAME production through transesterification of rapeseed oil with methanol is considered. A thorough characterization of the catalyst (including XDR and XPS analysis, SEM microscopy, lixiviation and reusability tests, among others), specific optimization of transesterification by using the final catalyst (considering catalyst amount, stirring rate, methanol/oil ratio, and temperature), and quality determination of the final biodiesel (following the UNE-EN 14214 standard) were carried out. In conclusion, 20 mmolNa·gsupport−1 (that is, NaNO3/SiAl 20/1) offered the best results, with a high activity (exceeding 99% w/w of FAMEs) without requiring higher impregnation amounts. The best chemical conditions for this heterogeneous catalyst were 5% w/w catalyst, 700 rpm, 9:1 methanol/oil ratio, and 65 °C, obtaining Ea = 73.3 kJ·mol−1 and a high-quality biodiesel, similar to those obtained through homogeneous catalysis. Consequently, this catalyst could be a suitable precursor for FAME production.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Use of NaNO3/SiAl as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Production from Rapeseed Oil

et al. 2021

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“… Water data of the United States are used if no regional‐specific data are mentioned and the uncertainty ranges are based on literature ranges. Water withdrawal intensities for transesterification are estimated between 0.30 and 1.0 L/L (Fernández‐Tirado, Parra‐López, & Romero‐Gámez, ; O'Connor, ; Omni Tech International, ; Schneider & Finkbeiner, ), while water consumption intensities of 0.02 L/L (Fernández‐Tirado et al, ) and 0.26 L/L (Omni Tech International, ) are given. Water discharge intensities are given of 0.04–3 L/L (Daud, Sheikh Abdullah, Abu Hasan, & Yaakob, ; Omni Tech International, ; Veljković, Stamenković, & Tasić, ) and even up to 10 L/L (Atadashi, Aroua, Aziz, & Sulaiman, ), but this latter figure is considered to be an outlier.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing the water and greenhouse gas effects of soya bean‐based biodiesel in five different regions

2018

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Bioenergy may have significant lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensities compared to fossil alternatives, but concerns are raised that bioenergy would contribute to additional water scarcity. Therefore, the GHG intensity, water intensity and water‐related risks are analysed simultaneously for conventional diesel and soya bean‐based biodiesel from Argentina, Brazil, Unites States (U.S.), Thailand and Iran on a life cycle basis. The water‐related risks are estimated with a water scarcity—consumption matrix, which was recently developed. Results show that a significant share (9%‐38%) of the GHG emissions in all biodiesel cases is caused by soil N2O emissions. In addition, the ranges in water consumption intensity for soya bean‐based biodiesel are considerably larger than for fossil fuels. However, whether this leads to high water‐related risks depends on the local water scarcity. Soya bean‐based biodiesel from Argentina has low water‐related risks to all nodes of the supply chain due to low local water stress combined with a low direct water consumption intensity (20 L/GJfuel). In addition, high GHG emission reduction (71%) and a low‐specific eutrophication potential (0.04 kg PO43−/GJfuel) are achieved. The indirect water consumption intensity is estimated at 120–420 L/GJ for soya bean‐based biodiesel, which is significant if the soya beans are rainfed, like in Argentina and Brazil. If irrigation is required, indirect water consumption is dwarfed by irrigation water. Overall, it is concluded that soya bean‐based biodiesel can have significant lower GHG emission intensity than fossil diesel, without causing additional water stress in the supply chain if they are produced in water abundant areas and good agricultural practices are used. The used method shows disaggregated water‐related risks for the different nodes of the supply chain to acknowledge the regional nature of water scarcity and enables decision makers to identify “hot spots” and take targeted actions.

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Evolution of the Biorefinery Concept and Tools for Its Evaluation Toward a Circular Bioeconomy

Valdez-Vazquez,

Güereca,

Molina-Guerrero

et al. 2024

Springer Water

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Life cycle assessment of biodiesel in Spain: Comparing the environmental sustainability of Spanish production versus Argentinean imports

Cited by 28 publications

References 37 publications

Use of NaNO3/SiAl as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Production from Rapeseed Oil

Use of NaNO3/SiAl as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Production from Rapeseed Oil

Analysing the water and greenhouse gas effects of soya bean‐based biodiesel in five different regions

Evolution of the Biorefinery Concept and Tools for Its Evaluation Toward a Circular Bioeconomy

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