Life cycle emissions of greenhouse gases associated with burning animal wastes in countries of the European Union

Burning animal wastes for the production of electricity is stimulated in the European Union because of the ‘climate neutrality’ of its life cycle. In doing so fossil fuel inputs in animal husbandry and the N₂O and CH₄ emissions associated with animal husbandry are neglected. Here types of relatively fossil fuel efficient animal husbandry in the European Union are analysed without neglecting such inputs and emissions. The burning of pig derived animal meal, a single-output process, was found to be associated with an emission of greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 × 10²–44 × 10² g CO₂/kilowatt-hour (kWh). In most cases, however, animal wastes can be viewed as outputs from a multi-output production process. If system expansion is not possible, one may allocate multi-output process emissions on the basis of financial value or on a physical basis. Allocating on the basis of energy content of outputs of animal husbandry the burning of manure from poultry, dairy cows and pigs was estimated to generate between 6.3 × 10² and 19.5 × 10² g CO₂ equivalent per kWh. When allocating on the basis of financial value, burning manure in the Netherlands corresponds with net-sequestration, as the monetary value of manure is negative. For chicken manure a net sequestration was found of 2.5 × 10²–3.9 × 10² g CO₂ equivalent/kWh. Thus life cycle emissions of burning animal waste are extremely sensitive to the allocation principle favoured. One may extend the life cycle for instance by including indirect effects such as the substitution of carbon that is lost to agriculture due to burning animal wastes. Such an extension may well lead to a changed emission in terms of CO₂ equivalent emitted per kWh.     

汽油发动机生命周期能源消耗和环境影响评价

本研究应用生命周期评价方法,依据ISO 14040和ISO 14044等国际标准,通过中国某汽车生产企业的实地调研,核算了汽油发动机的累积能源需求(CED)、全球增温潜势(GWP 100 a)、酸化潜势(AP)、光化学氧化剂形成潜势(POCP)和富营养化潜势(EP)这5个方面的环境影响.结果表明,各类型的环境影响指标中,均是使用阶段的贡献最大,占贡献总量的48%~94%;其次是原材料的获取阶段,原材料的获取阶段对于AP与EP的贡献大于44%,而对于其他类别的环境影响的贡献在9%~27%之间;生产阶段对各种环境影响的贡献小于8%.本研究辨识了汽油发动机全生命周期重大环境影响过程和关键贡献因素,为绿色发动机的设计研发及政府政策的制定提供决策支持.     

Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions

An option for the agriculture and energy sectors in Chile is the cultivation of energy crops, but environmental studies are first needed in the framework of a sustainable national energy policy.In this study, we used a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare environmental impacts and energy and water demand of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in Chile, as potential oleaginous crops for first-generation biodiesel production. National agricultural data are used for the LCA inventory and process data of international databases are adapted to local conditions. The effect of field N₂O emissions and land use change is evaluated. The results indicate that, compared to sunflower, rapeseed production has a better environmental performance in 9 out of the 11 impact categories evaluated, and lower water consumption. The energy demand of rapeseed is 4.9 GJ/t seed, 30% less than that of sunflower. Mineral fertilizers cause the highest environmental impact in both crops. The analysis of the life cycle of fertilizers indicates that extraction of raw materials and its production are key stages. Attempts to reduce the environmental impact and energy requirement of both crops should be mainly associated with the evaluation of other types of fertilization. In addition, particularly for sunflower, low impact herbicides should be evaluated, seed yield improved and cultivation practices optimized. If the crops are produced on degraded grasslands, the greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced.     

Life cycle assessment of an industrial symbiosis based on energy recovery from dried sludge and used oil

Recovering energy from wastes is a useful strategy for integrated waste and energy management in an eco-industrial park (EIP) and gives promising reduction of wastes, total energy consumption and operation cost. In Jinqiao EIP, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, an industrial symbiosis, based on the energy recovery from municipal sewage sludge and re-refined oil, was proposed in the central heat-supplying company of Jinqiao EIP. It is expected that hot off-gas or part of the steam from the central heat-supplying company could be used for sludge drying and used oil re-refining while the dried sludge and refined oil can be partial substitution for fossil fuel. For the purpose of assessing the environmental performance of this industrial symbiosis, life cycle assessment (LCA) was used and different scenarios were set up in this study to evaluate the Global warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), Human toxicity air (HTA) and Total Environmental Impact Potential (TEIP) of the system. Results indicate that when the substitute ratio of coal by sludge is 14%, the proposed industrial symbiosis has the least environmental impact. Compared with the current situation (sludge is landfilled), co-combustion of dried sludge and re-refined oil with coal at optimal scale will release less CO₂, CH₄, NO_x, N₂O and CO, but more SO₂, H₂S, NH₃, HCl, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and heavy metals.     

