Sustainability Evaluation of Non-Toxic Jatropha curcas in Rural Marginal Soil for Obtaining Biodiesel Using Life-Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Using information from an experimental planting of non-toxic Jatropha curcas (NTJC) with minimal water and fertilization resources on rural marginal soil the objective of this article is to determine the sustainability of this raw material for producing biodiesel and the possibilities for improving it through life-cycle assessment (LCA). Three production scenarios were studied: minimal resources (MR), which focuses on the obtaining of biodiesel; minimal resources and utilization of sub-products (MRUS), which includes the utilization of the residual products in order to produce food and solid biofuels, as well as biodiesel; and utilization of biofertilizers, flood irrigation, and sub-products (UBIS), which incorporates the use of bio-fertilizers and irrigation in the production system. This study includes the selection of six sustainability indicators, as well as indicators by means of LCA methodology Finally, a sustainability index (SI) for each scenario was determined on the basis of an index of environmental sustainability of energy products (IESEP). Our results indicated that the MR scenario yielded the lowest SI 0.673, while the MRUS scenario had the highest SI 0.956. It concludes that sustainability is greater when it utilizes minimal water and fertilization resources during the raw material production stage, and the residual products are used for food and energy products made possible by the non-toxic properties of Jatropha curcas.

A Review of the Production of Hyaluronic Acid in the Context of Its Integration into GBAER-Type Biorefineries

“…In a BRF, bioenergy, biofuels, chemicals, and biomaterials are produced by integrating several technologies and processes [10,44]. Food and fiber are sometimes obtained, depending on the raw material and process combination within the BRF [8,45]. The different types of biomass and processes used in BRFs include lignocellulosic biomass and organic waste [9,11].…”

“…BRFs use different types of biomass as raw materials, such as solid organic waste, lignocellulosic biomass, and algae. Depending on their configurations, these BRFs can produce a range of biofuels, such as ethanol, biodiesel, methane, hydrogen, synthesis gas, electricity/heat, and bio-oil [8][9][10][11]; these biofuels generate lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels, which also offer critical environmental benefits. Palandri et al [12] reported that ethanol and biodiesel emit up to 80% less CO 2 -equivalent (CO 2 e) emissions when produced with organic waste than gasoline or diesel.…”