Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Incorporation of process integration into life cycle analysis for the production of biofuels

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article presents a new approach for incorporating process-integration tools into life cycle analysis (LCA) for biofuel production. Process synthesis techniques using mass- and energy-integration tools are employed to generate various scenarios for reducing mass and energy consumption in the process. The global implications of these changes and the associated trade-offs are assessed using the LCA tool: GREET. The developed approach enables the consideration of several levels of process integration while tracking the process economics and the reduction of the net greenhouse gas emissions. Several cases of biofuels with different processing technologies have been considered in this study, and the results show that when the process-integration tools are effectively utilized and combined with LCA, better insights are obtained and the net greenhouse gas emissions decrease drastically for different biofuels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Borjesson P (2009) Good or bad bioethanol from a greenhouse gas perspective—what determines this? Appl Energy 86(5):589–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brentrup F, Küsters J, Kuhlmann H, Lammel J (2004) Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology—I. Theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production. Eur J Agron 20(3):247–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherubini F, Jungmeier G (2010) LCA of a biorefinery concept producing bioethanol, bioenergy, and chemicals from switchgrass. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15(1):53–66

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chevalier J, Rousseaux P (1999) Classification in LCA: building a coherent family of criteria. Int J Life Cycle Assess 4(6):352–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DANTES CUOT (2010) Assessment tools. More about LCA. Available from: http://www.dantes.info/Tools&Methods/Environmentalassessment/enviro_asse_lca_detail.htlm

  • Dewulf J, Van Langenhove H (2002) Assessment of the sustainability of technology by means of a thermodynamically based life cycle analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 9(4):267–273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • El-Halwagi MM (1997) Pollution prevention through process integration: Systematic design tools. Academic Press, Amsterdam

  • El-Halwagi M (2006) Process integration. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • GREET (2007) Version 2.7, Copyright © 2007 UChicago Argonne, LLC

  • Hamelinck CN, Faaij APC (2006) Outlook for advanced biofuels. Energy Policy 34(17):3268–3283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu Q, Sommerfeld M, Jarvis E, Ghirardi M, Posewitz M, Seibert M, Darzins A (2008) Microalgal triacylglycerols as feedstocks for biofuel: perspectives and advances. Plant J 54(4):621–639

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huo H, Wang M, Bloyd C, Putsche V (2008) Life-cycle assessment of energy and greenhouse gas effects of soybean-derived biodiesel and renewable fuels. Argonne National Laboratory

  • IPCC (2007) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC fourth assessment report: Climate Change 2007

  • Kazi FK, Fortman J, Anex R, Kothandaraman G, Hsu D, Aden A, Dutta A (2010) Techno-economic analysis of biochemical scenarios for production of cellulosic ethanol. Technical report NREL/TP-6A2-46588

  • Köppen S, Reinhardt G, Gärtner S (2009) Assessment of energy and greenhouse gas inventories of Sweet Sorghum for first and second generation bioethanol. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

  • Kwiatkowski JR, McAloon AJ, Taylor F, Johnston DB (2006) Modeling the process and costs of fuel ethanol production by the corn dry-grind process. Ind Crop Prod 23:288–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larson ED (2006) A review of life-cycle analysis studies on liquid biofuel systems for the transportation sector. Energy Sustain Dev 10(2):109–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liska AJ, Yeng HS, Bremer VR, Klopfenstein TJ, Walters DT, Erickson GE, Gassman KG (2009a) Improvements in life cycle energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions of corn-ethanol. J Ind Ecol 13(1):58–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liska AJ, Yang HS, BremerV, Walters DT, Erickson G, Klopfenstein T, Kenney D, Tracy P, Koelsch R, Cassman KG (2009b) BESS: Biofuel Energy Systems Simulator; Life cycle energy and emissions analysis model for corn-ethanol biofuel. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. www.bess.unl.edu

  • Myint LL, El-Halwagi MM (2009) Process analysis and optimization of biodiesel production from soybean oil. Clean Technol Environ Policy 11(3):263–276

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sheehan J, Camobreco V, Duffield J, Graboski M, Shapouri H (1998) Final report: life cycle inventory of biodiesel and petroleum diesel for use in an urban bus. NREL

  • Wang M, Wu M, Huo H (2007) Life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission impacts of different corn ethanol plant types. Environ Res Lett 2(2):1–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Werner F, Scholz RW (2002) Ambiguities in decision-oriented life cycle inventories—the role of mental models. Int J Life Cycle Assess 7(6):330–338

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Pascale Chouinard-Dussault, Laura Bradt & Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi

  2. Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, 58060, Morelia, MICH, Mexico

    José María Ponce-Ortega

Authors
  1. Pascale Chouinard-Dussault
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Laura Bradt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. José María Ponce-Ortega
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chouinard-Dussault, P., Bradt, L., Ponce-Ortega, J.M. et al. Incorporation of process integration into life cycle analysis for the production of biofuels. Clean Techn Environ Policy 13, 673–685 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-010-0339-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-010-0339-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation