Citation:

HAWKINS, T., R. L. SMITH, J. C. BARE, W. INGWERSEN, D. Sengupta, X. Xue, J. P. ABRAHAM, AND H. CABEZAS. Environmental Assessment of Biofuel Options. Presented at Biomass Scenario Modeling Workshop, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, September 21, 2011.

Impact/Purpose:

To inform EPA

Description:

The EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality is responsible for administering the Second Renewable Fuels Standard under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The progress of these efforts and the associated environmental impacts are assessed in the Triennial Biofuels and the Environment Reports to Congress. This research provides direct inputs into these efforts through addressing the questions: How do biofuel technologies affect the sustainability of the U.S. transportation-energy system? What are the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of biofuels required to meet targets set by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2)? What methods need to be developed and data obtained to conduct life-cycle analyses of alternative pollution reduction and energy options to inform EPA and other local, regional, national, and international decisions regarding the most sustainable and cost effective uses of resources? How can detailed, location-specific modeling efforts addressing water stress and land use be adapted for application within the context of life cycle analyses of biomass production and energy systems? How do the impacts of biofuel production depend on regional differences in farming practices and environmental conditions? As a starting point, this research focuses on establishing reference life cycle assessments for corn ethanol and conventional gasoline including the full suite of environmental impacts tracked by the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and environmental Impacts (TRACI). Moving forward, project efforts will shift toward advanced conversion technologies and cellulosic biofuels. These technologies are assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methods and through connecting LCA with other methods related to specific aspects of biofuels life cycles including (1) spatially-explicit modeling to represent regional variability, (2) environmental modeling to develop metrics for understanding impacts related to water and land use, (3) chemical process modeling to improve understanding of conversion processes and allow for accurate representation of their requirements and releases to the environment and (4) incorporation of broader sustainability metrics within an LCA framework to assess their utility in quantifying the overall performance of transportation fuel options. The presentation will focus on the first steps of this work and plans for moving forward.

Record Details: