The greenhouse gas emissions performance of cellulosic ethanol supply chains in Europe

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Calculating the greenhouse gas savings that may be attributed to biofuels is problematic because production systems are inherently complex and methods used to quantify savings are subjective. Differing approaches and interpretations have fuelled a debate about the environmental merit of biofuels, and consequently about the level of policy support that can be justified. This paper estimates and compares emissions from plausible supply chains for lignocellulosic ethanol production, exemplified using data specific to the UK and Sweden. The common elements that give rise to the greatest greenhouse gas emissions are identified and the sensitivity of total emissions to variations in these elements is estimated. The implications of including consequential impacts including indirect land-use change, and the effects of selecting alternative allocation methods on the interpretation of results are discussed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We find that the most important factors affecting supply chain emissions are the emissions embodied in biomass production, the use of electricity in the conversion process and potentially consequential impacts: indirect land-use change and fertiliser replacement. The large quantity of electricity consumed during enzyme manufacture suggests that enzymatic conversion processes may give rise to greater greenhouse gas emissions than the dilute acid conversion process, even though the dilute acid process has a somewhat lower ethanol yield.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The lignocellulosic ethanol supply chains considered here all lead to greenhouse gas savings relative to gasoline An important caveat to this is that if lignocellulosic ethanol production uses feedstocks that lead to indirect land-use change, or other significant consequential impacts, the benefit may be greatly reduced.</p> <p>Co-locating ethanol, electricity generation and enzyme production in a single facility may improve performance, particularly if this allows the number of energy intensive steps in enzyme production to be reduced, or if other process synergies are available. If biofuels policy in the EU remains contingent on favourable environmental performance then the multi-scale nature of bioenergy supply chains presents a genuine challenge. Lignocellulosic ethanol holds promise for emission reductions, but maximising greenhouse gas savings will not only require efficient supply chain design but also a better understanding of the spatial and temporal factors which affect overall performance.</p

The commercial performance of cellulosic ethanol supply-chains in Europe

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The production of fuel-grade ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass resources has the potential to increase biofuel production capacity whilst minimising the negative environmental impacts. These benefits will only be realised if lignocellulosic ethanol production can compete on price with conventional fossil fuels and if it can be produced commercially at scale. This paper focuses on lignocellulosic ethanol production in Europe. The hypothesis is that the eventual cost of production will be determined not only by the performance of the conversion process but by the performance of the entire supply-chain from feedstock production to consumption. To test this, a model for supply-chain cost comparison is developed, the components of representative ethanol supply-chains are described, the factors that are most important in determining the cost and profitability of ethanol production are identified, and a detailed sensitivity analysis is conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The most important cost determinants are the cost of feedstocks, primarily determined by location and existing markets, and the value obtained for ethanol, primarily determined by the oil price and policy incentives. Both of these factors are highly uncertain. The best performing chains (ethanol produced from softwood and sold as a low percentage blend with gasoline) could ultimately be cost competitive with gasoline without requiring subsidy, but production from straw would generally be less competitive.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Supply-chain design will play a critical role in determining commercial viability. The importance of feedstock supply highlights the need for location-specific assessments of feedstock availability and price. Similarly, the role of subsidies and policy incentives in creating and sustaining the ethanol market highlights the importance of political engagement and the need to include political risks in investment appraisal. For the supply-chains described here, and with the cost and market parameters selected, selling ethanol as a low percentage blend with gasoline will maximise ethanol revenues and minimise the need for subsidies. It follows, therefore, that the market for low percentage blends should be saturated before markets for high percentage blends.</p