Life Cycle Assessment of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese pear production

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to analyze environmental consequences of different pear production chains in terms of fossil energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in China. The assessment identified hotspots that contributed significantly to the environmental impacts of pear production from the cradle to the point of sale. The results showed that GHG emissions and fossil energy use varied in the different production chains because the environmental performance does not associate with the farming systems (i.e. organic vs. conventional), but is co-determined by farm topography and thus machinery use, by market demands to seasonality of products and thus the need for storage, and by local farming practices including manure management. The LCA could be used as a tool to guide selections of agricultural inputs with the aim of reducing environmental impacts. The results of the LCA analysis indicate that a list of choices are available to reduce energy use and GHG emission in the pear production chain, namely substitution of the traditional storage systems by an efficiently controlled atmosphere storage system, using manure for biogas production, conversion from the conventional farming to organic farming, and reduction of mechanical cultivation.     

Life cycle assessment of hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape,oil palm and Jatropha

A life cycle assessment of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel was performed. The study was commissioned by Volvo Technology Corporation and Volvo Penta Corporation as part of an effort to gain a better understanding of the environmental impact of potential future biobased liquid fuels for cars and trucks. The life cycle includes production of vegetable oil from rape, oil palm or Jatropha, transport of the oil to the production site, production of the HVO from the oil, and combustion of the HVO. The functional unit of the study is 1 kWh energy out from the engine of a heavy-duty truck and the environmental impact categories that are considered are global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP) and embedded fossil production energy. System expansion was used to take into account byproducts from activities in the systems; this choice was made partly to make this study comparable to results reported by other studies. The results show that HVO produced from palm oil combined with energy production from biogas produced from the palm oil mill effluent has the lowest environmental impact of the feedstocks investigated in this report. HVO has a significantly lower life cycle GWP than conventional diesel oil for all feedstocks investigated, and a GWP that is comparable to results for e.g. rape methyl ester reported in the literature. The results show that emissions from soil caused by microbial activities and leakage are the largest contributors to most environmental impact categories, which is supported also by other studies. Nitrous oxide emissions from soil account for more than half of the GWP of HVO. Nitrogen oxides and ammonia emissions from soil cause almost all of the life cycle EP of HVO and contribute significantly to the AP as well. The embedded fossil production energy was shown to be similar to results for e.g. rape methyl ester from other studies. A sensitivity analysis shows that variations in crop yield and in nitrous oxide emissions from microbial activities in soil can cause significant changes to the results.     

Life cycle assessment of electricity generation from bagasse in Mauritius

This paper presents the findings of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of electricity generated from the combustion of sugar cane bagasse in Mauritian sugar mills. The study arose from the identification of the need for to provide data for the development of an LCA profile for the electricity mix in Mauritius. The system is limited geographically to the island of Mauritius and is intended to be the representative of current agricultural techniques practiced and current manufacturing processes used by Mauritian sugar mills. The unit operations that make up the system are the growing and harvesting of sugar cane, the transport of the harvested cane to sugar mills, the production of bagasse as a by-product from the sugar milling process, and the combustion of bagasse to generate heat and electricity. The functional unit of the study is the generation of 1 GWh of electricity exported to the national electricity grid. The characterised data for 1 GWh of bagasse-derived electricity were compared with data for 1 GWh of coal-derived electricity, using the same set of characterisation factors. The results of this comparison indicate that bagasse-derived electricity performs well in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, and non-renewable energy inputs, but performs poorly in relation to water consumption and eutrophication.     

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel demand and solar energy conversion efficiency in European bioethanol production for automotive purposes

Crop derived biofuels such as (bio)ethanol are increasingly applied for automotive purposes. They have, however, a relatively low efficiency in converting solar energy into automotive power. The outcome of life cycle studies concerning ethanol as to fossil fuel inputs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with such inputs depend strongly on the assumptions made regarding e.g. allocation, inclusion of upstream processes and estimates of environmentally relevant in- and outputs. Peer reviewed studies suggest that CO₂ emissions linked to life cycle fossil fuel input are typically about 2.1–3.0 kg CO₂ kg⁻¹ starch-derived ethanol. When biofuel production involves agricultural practices that are common in Europe there are net losses of carbon from soil and emissions of the greenhouse gas N₂O. Dependent on choices regarding allocation, they may, for wheat (starch) be in the order of 0.6–2.5 kg CO₂ equivalent kg⁻¹ of ethanol. This makes ethanol derived from starch, or sugar crops, in Europe still less attractive for mitigating climate change. In case of wheat, changes in agricultural practice may reduce or reverse carbon loss from soils. When biofuel production from crops leads to expansion of cropland while reducing forested areas or grassland, added impetus will be given to climate change.     

生物质气化费托合成制航煤生命周期评价

基于生命周期评价（LCA）,对生物质气化费托合成制航煤（Bio-Jet Fuel）工艺进行资源-环境性分析.根据副产品水蒸汽的用途研究了供热和发电两种方案,并进行了数据不确定度分析.结果显示：除EP指标外,发电方案的各环境影响指标比供热方案降低了11.7%~40.8%.相比化石航煤,生物质航煤GWP降低52.6%~71.9%,不可再生资源消耗减少84.4%~93.6%.生物质生长阶段采用不同的分配方法,资源消耗潜值差异较小,但GWP、EP环境影响负荷会产生较大差异.且生物质航煤综合性能对原料消耗率敏感性最大,变化幅度为-16.6%~+17.3%.采用不确定度分析方法对评价结果进行数据质量评估,各环境影响类型的不确定度处于5.0%~12.5%.     

全工业固废原料制备水泥工艺的生命周期评价研究

运用生命周期评价(LCA)方法,对以电石渣等工业固废为全部原料的水泥制造工艺产生的环境影响进行评价.通过对生产工艺进行分解及建模,基于实际数据建立生命周期清单,利用ReCiPe2016方法,在全球变暖、化石资源消耗、土地占用等17个小类及人体健康影响、生态系统影响及资源消耗3个大类中对工艺产生的环境影响进行评价.评价过程包括特征化、标准化和敏感性分析.结果表明,在以1 t成品水泥为功能单位的生产过程中,造成的环境影响总值为-0.0045 pt,其中,在人体健康影响和生态系统影响分类下最为显著,分别为-0.0027 pt和-0.0020 pt.与传统水泥生产相比,本工艺具有更低的资源能源消耗与碳排放量.固废作为原料来源带来的正面环境效益最为显著,而熟料煅烧与水泥粉磨则显示出最大的环境损害,也说明由于消纳了大量工业固废,本工艺对环境总体上是有益的.     

废铅酸电池回收制取再生铅合金技术的生命周期评价

废铅酸电池的回收利用已成为铅酸电池行业实现健康持续发展的关键一环.本文采用生命周期评价方法,分析了废铅酸电池回收制取铅合金技术及末端污染控制全过程的环境影响,并与废铅酸电池回收制铅锭再制电池材料和利用原生材料生产电池材料的过程进行了对比研究.结论表明废铅酸电池回收直接制取铅合金过程中铅膏熔炼和合金配制环节在各环境影响指标中的贡献较大(其中全球变暖潜值中占60%和33%,酸化潜值中占33%和54%,人体毒性潜值中占28%和57%),主要为辅助材料及能源动力带来的间接影响;利用原生材料生产电池材料过程的环境影响相对另两个过程更大,归一化的环境影响指标结果中人体毒性潜值、富营养化潜值及酸化潜值最大(分别为2.42×10~(-11)、1.26×10~(-11)和1.08×10~(-11)),其中铅原料生产的贡献比例占绝大部分.废电池回收直接制取再生铅合金与废电池回收制铅锭再制电池材料相比,环境影响表现更优,有利于形成电池生产企业的闭环循环过程,值得应用推广.未来应鼓励以废铅酸电池回收代替相应原生材料生产新电池,同时进一步减少回收过程中使用的资源能源环境影响,以带来更大的环境效益.     

