LCA delle biomasse da colture dedicate per la produzione di pellet a destinazione energetica

In tempi recenti, la produzione di biomasse a destinazione energetica ha acquisito un maggiore interesse sul piano dell'opinione pubblica e delle istituzioni, visti gli obiettivi previsti di riduzione dei gas serra e di incremento della produzione di energia a partire da fonti rinnovabili. Le tecnologie e le colture a disposizione per la produzione di energia sono diverse ed hanno differenti efficienze energetiche ed impatti ambientali. In questo lavoro, è stata valutata l'efficienza energetica e gli impatti ambientali per la produzione di pellet da colture dedicate, utilizzando la metodologia dell'analisi del ciclo di vita (LCA). I risultati ottenuti mostrano come gli impatti ambientali siano comunque contenuti rispetto alla quantità di energia prodotta

Livestock and climate change: impact of livestock on climate and mitigation strategies

Introduction: According to the United Nations (UN, 2017), the world population increased by approximately 1 billion inhabitants during the last 12 years, reaching nearly 7.6 billion in 2017. Although this growth is slower than 10 years ago (1.24% vs. 1.10% per year), with an average increase of 83 million people annually, global population will reach about 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050. Population growth, urbanization, and income rise in developing countries are the main driver of the increased demand for livestock products (UN, 2017). The livestock sector requires a significant amount of natural resources and is responsible for about 14.5% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (7.1 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents for the year 2005; Gerber et al., 2013). Mitigation strategies aimed at reducing emissions of this sector are needed to limit the environmental burden from food production while ensuring a sufficient supply of food for a growing world population. The objectives of this manuscript are to 1) discuss the main greenhouse gas emissions sources from the livestock sector and 2) summarize the best mitigation strategies

29 % N2O emission reduction from a modelled low-greenhouse gas cropping system during 2009-2011

Atmospheric concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas (GHG), is rising largely due to agriculture. At the plot scale, N2O emissions from crops are known to be controlled by local agricultural practices such as fertilisation, tillage and residue management. However, knowledge of greenhouse gas emissions at the scale of the cropping system is scarce, notably because N2O monitoring is time consuming. Strategies to reduce impact of farming on climate should therefore be sought at the cropping system level. Agro-ecosystem models are simple alternative means to estimate N2O emissions. Here, we combined ecosystem modelling and field measurements to assess the effect of agronomic management on N2O emissions. The model was tested with series of daily to monthly N2O emission data. It was then used to evaluate the N2O abatement potential of a low-emission system designed to halve greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with a system with high productivity and environmental performance. We found a 29 % N2O abatement potential for the low-emission system compared with the high-productivity system. Among N2O abatement options, reduction in mineral fertiliser inputs was the most effective

Techno-environmental analysis of battery storage for grid level energy services

With more and more renewable energy sources (RES) going into power grids, the balancing of supply and demand during peak times will be a growing challenge due to the inherent intermittency and unpredictable nature of RES. Grid level batteries can store energy when there is excess generation from wind and solar and discharge it to meet variable peak demand that is currently supplied by combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants in the UK. This paper assesses the potential of battery storage to replace CCGT in responding to variable peak demand for current and future energy scenarios (FES) in the UK from technical and environmental perspectives. Results from technical analysis show that batteries, assuming size is optimised for different supply and demand scenarios proposed by the National Grid, are able to supply 6.04%, 13.5% and 29.1% of the total variable peak demand in 2016, 2020 and 2035, respectively while CCGT plants supply the rest of the demand. Particularly, to phase out CCGT variable generation from the UK grid in 2035, electricity supply from wind and solar needs to increase by 1.33 times their predicted supply in National Grid’s FES. The environmental implications of replacing CCGT by batteries are studied and compared through a simplified life cycle assessment (LCA). Results from LCA studies show that if batteries are used in place of CCGT, it can reduce up to 87% of greenhouse gas emissions and that is an estimated 1.98 MtCO2 eq. for an optimal supply, 29.1%, of variable peak demand in 203

Potentials of load-shifting with renewable energy storage: An environmental and economic assessment for the UK

The Paris Agreement set targets to limit global warming to less than 2°C above the pre-industrial level to significantly reduce the risks and impacts associated with climate change [1]. Globally, the energy supply sector is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [2]. In addition to ratifying Paris Agreement, the UK government has adopted legally binding 80% emissions reduction target from 1990 levels by 2050 as outlined in Climate Change Act. The decarbonisation of power supply, along with electrification of heat and transport, are highlighted as key elements of this transition by both policy and academic research [3]–[5]. Storage systems, via the multiple services they offer across the electricity supply chain [6] at different operational scales stand to create system-wide benefits, enhanced flexibility and reliability for effective management of the grid [7]. The potential contributions storage systems can make towards minimizing the carbon intensity of UK grid with high levels of renewables is recognised by the government as well [8]. This study aims i) to determine the amount of load shifting that can be achieved by the combination of current renewable energy mainly wind and solar and UK grid level storage, ii) analyse the amount of renewable energy generation and storage (RES) needed to phase out programmable gas power generation during the periods of peak demand and iii) assess their economic and environmental implications. The environmental impacts considered are the life cycle emissions associated with electricity generation from the UK mix and the production, installation and use of batteries. The analysis will be extended to cover the future energy scenarios

Modelling the potential for soil carbon sequestration using biochar from sugarcane residues in Brazil

Acknowledgments We acknowledge funding through the SOILS-R-GGREAT (NE/P019498/1) project of the greenhouse gas removal (GGR) program. The GGR program is financed by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) and the UK department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

An anticipatory life cycle assessment of the use of biochar from sugarcane residues as a greenhouse gas removal technology

Acknowledgments We thank Dr Ondřej Mašek from the University of Edinburgh and Dr Bernardo M.M.N. Borges from the University of São Paulo for their insights and advices on pyrolysis technologies and sugarcane management. We acknowledge funding through the UP-Green-LCA (NE/P019668/1) and Soils-R-GGREAT (NE/P019498/1) projects of the greenhouse gas removal (GGR) programme. The GGR programme is financed by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) and the UK department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Environmental Impact of Partial Substitution of Fish-Based Feed with Algae- and Insect-Based Feed in Salmon Farming

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Assessing the environmental impacts of healthier diets. Final report to Defra on project FO0427

Summary: oncern about the public health impacts of dietary habits in the UK have led to initiatives to encourage healthier eating, notably in the dietary guidelines represented of the eatwell plate (FSA, 2007) and the Eatwell Guide (NHS, 2016c). A change in UK dietary habits towards healthier eating would result in changes in the type and quantities of food items in the national diet, with implications for agricultural, food and allied industries. More specifically, this could lead to changes in land use and farming practices, both for the UK and its trading partners, with associated effects on greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. In this context, and sponsored by Defra, this study set out using a series of scenarios to assess the environmental impacts of changing dietary habits and specifically the adoption of healthier eating in the UK, and in broad terms some of the likely social and economic impacts on the agricultural and food sector, through a set of hypothetical scenarios. The main objectives were to: i) determine the consumption of food under possible future food consumption scenarios in the UK, including the eatwell plate; ii) quantify the production of agricultural commodities needed to meet the food needs of each scenario; iii) quantify the environmental impacts of food commodity production and consumption by scenarios, and iv) identify, in broad terms, the possible economic and societal impacts of dietary changes.The authors thank Defra for funding and supporting the project and all the stakeholders who participated in the project and helped greatly in shaping and quantifying the dietary change scenarios. The authors also thank others who contributed in other ways, e.g. nutritional advice from Prof Joe Millward of Surrey University