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Assessing Resource Intensity and Renewability of Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies using Eco-LCA
Citation:
Baral, A., B. R. Bakshi, AND R. L. SMITH. Assessing Resource Intensity and Renewability of Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies using Eco-LCA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. ACS Publications, Washington, DC, 46(4):2436-2444, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Recognizing the contributions of natural resources and the lack of their comprehensive accounting in life cycle assessment (LCA) of cellulosic ethanol, an in-depth analysis of the contribution of natural resources in the life cycle of cellulosic ethanol derived from five different feedstocks was conducted, with gasoline and corn ethanol as reference fuels. The relative use intensity of individual ecological goods and services by cellulosic ethanol was estimated. Cellulosic ethanol offers the possibility of a significant reduction in crude oil consumption by as much as 96%, but soil erosion and land area requirements can be sources of concern for cellulosic ethanol derived directly from managed agriculture. Two broad types of thermodynamic metrics, namely: various types of physical return on investment and a renewability index were calculated to elicit information about the energetic competitiveness and sustainability of cellulosic ethanol. While cellulosic ethanol looks more attractive than corn 2 ethanol, only ethanol from waste resources combines a favorable thermodynamic return on investment with a reasonable renewability index. This finding conveys a possible dilemma of biofuels: combining high renewability, high thermodynamic return on investment and large production capacity may be elusive. A plot of renewability versus energy return on investment is suggested as one of the options for providing guidance on future biofuel selection.
URLs/Downloads:
ASSESSING RESOURCE INTENSITY AND RENEWABILITY OF CELLULOSIC ETHANOL TECHNOLOGIES USING ECO-LCA
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