基于LCA的北京市公交车节能及温室气体减排潜力分析

新能源公交车是未来城市公交行业节能及温室气体减排的重点发展方向.新能源公交车在行驶阶段具有良好的节能及温室气体减排效果,而汽车制造、能源生产等相关生命周期阶段的能耗及温室气体排放常被忽视,且目前新能源公交车的乘客运载功能相对较弱,可能对节能及温室气体减排的潜力造成较为显著的影响.因此,本文基于北京市公交车的运营特征,采用生命周期评价(LCA)方法,选择客运周转量作为功能单位,核算了天然气公交车、混合动力公交车和纯电动公交车等新能源公交车相对于柴油公交车的节能及温室气体减排效益.结果表明:发展新能源公交车对促进北京市公交行业及城市节能低碳发展具有积极的作用,但相对于基于运营里程的核算结果,本研究新能源公交车节能及温室气体减排潜力均较低,主要原因是新能源公交车的实际载客量相对较低;混合动力公交车和纯电动公交车在空调开启时的节能潜力与温室气体减排潜力均远低于天然气公交车;通过发展情景分析,建议北京市现阶段应优先发展天然气公交车,适当发展纯电动公交车和混合动力公交车,以减少北京市公交车的总体能耗,同时降低温室气体排放强度.     

Life cycle assessment applied to egg packaging made from polystyrene and recycled paper

In the present study, the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for the comparison of two egg packages, from polystyrene and recycled paper, is presented. The input and output streams of mass and energy are examined and the environmental impacts associated with the two systems are analyzed. The application of LCA by using EcoIndicator 95 has made possible the comparison of the environmental impacts of two egg packages. The results of this LCA study are discussed and reveal that the PS packages contribute more to acidification potential, winter and summer smog, while recycled paper egg packages contribute more to heavy metal and carcinogenic substances impact. Nevertheless, it seems that paper eggcups have less environmental impact than the polystyrene ones with the assumption that the accuracy of the results is confined by the credibility of European databases used for primary data.     

中国水泥生产工艺的生命周期对比分析及建议

为了定量分析各种水泥生产工艺造成的环境影响以及工艺替代时可能造成的环境问题转移,采用生命周期评价(Life Cycle Assessment,LCA)方法,建立了大型、中型、小型新型干法、传统立窑、新型半干法(JT窑)5种典型水泥生产工艺从原材料开采到熟料生产的生命周期模型,对比分析了以上工艺生命周期过程中能耗、温室效应、酸化、可吸入无机物等主要环境影响类型的差异,提出并计算了大型新型干法替代其他工艺时的平衡运输距离,并推导了其一般表达式.结果表明,由于大型新型干法工艺氮氧化物排放较多,使得工艺替代时可能伴随着环境问题从能耗、温室效应向酸化、可吸入无机物等影响类型转移;同时,由于产能增加,大型新型干法工艺也可能导致环境影响从生产阶段向运输阶段转移.从本文的案例研究可以看出,LCA方法可以定量分析不同环境影响类型之间和不同生命周期阶段之间的环境问题转移,能为技术评价和相关政策制定及实现全社会节能减排目标提供科学的依据与建议.     

A review of assessments conducted on bio-ethanol as a transportation fuel from a net energy,greenhouse gas,and environmental life cycle perspective

Interest in producing ethanol from biomass in an attempt to make transportation ecologically sustainable continues to grow. In recent years, a large number of assessments have been conducted to assess the environmental merit of biofuels. Two detailed reviews present contrasting results: one is generally unfavourable, whilst the other is more favourable towards fuel bio-ethanol. However, most work that has been done so far, to assess the conversion of specific feedstocks to biofuels, specifically bio-ethanol, has not gone beyond energy and carbon assessments. This study draws on 47 published assessments that compare bio-ethanol systems to conventional fuel on a life cycle basis, or using life cycle assessment (LCA). A majority of these assessments focused on net energy and greenhouse gases, and despite differing assumptions and system boundaries, the following general lessons emerge: (i) make ethanol from sugar crops, in tropical countries, but approach expansion of agricultural land usage with extreme caution; (ii) consider hydrolysing and fermenting lignocellulosic residues to ethanol; and (iii) the LCA results on grasses as feedstock are insufficient to draw conclusions. It appears that technology choices in process residue handling and in fuel combustion are key, whilst site-specific environmental management tools should best handle biodiversity issues. Seven of the reviewed studies evaluated a wider range of environmental impacts, including resource depletion, global warming, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, human and ecological health, smog formation, etc., but came up with divergent conclusions, possibly due to different approaches in scoping. These LCAs typically report that bio-ethanol results in reductions in resource use and global warming; however, impacts on acidification, human toxicity and ecological toxicity, occurring mainly during the growing and processing of biomass, were more often unfavourable than favourable. It is in this area that further work is needed.     

