Abstract
Liquid transportation fuels derived from biomass (biofuels) are widely promoted inter alia due to their perceived environmental benefits. The environmental sustainability of biofuels, however, must be rigorously tested using scientific tools. Several such tools, namely net energy ratio (NER), net energy balance (NEB), renewability, and life cycle assessment (LCA), are defined and then used to analyze the environmental sustainability of ethanol produced from cassava and sugarcane molasses in Thailand. These studies show the utility of such tools in the evaluation and also point various areas of improvement. Use of renewable energy sources in the supply chain, utilization of co-products as well as waste products, and good management practices at the farm such as use of organic fertilizers are some of the options that can help improve the environmental benefits of biofuels.
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Gheewala, S.H. (2013). Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Ethanol from Cassava and Sugarcane Molasses in a Life Cycle Perspective. In: Singh, A., Pant, D., Olsen, S. (eds) Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Sources. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5364-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5364-1_6
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