Obtaining bioLPG via the HVO Route in Brazil: A Prospect Study Based on Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Abstract

BioLPG is a partially renewable fuel that can be produced by different conversion routes, with vegetable oil hydrotreatment (HVO) being one of the most promising processes. This study uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to assess the environmental impacts associated with this processing. The analysis considered the conditions practiced in Brazil with soybean oil (SO) as raw material, different hydrogen sources, and raw materials’ feed rates in the reaction system. The model was based on secondary data collected for the 2020–2021 biennium, and the environmental impacts were determined for Global Warming Potential, Primary Energy Demand, Terrestrial Acidification, Fine Particulate Matter Formation, Terrestrial Ecotoxicity, and direct Land Use Change. The results show that the SO produced by soybeans grown in Paraná/BR and hydrotreated with H2 obtained by electrolysis ([SO/H2]mol/mol = 1:30) had the best environmental performance in four of the six impact categories analyzed. A complementary analysis also identified the best environmental performances for bioLPG obtained from blending SO from different sources to avoid supplier dependence. Even accumulating worse environmental performance than fossil LPG, renewable fuel has promising prospects for deployment in Brazil. Nevertheless, for this to occur, some actions must be implemented in its production cycle.

The Impact of BioLPG’s on Carbon Footprint: A Context of European Countries

“…Processing bioLPG has an adverse environmental impact but to a lesser extent than that of its non-renewable competitors. Therefore, methodically examining the fuel's environmental performance, identifying any possible effects, and suggesting remedies for its reduction or eradication is an effective strategy for handling this issue Liquefied Petroleum Gas -Recent Advances and Technologies for Energy Transition 4 [16]. Because of its systematic and quantitative qualities, The life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach can definitively conduct such an evaluation [17].…”

“…The worldwide hunt for alternative fuels is expanding due to concerns about climate change and a desire to lessen reliance on fossil fuels. It is also possible for liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], a fuel combination mostly made up of Propane and butane in different ratios [3], to become a partly renewable fuel if it is made from feedstocks such as vegetable oils, biomass, and oily wastes. Proponents of decarbonization and the LPG sector are keen to increase the amount of BioLPG produced.…”

Long-Term Coprocessing of Used Cooking Oils with Refinery Petroleum Fractions: A Comprehensive Study of Catalyst Activity and Biofuel Production Effects

“…Either by processing pure UCO or coprocessing UCO, they can get rid of waste material in an attractive way during the current production of biodiesel. − In this regard, hydroprocessing has become the domain of waste UCO processing . Hydroprocessing includes hydrorefining reactions (removal of heteroatoms such as sulfur and nitrogen) and hydrocracking reactions (saturation and cleavage of C–C bonds) to produce high-quality molecules for motor fuel production. − In addition to the use of existing technological equipment, refineries can also use existing conventional catalytic systems based on CoMo/Al 2 O 3 or NiMo/Al 2 O 3 …”