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Sustainability of Biofuel Production from Oil Palm Biomass pp 217–251Cite as

Thermodynamic Sustainability Assessment of Biofuel Production from Oil Palm Biomass

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Abstract

In reality, all production processes proceed with the generation of entropy and destruction of useful energy of resource inputs. In view of this, the second law of thermodynamics can be directly linked with sustainability and sustainable development. Estimation of a system’s exergy status in order to know the distribution of energy and matter, especially emissions, would help identify the efficiency of the system, hence improving it for sustainable development. In this chapter, the thermodynamic sustainability of biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, and briquettes production from oil palm biomass are investigated via exergy analysis. Most studies on exergy analysis of biofuels production systems do not consider the production of the feedstocks though these stages are materials and energy intensive. The production of oil palm biomass for palm biofuels is assessed for thermodynamic feasibility in this study in order to give a complete overview of the contributions of every single unit within the palm biofuels production systems. Aspen Plus software was used for the mathematical modeling for all the case studies considered in this chapter. Potential causes and improvement options are also discussed in this chapter for sustainable palm biofuels production.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In a dead state system, the exergy of the stream or system is always zero due to the attainment of equilibrium with the reference environment (Ahrendts 1980).

  2. 2.

    This makes the use of the phrase ‘energy consumption’ so ambiguous in that energy can never be destroyed according to the first law of thermodynamics. What is actually consumed is exergy hence, ‘exergy consumption.’

  3. 3.

    c is the velocity relative to Earth’s surface.

  4. 4.

    g is the constant of gravitational acceleration and x is the height.

  5. 5.

    Examples of interactions in a system which lead to irreversibilities are heat and momentum transfers through a finite temperature difference, mixing of matter at different compositions or states, unrestrained expansion, and friction.

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  1. School of Chemical Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, Nibong Tebal, 14300, SPS Penang, Malaysia

    Keat Teong Lee & Cynthia Ofori-Boateng

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  1. Keat Teong Lee
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Correspondence to Keat Teong Lee .

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Lee, K.T., Ofori-Boateng, C. (2013). Thermodynamic Sustainability Assessment of Biofuel Production from Oil Palm Biomass. In: Sustainability of Biofuel Production from Oil Palm Biomass. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4451-70-3_7

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