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Environmental and economic hybrid life cycle assessment of bagasse-derived ethanol produced in Brazil

  • INPUT-OUTPUT AND HYBRID LCA
  • Published:
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this study is to identify which processes contribute most to fuel CO2e emissions, energy use, and employment generation when driving a typical Brazilian flex fuel vehicle (FFV) model with bagasse-derived ethanol. A hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to report the associated impacts and a structural path analysis (SPA) is utilized to identify, quantify, and rank the highest carbon emissions, energy use, and employment generation input paths in the supply chain of bagasse-derived ethanol. Additionally, this study explores the integrated hybrid LCA approach as a tool to explain the economic impacts of bagasse-derived ethanol.

Methods

Hybrid LCA links process-based and input–output-based analyses into a consistent mathematical framework, thereby allowing the incorporation of economic factors into an environmental intervention matrix. The functional unit used in this study is a travel of 500 km with hydrated bagasse-derived ethanol in a Brazilian average FFV 1.0.

Results and discussion

The total CO2e emission is 55.4 kg, with 40 % of the emissions from lime and enzyme production and the sugarcane production for bagasse (agricultural phase). The sulfuric acid, lime, and the agricultural phase are identified as the most intensive energy consumers, representing approximately 50 % of the total energy used. From the economic perspective, commerce and services, ethanol industrial, and agricultural phase generate the greatest number of jobs in this bagasse-derived ethanol life cycle.

Conclusions

The focus has shifted from first-generation biofuels to more advanced technologies. The results illustrate the importance of a complete life cycle vision for assessing the sustainability of a biofuel. Agricultural biomass production is identified as relevant in all environmental and economic impact categories assessed here. Integrated hybrid LCA was used as an analytical tool capable of assessing the product’s sustainability performance, based on the fact that its mathematical framework allows the incorporation of economic and environmental coefficients into a single intervention matrix using a combined database.

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Notes

  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory—USA

  2. B5: The conventional diesel blends 5 % volume of biodiesel

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Energy and Environment Laboratory, University of Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, 72442-240, Brasilia, Brazil

    Silvia Palma-Rojas, Armando Caldeira-Pires & Jorge Madeira Nogueira

Authors
  1. Silvia Palma-Rojas
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  2. Armando Caldeira-Pires
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  3. Jorge Madeira Nogueira
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Correspondence to Silvia Palma-Rojas.

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Responsible editor: Nydia Suppen-Reynaga

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Palma-Rojas, S., Caldeira-Pires, A. & Nogueira, J.M. Environmental and economic hybrid life cycle assessment of bagasse-derived ethanol produced in Brazil. Int J Life Cycle Assess 22, 317–327 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-015-0892-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-015-0892-9

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