IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v16y2012i7p4638-4650.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental life cycle assessment of lignocellulosic conversion to ethanol: A review

Author

Listed:
  • Borrion, Aiduan Li
  • McManus, Marcelle C.
  • Hammond, Geoffrey P.

Abstract

Bioenergy from lignocellulosic biomass offers the potential to provide a significant source of clean, low carbon and secure energy. In recent years, a number of studies have been carried out to assess the environmental performance of lignocellulosic ethanol fuel. However, the complexity of biofuel systems generates significantly different results due to the differences in input data, methodologies applied, and local geographical conditions. Moreover, much attention has been placed on assessing climate change potential and energy consumption. This study draws on 53 published life cycle assessment of the lignocellulosic ethanol. More than half of the articles reviewed focus on assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission or fossil energy consumption or combination of both. All studies but two reviewed conclude that there is a reduction of GHG emission when using lignocellulosic ethanol in comparison to fossil fuel reference system. However, different studies have reported different sources contributing to GHG emission: some reports majority of GHG emissions come from biomass cultivation stage; others argue significant GHG emissions from ethanol conversion process. All articles suggest a reduction of fossil consumption in all cases of ethanol fuel. Contrary results for the impact of acidification and eutrophication potential from lignocellulosic ethanol are also observed—some reports less impact in comparison to conventional gasoline whiles others report significant increase of acidification and eutrophication potential by ethanol production. Studies also show water consumption varies significantly depending on biomass types, irrigation requirement, and regional irrigation practices; with different findings on whether agricultural practices or ethanol conversion being the main sources for water consumption. Contrary findings on emissions contributing to ecotocixity and human health have also been reported with some being favourable while others not. Results from the literature also suggest strong dependency of LCA results on system boundary, functional unit, data quality and allocation methods chosen.

Suggested Citation

  • Borrion, Aiduan Li & McManus, Marcelle C. & Hammond, Geoffrey P., 2012. "Environmental life cycle assessment of lignocellulosic conversion to ethanol: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4638-4650.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:16:y:2012:i:7:p:4638-4650
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032112002742
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.016?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. González-García, Sara & Gasol, Carles M. & Gabarrell, Xavier & Rieradevall, Joan & Moreira, Ma Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2010. "Environmental profile of ethanol from poplar biomass as transport fuel in Southern Europe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1014-1023.
    2. Luo, Lin & van der Voet, Ester & Huppes, Gjalt, 2009. "An energy analysis of ethanol from cellulosic feedstock-Corn stover," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 2003-2011, October.
    3. Cherubini, Francesco & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2010. "Crop residues as raw materials for biorefinery systems - A LCA case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 47-57, January.
    4. Harto, Christopher & Meyers, Robert & Williams, Eric, 2010. "Life cycle water use of low-carbon transport fuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 4933-4944, September.
    5. Ou, Xunmin & Zhang, Xiliang & Chang, Shiyan & Guo, Qingfang, 2009. "Energy consumption and GHG emissions of six biofuel pathways by LCA in (the) People's Republic of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(Supplemen), pages 197-208, November.
    6. Kaufman, Andrew S. & Meier, Paul J. & Sinistore, Julie C. & Reinemann, Douglas J., 2010. "Applying life-cycle assessment to low carbon fuel standards--How allocation choices influence carbon intensity for renewable transportation fuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 5229-5241, September.
    7. González-García, Sara & Gasol, Carles M. & Gabarrell, Xavier & Rieradevall, Joan & Moreira, Mª Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2009. "Environmental aspects of ethanol-based fuels from Brassica carinata: A case study of second generation ethanol," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2613-2620, December.
    8. Hoefnagels, Ric & Smeets, Edward & Faaij, André, 2010. "Greenhouse gas footprints of different biofuel production systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 1661-1694, September.
    9. Velásquez-Arredondo, H.I. & Ruiz-Colorado, A.A. & De Oliveira, S., 2010. "Ethanol production process from banana fruit and its lignocellulosic residues: Energy analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3081-3087.
    10. Lavigne, Amanda & Powers, Susan E., 2007. "Evaluating fuel ethanol feedstocks from energy policy perspectives: A comparative energy assessment of corn and corn stover," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 5918-5930, November.
    11. Cherubini, Francesco, 2010. "GHG balances of bioenergy systems – Overview of key steps in the production chain and methodological concerns," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1565-1573.
    12. González-García, Sara & Moreira, M. Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2010. "Comparative environmental performance of lignocellulosic ethanol from different feedstocks," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 2077-2085, September.
    13. J.B. (Hans) Opschoor, 2009. "Sustainability," Chapters, in: Jan Peil & Irene van Staveren (ed.), Handbook of Economics and Ethics, chapter 69, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. González-García, Sara & Luo, Lin & Moreira, Mª Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo & Huppes, Gjalt, 2009. "Life cycle assessment of flax shives derived second generation ethanol fueled automobiles in Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1922-1933, October.
    15. Anthony Halog, 2009. "Models for evaluating energy, environmental and sustainability performance of biofuels value chain," International Journal of Global Energy Issues, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 32(1/2), pages 83-101.
    16. Silalertruksa, Thapat & Gheewala, Shabbir H., 2009. "Environmental sustainability assessment of bio-ethanol production in Thailand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 1933-1946.
    17. Feng, Hongli & Rubin, Ofir D. & Babcock, Bruce, 2010. "Greenhouse gas impacts of ethanol from Iowa corn: Life cycle assessment versus system wide approach," ISU General Staff Papers 201006010700001482, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    18. Sobrino, Fernando Hernández & Monroy, Carlos Rodríguez & Pérez, José Luís Hernández, 2011. "Biofuels and fossil fuels: Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) optimisation through productive resources maximisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 2621-2628, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wiloso, Edi Iswanto & Heijungs, Reinout & de Snoo, Geert R., 2012. "LCA of second generation bioethanol: A review and some issues to be resolved for good LCA practice," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 5295-5308.
    2. Daylan, B. & Ciliz, N., 2016. "Life cycle assessment and environmental life cycle costing analysis of lignocellulosic bioethanol as an alternative transportation fuel," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 578-587.
    3. Tahereh Soleymani Angili & Katarzyna Grzesik & Anne Rödl & Martin Kaltschmitt, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of Bioethanol Production: A Review of Feedstock, Technology and Methodology," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Morales, Marjorie & Quintero, Julián & Conejeros, Raúl & Aroca, Germán, 2015. "Life cycle assessment of lignocellulosic bioethanol: Environmental impacts and energy balance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1349-1361.
    5. Yang, Q. & Chen, G.Q., 2013. "Greenhouse gas emissions of corn–ethanol production in China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 176-184.
    6. Menten, Fabio & Chèze, Benoît & Patouillard, Laure & Bouvart, Frédérique, 2013. "A review of LCA greenhouse gas emissions results for advanced biofuels: The use of meta-regression analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 108-134.
    7. Dufour, Javier & Iribarren, Diego, 2012. "Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from free fatty acid-rich wastes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 155-162.
    8. Danilo Arcentales-Bastidas & Carla Silva & Angel D. Ramirez, 2022. "The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-24, July.
    9. McKechnie, Jon & Pourbafrani, Mohammad & Saville, Bradley A. & MacLean, Heather L., 2015. "Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 726-734.
    10. Forte, Annachiara & Zucaro, Amalia & Faugno, Salvatore & Basosi, Riccardo & Fierro, Angelo, 2018. "Carbon footprint and fossil energy consumption of bio-ethanol fuel production from Arundo donax L. crops on marginal lands of Southern Italy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 222-235.
    11. González-García, Sara & Moreira, M. Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2010. "Comparative environmental performance of lignocellulosic ethanol from different feedstocks," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 2077-2085, September.
    12. Singh, Renu & Srivastava, Monika & Shukla, Ashish, 2016. "Environmental sustainability of bioethanol production from rice straw in India: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 202-216.
    13. Carneiro, Maria Luisa N.M. & Pradelle, Florian & Braga, Sergio L. & Gomes, Marcos Sebastião P. & Martins, Ana Rosa F.A. & Turkovics, Franck & Pradelle, Renata N.C., 2017. "Potential of biofuels from algae: Comparison with fossil fuels, ethanol and biodiesel in Europe and Brazil through life cycle assessment (LCA)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 632-653.
    14. González-García, Sara & Gasol, Carles M. & Gabarrell, Xavier & Rieradevall, Joan & Moreira, Ma Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2010. "Environmental profile of ethanol from poplar biomass as transport fuel in Southern Europe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1014-1023.
    15. Menten, Fabio & Tchung-Ming, Stéphane & Lorne, Daphné & Bouvart, Frédérique, 2015. "Lessons from the use of a long-term energy model for consequential life cycle assessment: The BTL case," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 942-960.
    16. Liu, Beibei & Wang, Feng & Zhang, Bing & Bi, Jun, 2013. "Energy balance and GHG emissions of cassava-based fuel ethanol using different planting modes in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 210-220.
    17. Iriarte, Alfredo & Rieradevall, Joan & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2012. "Transition towards a more environmentally sustainable biodiesel in South America: The case of Chile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 263-273.
    18. Bergthorson, Jeffrey M. & Thomson, Murray J., 2015. "A review of the combustion and emissions properties of advanced transportation biofuels and their impact on existing and future engines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1393-1417.
    19. Zhang, XiaoHong & Pan, HengYu & Cao, Jun & Li, JinRong, 2015. "Energy consumption of China’s crop production system and the related emissions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 111-125.
    20. Suopajärvi, Hannu & Pongrácz, Eva & Fabritius, Timo, 2013. "The potential of using biomass-based reducing agents in the blast furnace: A review of thermochemical conversion technologies and assessments related to sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 511-528.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:16:y:2012:i:7:p:4638-4650. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.