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Carbon and nitrogen trade-offs in biomass energy production

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Abstract

This contribution provides an overview of carbon (CFs) and nitrogen footprints (NFs) concerning their measures and impacts on the ecosystem and human health. The adversarial relationship between them is illustrated by the three biomass energy production applications, which substitute fossil energy production applications: (i) domestic wood combustion where different fossil energy sources (natural gas, coal, and fuel oil) are supplemented, (ii) bioethanol production from corn grain via the dry-grind process, where petrol is supplemented, and (iii) rape methyl ester production from rape seed oil via catalytic trans-esterification, where diesel is supplemented. The life cycle assessment is applied to assess the CFs and NFs resulting from different energy production applications from ‘cradle-to-grave’ span. The results highlighted that all biomass-derived energy generations have lower CFs and higher NFs whilst, on the other hand, fossil energies have higher CFs and lower NFs.

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Abbreviations

C:

Carbon

CF:

Carbon footprint

DDGS:

Distiller’s dried grains with soluble

FP:

Footprint

GHG:

Greenhouse gas

GWP:

Global warming potential

HCFC:

Hydrochlorofluorocarbon

HFC:

Hydrofluorocarbon

HHV:

Higher heating value

LCA:

Life cycle assessment

Nr :

Reactive nitrogen

N:

Nitrogen

NF:

Nitrogen footprint

RME:

Rape methyl ester

US:

United States of America

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Acknowledgments

The financial supports from the project TÁMOP-4.2.2/B-10/1-2010-0025, and from the Slovenian Research Agency (Program No. P2-0032) are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Process Integration and Intensification (CPI²), Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200, Veszprém, Hungary

    Lidija Čuček & Jiří Jaromír Klemeš

  2. Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, Smetanova ul 17, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia

    Zdravko Kravanja

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  1. Lidija Čuček
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  2. Jiří Jaromír Klemeš
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  3. Zdravko Kravanja
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Correspondence to Lidija Čuček.

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Čuček, L., Klemeš, J.J. & Kravanja, Z. Carbon and nitrogen trade-offs in biomass energy production. Clean Techn Environ Policy 14, 389–397 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-012-0468-3

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