IDENTIFYING SUITABLE INDICATORS FOR MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOENERGY PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM PINE FORESTS IN THE U.S. SOUTH (PHASE-1)
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this project is to develop a basic framework for four sustainability indices for bioenergy production namely: 1) economic; 2) biodiversity; 3) greenhouse gas emission reduction and net energy ratio; and 4) soil and water quality. These indices can be used to assess sustainability of bioenergy products in general and cellulosic ethanol in particular.
Description:
In this phase of the project, a sustainability framework was developed for four sustainability indices namely: 1) economic; 2) biodiversity; 3) greenhouse gas emission reduction and net energy ratio; and 4) soil and water quality. A set of forest bioenergy sustainability indicators has been compiled for each of the four indices based on the review and analysis of existing and suggested certification systems in the field of forestry (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council), agriculture (e.g. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), electricity (e.g. Green power), states biomass harvest guidelines and forestry BMP manuals, current scientific literature regarding forest management practices in general and forest biomass-based energy in particular and through interviews with researchers, and discussions with stakeholders.
In this sustainability framework, 17 indicators have been suggested to ensure that soil and water quality at the site is maintained and enhanced (including acceptable deviation limits in soil biogeochemistry indicators and water quality indicators); 10 indicators to ensure biodiversity conservation and maintenance of floral and faunal value of the site; 5 indicators on energy and emissions to ensure net GHG reduction; and 14 socioeconomic indicators to ensure that cellulosic ethanol produced from pine is economically beneficial and socially acceptable. The framework comprises of suite of indicators which are qualitative and quantitative in nature based on the type data availability. This framework can be customized to suit other forest species as well as other sources of bioenergy such as corn or switchgrass.
Under the project two case studies were prepared for cellulosic ethanol production from slash pine (Pinus elliottii) in Florida. The former dealt with preliminary life cycle analyses for producing bioenergy using two-stage dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis technology, while latter calculated unit cost (the point where Net Present Value of cellulosic ethanol becomes zero) of ethanol at 10% discount rate. The results from these case studies are outlined below:
Energy use: For producing 100 litres of cellulosic ethanol within the system boundary, total energy use for came out to be 7,083 MJ. Here, energy obtained from lignin was not accounted for as lignin is co-product of ethanol production. It was also found that majority of the total energy used within the system boundary was in the form of embodied energy (about 54%). Through life cycle analyses, it was determined that the maximum energy consumption within the system was associated with diesel (4,429 MJ) accounted for maximum energy consumption followed by electricity (1,152 MJ) in ethanol production at the ethanol mill, ammonia (705 MJ) used in fermentation process at ethanol mill, and fertilizers (490 MJ) used at forestland, nursery, and orchard. All the above-mentioned four materials accounted for 95% of the total energy.
Net Energy Ratio (NER): The NER (total output energy/total input energy) of pine based ethanol was found to be 3.3 under the situation that co-products, produced at ethanol mill, are allocated on a volumetric basis. The calculated NER was significantly higher than NER of other bioenergy corn ethanol (1.25), ethanol obtained from corn stover (1.7) but was about 59% of the NER of switchgrass-based cellulosic ethanol.
Global warming impact (GWI): When system boundary was extended to include the use of ethanol in automobiles in the form of E85 (a mixture of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol) for assessing the GWI, it was found that the net reduction in GWI, when compared to gasoline is about 53.31%. It is less than 60% as outlined in Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The corresponding GWI values for other ethanol sources such as corn, corn stover, and switchgrass based ethanol were 12%, 65% and 90% respectively.
Unit cost of production: The unit cost of cellulosic ethanol came out to be $0.56/lt using a delivered feedstock cost of $36.52/Mg (green). When we incorporate the lower energy content of ethanol relative to gasoline, the cost of an energy equivalent liter of ethanol increased to $0.83/lt. The calculated unit cost value was higher than the value of ethanol produced from corn ($0.68/lt) and corn stover ($0.55/lt) but lower than switchgrass ($0.93/lt). It was found that the cost of biomass feedstock (42%) is the largest single contributor to the unit cost followed by initial project investment, fixed operating costs, and ammonia as next three largest contributors with 26%, 7%, and 7% contributions respectively.
The life cycle and unit cost analyses did not consider land use change effects. The economic analysis proposed in the second phase can be used to delineate land use change effects. These land use change can be integrated with these case studies at a later stage to improve their findings.
Record Details:
Record Type:PROJECT(
ABSTRACT
)
Start Date:08/31/2008
Completion Date:07/31/2009
Record ID:
200595
Keywords:
BIOETHANOL, FEEDSTOCK PRODUCTION AND CONVERSION, BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, LAND USE CHANGE, WATER QUALITY, SOIL QUALITY, COST BENEFIT ANALYSES, LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT, WOOD CROP ROTATION, BIOFUEL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK, KALDOR-HICKS CRITERIA, PARETO OPTIMALITY, ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY, CARBON CAP AND TRADE, SPECIE RICHNESS INDEX, SHANNON BIODIVERSITY INDEX, META-ANALYSIS, BIOFUEL INDICATORS, BIOENERGY CERTIFICATION, BIOFUEL CERTIFICATION INVENTORY, NET SOCIAL BENEFITS, ECONOMIC WELFARE CHANGE, GHG, SOIL DEGRADATION, DISTRIBUTION INEQUALITY, FUEL EFFICIENCY, NET ENERGY EQUIVALENT, BIODIESEL, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, CARBON EMISSIONS, BIOFUEL CO-PRODUCTS, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCE,
Related Organizations:
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Citation
:Gainesville
State
:FL
Zip Code
:32611
Project Information:
Approach
:Bioenergy sustainability will be assessed through a three step approach of reviewing literature, designing indices and testing indices on the ground for pine ecosystem. The stepwise process includes reviewing existing studies on U.S. bioenergy production and assessing applicability of existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes for pine biomass production and its subsequent conversion to biofuels; undertaking a critical assessment of estimates of biodiversity, soil and water quality, GHG emissions and economic impacts in southern states using meta-analytic approaches (where appropriate) and identifying major issues that may influence variation in these estimates (e.g., landscape-level land use change causing loss of some species sensitive to these changes); preparing a methodology framework that can be used to asses sustainability of biofuels based on above four indices; and conducting a preliminary field level life cycle analyses at a selected site in Florida to attribute energy and emission values for a pine ecosystem.
The project moulds existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes, according to requirements of bioenergy certification, and can establish whether biofuels are making a positive contribution to the environment, standard of living, and democratic and ethical values of society. The methodology reports of the project can be replicated for conducting empirical assessments, the fact sheets and brochures developed can be used to educate children, adults, and industry on biofuels sustainability in an easy to learn manner. Overall, the results of this project are geared towards benefiting various stakeholders including government, NGOs, industry, NIPF landowners, and the public alike, and facilitate rapid and more informed decision making towards a “green lifestyle” while generating multiplier effects by transmitting bioenergy sustainability knowledge and maximizing educational benefits.
Cost
:$9,954.67
Research Component
:Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development
Approach
:Bioenergy sustainability will be assessed through a three step approach of reviewing literature, designing indices and testing indices on the ground for pine ecosystem. The stepwise process includes reviewing existing studies on U.S. bioenergy production and assessing applicability of existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes for pine biomass production and its subsequent conversion to biofuels; undertaking a critical assessment of estimates of biodiversity, soil and water quality, GHG emissions and economic impacts in southern states using meta-analytic approaches (where appropriate) and identifying major issues that may influence variation in these estimates (e.g., landscape-level land use change causing loss of some species sensitive to these changes); preparing a methodology framework that can be used to asses sustainability of biofuels based on above four indices; and conducting a preliminary field level life cycle analyses at a selected site in Florida to attribute energy and emission values for a pine ecosystem.
The project moulds existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes, according to requirements of bioenergy certification, and can establish whether biofuels are making a positive contribution to the environment, standard of living, and democratic and ethical values of society. The methodology reports of the project can be replicated for conducting empirical assessments, the fact sheets and brochures developed can be used to educate children, adults, and industry on biofuels sustainability in an easy to learn manner. Overall, the results of this project are geared towards benefiting various stakeholders including government, NGOs, industry, NIPF landowners, and the public alike, and facilitate rapid and more informed decision making towards a “green lifestyle” while generating multiplier effects by transmitting bioenergy sustainability knowledge and maximizing educational benefits.
Cost
:$9,954.67
Research Component
:P3 Challenge Area - Materials & Chemistry
Approach
:Bioenergy sustainability will be assessed through a three step approach of reviewing literature, designing indices and testing indices on the ground for pine ecosystem. The stepwise process includes reviewing existing studies on U.S. bioenergy production and assessing applicability of existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes for pine biomass production and its subsequent conversion to biofuels; undertaking a critical assessment of estimates of biodiversity, soil and water quality, GHG emissions and economic impacts in southern states using meta-analytic approaches (where appropriate) and identifying major issues that may influence variation in these estimates (e.g., landscape-level land use change causing loss of some species sensitive to these changes); preparing a methodology framework that can be used to asses sustainability of biofuels based on above four indices; and conducting a preliminary field level life cycle analyses at a selected site in Florida to attribute energy and emission values for a pine ecosystem.
The project moulds existing forestry and agriculture certification schemes, according to requirements of bioenergy certification, and can establish whether biofuels are making a positive contribution to the environment, standard of living, and democratic and ethical values of society. The methodology reports of the project can be replicated for conducting empirical assessments, the fact sheets and brochures developed can be used to educate children, adults, and industry on biofuels sustainability in an easy to learn manner. Overall, the results of this project are geared towards benefiting various stakeholders including government, NGOs, industry, NIPF landowners, and the public alike, and facilitate rapid and more informed decision making towards a “green lifestyle” while generating multiplier effects by transmitting bioenergy sustainability knowledge and maximizing educational benefits.
Cost
:$9,954.67
Research Component
:P3 Challenge Area - Energy
Project IDs:
ID Code
:SU833913
Project type
:EPA Grant