IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i22p6332-d285865.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Life-Cycle Assessment of Brazilian Transport Biofuel and Electrification Pathways

Author

Listed:
  • Kain Glensor

    (Mobility and International Cooperation, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, 10178 Berlin, Germany)

  • María Rosa Muñoz B.

    (Mobility and International Cooperation, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, 10178 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Biofuels and electrification are potential ways to reduce CO 2 emissions from the transport sector, although not without limitations or associated problems. This paper describes a life-cycle analysis (LCA) of the Brazilian urban passenger transport system. The LCA considers various scenarios of a wholesale conversion of car and urban bus fleets to 100% electric or biofuel (bioethanol and biodiesel) use by 2050 compared to a business as usual (BAU) scenario. The LCA includes the following phases of vehicles and their life: fuel use and manufacturing (including electricity generation and land-use emissions), vehicle and battery manufacturing and end of life. The results are presented in terms of CO 2 , nitrous oxides (NO x ) and particulate matter (PM) emissions, electricity consumption and the land required to grow the requisite biofuel feedstocks. Biofuels result in similar or higher CO 2 and air pollutant emissions than BAU, while electrification resulted in significantly lower emissions of all types. Possible limitations found include the amount of electricity consumed by electric vehicles in the electrification scenarios.

Suggested Citation

  • Kain Glensor & María Rosa Muñoz B., 2019. "Life-Cycle Assessment of Brazilian Transport Biofuel and Electrification Pathways," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-31, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6332-:d:285865
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6332/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6332/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hofmann, Jana & Guan, Dabo & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos & Huo, Hong, 2016. "Assessment of electrical vehicles as a successful driver for reducing CO2 emissions in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 995-1003.
    2. Searchinger, Timothy & Heimlich, Ralph & Houghton, R. A. & Dong, Fengxia & Elobeid, Amani & Fabiosa, Jacinto F. & Tokgoz, Simla & Hayes, Dermot J. & Yu, Hun-Hsiang, 2008. "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12881, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    3. Rangaraju, Surendraprabu & De Vroey, Laurent & Messagie, Maarten & Mertens, Jan & Van Mierlo, Joeri, 2015. "Impacts of electricity mix, charging profile, and driving behavior on the emissions performance of battery electric vehicles: A Belgian case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 496-505.
    4. Varga, Bogdan Ovidiu, 2013. "Electric vehicles, primary energy sources and CO2 emissions: Romanian case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 61-70.
    5. Troy R. Hawkins & Bhawna Singh & Guillaume Majeau‐Bettez & Anders Hammer Strømman, 2013. "Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 17(1), pages 53-64, February.
    6. Peters, Jens F. & Baumann, Manuel & Zimmermann, Benedikt & Braun, Jessica & Weil, Marcel, 2017. "The environmental impact of Li-Ion batteries and the role of key parameters – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 491-506.
    7. Abdul-Manan, Amir F.N., 2015. "Uncertainty and differences in GHG emissions between electric and conventional gasoline vehicles with implications for transport policy making," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-7.
    8. Ke, Wenwei & Zhang, Shaojun & He, Xiaoyi & Wu, Ye & Hao, Jiming, 2017. "Well-to-wheels energy consumption and emissions of electric vehicles: Mid-term implications from real-world features and air pollution control progress," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 367-377.
    9. Fulton, Lew & Cazzola, Pierpaolo & Cuenot, François, 2009. "IEA Mobility Model (MoMo) and its use in the ETP 2008," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 3758-3768, October.
    10. Bauer, Christian & Hofer, Johannes & Althaus, Hans-Jörg & Del Duce, Andrea & Simons, Andrew, 2015. "The environmental performance of current and future passenger vehicles: Life cycle assessment based on a novel scenario analysis framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 871-883.
    11. Faria, Ricardo & Marques, Pedro & Moura, Pedro & Freire, Fausto & Delgado, Joaquim & de Almeida, Aníbal T., 2013. "Impact of the electricity mix and use profile in the life-cycle assessment of electric vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 271-287.
    12. Jochem, Patrick & Doll, Claus & Fichtner, Wolf, 2016. "External costs of electric vehicles," MPRA Paper 91602, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Jennifer B. Dunn & Jeongwoo Han & Joaquim Seabra & Michael Wang, 2017. "Biofuel Life-Cycle Analysis," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Madhu Khanna & David Zilberman (ed.), Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy: Volume II, pages 121-161, Springer.
    14. Onat, Nuri Cihat & Kucukvar, Murat & Tatari, Omer, 2015. "Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 36-49.
    15. Garcia, Rita & Freire, Fausto, 2017. "A review of fleet-based life-cycle approaches focusing on energy and environmental impacts of vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 935-945.
    16. Ma, Hongrui & Balthasar, Felix & Tait, Nigel & Riera-Palou, Xavier & Harrison, Andrew, 2012. "A new comparison between the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 160-173.
    17. Zhou, Guanghui & Ou, Xunmin & Zhang, Xiliang, 2013. "Development of electric vehicles use in China: A study from the perspective of life-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 875-884.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aloisio S. Nascimento Filho & Rafael G. O. dos Santos & João Gabriel A. Calmon & Peterson A. Lobato & Marcelo A. Moret & Thiago B. Murari & Hugo Saba, 2022. "Induction of a Consumption Pattern for Ethanol and Gasoline in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-11, July.
    2. Eckert, Jony Javorski & Silva, Fabrício L. & da Silva, Samuel Filgueira & Bueno, André Valente & de Oliveira, Mona Lisa Moura & Silva, Ludmila C.A., 2022. "Optimal design and power management control of hybrid biofuel–electric powertrain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    3. Karol Tucki & Olga Orynycz & Andrzej Wasiak & Antoni Świć & Remigiusz Mruk & Katarzyna Botwińska, 2020. "Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from a Diesel Engine Powered by Lignocellulose Derived Fuel for Better Management of Fuel Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-29, January.

    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. Nenming Wang & Guwen Tang, 2022. "A Review on Environmental Efficiency Evaluation of New Energy Vehicles Using Life Cycle Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-35, March.
    2. Shafique, Muhammad & Azam, Anam & Rafiq, Muhammad & Luo, Xiaowei, 2022. "Life cycle assessment of electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles: A case study of Hong Kong," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Soares, N. & Martins, A.G. & Carvalho, A.L. & Caldeira, C. & Du, C. & Castanheira, É. & Rodrigues, E. & Oliveira, G. & Pereira, G.I. & Bastos, J. & Ferreira, J.P. & Ribeiro, L.A. & Figueiredo, N.C. & , 2018. "The challenging paradigm of interrelated energy systems towards a more sustainable future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 171-193.
    4. Siqin Xiong & Junping Ji & Xiaoming Ma, 2019. "Comparative Life Cycle Energy and GHG Emission Analysis for BEVs and PhEVs: A Case Study in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Choi, Hyunhong & Shin, Jungwoo & Woo, JongRoul, 2018. "Effect of electricity generation mix on battery electric vehicle adoption and its environmental impact," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 13-24.
    6. Oda, Hiromu & Noguchi, Hiroki & Fuse, Masaaki, 2022. "Review of life cycle assessment for automobiles: A meta-analysis-based approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    7. Kim, Imjung & Kim, Junghun & Lee, Jongsu, 2020. "Dynamic analysis of well-to-wheel electric and hydrogen vehicles greenhouse gas emissions: Focusing on consumer preferences and power mix changes in South Korea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Marmiroli, Benedetta & Venditti, Mattia & Dotelli, Giovanni & Spessa, Ezio, 2020. "The transport of goods in the urban environment: A comparative life cycle assessment of electric, compressed natural gas and diesel light-duty vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    9. Kalghatgi, Gautam, 2018. "Is it really the end of internal combustion engines and petroleum in transport?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 965-974.
    10. Kevin Joseph Dillman & Áróra Árnadóttir & Jukka Heinonen & Michał Czepkiewicz & Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, 2020. "Review and Meta-Analysis of EVs: Embodied Emissions and Environmental Breakeven," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-28, November.
    11. Jarod C. Kelly & Qiang Dai & Michael Wang, 2020. "Globally regional life cycle analysis of automotive lithium-ion nickel manganese cobalt batteries," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 371-396, March.
    12. Ensslen, Axel & Schücking, Maximilian & Jochem, Patrick & Steffens, Henning & Fichtner, Wolf & Wollersheim, Olaf & Stella, Kevin, 2017. "Empirical carbon dioxide emissions of electric vehicles in a French-German commuter fleet test," MPRA Paper 91600, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Silje Nornes Bryntesen & Anders Hammer Strømman & Ignat Tolstorebrov & Paul R. Shearing & Jacob J. Lamb & Odne Stokke Burheim, 2021. "Opportunities for the State-of-the-Art Production of LIB Electrodes—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-41, March.
    14. Xiaoxue Zheng & Haiyan Lin & Zhi Liu & Dengfeng Li & Carlos Llopis-Albert & Shouzhen Zeng, 2018. "Manufacturing Decisions and Government Subsidies for Electric Vehicles in China: A Maximal Social Welfare Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-28, March.
    15. Onat, Nuri Cihat & Kucukvar, Murat & Tatari, Omer, 2015. "Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 36-49.
    16. Li, Wei & Jia, Zhijie & Zhang, Hongzhi, 2017. "The impact of electric vehicles and CCS in the context of emission trading scheme in China: A CGE-based analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 800-816.
    17. Will, Christian & Zimmermann, Florian & Ensslen, Axel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Jochem, Patrick & Keles, Dogan, 2024. "Can electric vehicle charging be carbon neutral? Uniting smart charging and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    18. Lin, Boqiang & Wu, Wei, 2021. "The impact of electric vehicle penetration: A recursive dynamic CGE analysis of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    19. Crossin, Enda & Doherty, Peter J.B., 2016. "The effect of charging time on the comparative environmental performance of different vehicle types," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 716-726.
    20. Zhou, Xi-Yin & Xu, Zhicheng & Zheng, Jialin & Zhou, Ya & Lei, Kun & Fu, Jiafeng & Khu, Soon-Thiam & Yang, Junfeng, 2023. "Internal spillover effect of carbon emission between transportation sectors and electricity generation sectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 356-366.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6332-:d:285865. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.