The EU bio-based industry: Results from a Survey

Providing regular analysis and data is fundamental for policy makers and stakeholders to monitor the development of an economic sector and make the necessary decisions to maximize the benefits it generates, be them of economic, social or environmental nature. In this line, this report contributes to quantifying and benchmarking a relevant economic sector in the so-called European Union Bioeconomy, the bio-based industry. The use of biomass feedstock in this specific industry has the potential to contribute to Europe's industrial and economic growth while significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, other environmental burdens, and resource dependency, through the displacement of fossil-based products with bio-based alternatives. The report focuses on a list of relevant and bio-based products and it is based on a survey of 133 companies, the full population, producing or about to produce these products (with turnover or employing labour in the EU). We find a high diversity of companies in terms of size, products and time in the market. Some companies' operations are entirely bio-based and for some other bio-based products represent a relatively small fraction of their operations. The population includes companies producing commodity and speciality chemicals and material goods into a wide range of sectors. Fifty companies answered a structured questionnaire of about 70 questions during the survey (in 2015). The response illustrates that there are a diverse set of active players ranging from large to micro companies, developing and producing a wide range of products from a wide range of feedstocks. The companies that responded to the survey report total bio-based product turnovers of the order of 6.8 billion EUR globally and 1.4 billion EUR in the EU. All respondents are positive about the outlook for growth in the industry. The response also indicates a rise in company activity since 2011, and there appear to be shifts in products being developed and produced, probably as a result of market testing, and technical development. The active European companies produce and sell globally, testimony of the global nature of the sector.JRC.J.4-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom

Micro-algae cultivation for biofuels: Cost, energy balance, environmental impacts and future prospects

AbstractMicro-algae have received considerable interest as a potential feedstock for producing sustainable transport fuels (biofuels). The perceived benefits provide the underpinning rationale for much of the public support directed towards micro-algae research. Here we examine three aspects of micro-algae production that will ultimately determine the future economic viability and environmental sustainability: the energy and carbon balance, environmental impacts and production cost. This analysis combines systematic review and meta-analysis with insights gained from expert workshops.We find that achieving a positive energy balance will require technological advances and highly optimised production systems. Aspects that will need to be addressed in a viable commercial system include: energy required for pumping, the embodied energy required for construction, the embodied energy in fertilizer, and the energy required for drying and de-watering. The conceptual and often incomplete nature of algae production systems investigated within the existing literature, together with limited sources of primary data for process and scale-up assumptions, highlights future uncertainties around micro-algae biofuel production. Environmental impacts from water management, carbon dioxide handling, and nutrient supply could constrain system design and implementation options. Cost estimates need to be improved and this will require empirical data on the performance of systems designed specifically to produce biofuels. Significant (>50%) cost reductions may be achieved if CO2, nutrients and water can be obtained at low cost. This is a very demanding requirement, however, and it could dramatically restrict the number of production locations available

Screening and techno-economic assessment of biomass-based power generation with CCS technologies to meet 2050 CO2 targets

Biomass-based power generation combined with CO2 capture and storage (Biopower CCS) currently represents one of the few practical and economic means of removing large quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere, and the only approach that involves the generation of electricity at the same time. We present the results of the Techno-Economic Study of Biomass to Power with CO2 capture (TESBiC) project, that entailed desk-based review and analysis, process engineering, optimisation as well as primary data collection from some of the leading pilot demonstration plants. From the perspective of being able to deploy Biopower CCS by 2050, twenty-eight Biopower CCS technology combinations involving combustion or gasification of biomass (either dedicated or co-fired with coal) together with pre-, oxy- or post-combustion CO2 capture were identified and assessed. In addition to the capital and operating costs, techno-economic characteristics such as electrical efficiencies (LHV% basis), Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE), costs of CO2 captured and CO2 avoided were modelled over time assuming technology improvements from today to 2050. Many of the Biopower CCS technologies gave relatively similar techno-economic results when analysed at the same scale, with the plant scale (MWe) observed to be the principal driver of CAPEX (£/MWe) and the cofiring % (i.e. the weighted feedstock cost) a key driver of LCOE. The data collected during the TESBiC project also highlighted the lack of financial incentives for generation of electricity with negative CO2 emissions

A Systems Approach to Materials Flow in Sustainable Cities: A Case Study of Paper

This study develops a modelling framework within which the effects of technology choice and policy on the sustainability of cities may be assessed. A life cycle accounting system for environmental impacts is combined with systems analysis, to represent the flows of resources into cities, the wastes and pollution generated and the technological choices available in an urban environment. The approach is demonstrated through a case study of the demand for paper and management of wastepaper. The case study questions the applicability for paper of the accepted 'hierarchy' of waste management techniques; incineration imposes lower environmental costs than recycling, and consequently lower total costs under some circumstances.