基于生命周期评价EI99法的水泥窑共处置废弃农药分析

以废弃农药为研究对象,应用生命周期评价法从人类健康(HH)、生态系统质量(EQ)和资源(R)3个角度对水泥窑共处置和焚烧炉处置的环境影响做出定性和定量评估.结果表明,废弃农药在水泥窑中共处置更具环境合理性.在水泥窑共处置和焚烧炉处置中,功能单位(1t)废弃农药总环境负荷(也称为环境影响潜值)分别为-27.5和0.379Pt,前者的环境负荷比后者减少了7360%,人类健康(HH)、生态系统质量(EQ)和资源(R)等各指标分别减少372%、5840%、-40.0%.废弃农药水泥窑共处置在原/燃料的获取阶段可避免57.4%的环境负荷,是降低水泥窑共处置环境影响的关键环节.焚烧和电力生产阶段的污染排放对焚烧炉处置中各指标都有很高的贡献率.二英、苯、重金属是水泥窑共处置废弃农药的主要影响因子;NOx和粉尘对焚烧系统的影响较大.     

Life cycle inventory and energy analysis of cassava-based Fuel ethanol in China

The Chinese government is developing biomass ethanol as one of its automobile fuels for energy security and environmental improvement reasons. The cassava is an alternative feedstock to produce this ethanol fuel. Its performance of environmental impacts and energy efficiency is the critical issue. Life cycle assessment has been used to identify and quantify the environment emissions, energy consumption and energy efficiency of the system throughout the life cycle. This study investigates the entire life cycle from cassava plantation, ethanol conversion, transport, Fuel ethanol blending and distribution to its end-use. Product system of cassava-based ethanol fuel is described and it is divided into six unit processes. The environmental impacts and energy consumption of each unit process are quantified and some of the potential effects are assessed.     

Simulation and life cycle assessment of process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils

This study uses the process simulator ASPEN Plus^® and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare three process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils that are: the conventional alkali-catalyzed process including a free fatty acids (FFAs) pre-treatment, the acid-catalyzed process, and the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent. Results show that the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent is the most environmentally favorable alternative. Its smaller steam consumption in comparison with the other process design alternatives leads to a lower contribution to the potential environmental impacts (PEI’s). The acid-catalyzed process generally shows the highest PEI’s, in particular due to the high energy requirements associated with methanol recovery operations.     

咸阳市温室气体排放的动态分析及等级评估

通过采用《2006年IPCC国家温室气体清单指南》和中国《省级温室气体编制指南》推荐的方法,分析了咸阳市温室气体排放的动态变化,并提出基于全球标准的温室气体排放等级评价方法,对咸阳市温室气体进行了排放等级评估.结果表明:1995—2011年,咸阳市温室气体排放量从1253.21×104t上升为5531.06×104t,年均增高9.72%,呈快速上升趋势.工业(年均增高21.34%)为增幅最高的部门,其次依次为能源(9.62%)、废弃物(7.90%)、农业(2.45%).从温室气体构成看,能源占84.73%~91.81%,工业占1.46%~8.55%,农业占3.11%~9.32%,林业碳减排占-0.53%~-2.36%,废弃物处理占1.31%~8.39%.由此可见,咸阳市温室气体排放增长的主要原因是能源消费的增加以及工业生产的大幅增长.万元GDP温室气体排放量波动下降,年均降低4.53%;人均、单位面积温室气体排放量和温室气体排放指数快速升高,年均增幅分别达9.31%、9.72%和9.48%.16年间,咸阳市温室气体排放等级从较低(Ⅰc)持续升高至中上等级(Ⅱc),已高出应对全球气候变暖目标(Ⅰb)4个亚级,温室气体减排工作刻不容缓.     

Quantifying energy use, carbon dioxide emission, and other environmental loads from island tourism based on a life cycle assessment approach

The main purpose of industrial ecology is to evaluate and minimize impacts from economic activities of human society. Tourism as one economic activity, results in a full range of environmental impacts, but few applications of industrial ecology to tourism management have previously been discussed. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used in this research to explore environmental impacts of island tourism, and then the environmental loads per tourist per trip can be found. Penghu Island in Taiwan is taken as an example to examine this new approach. Various environmental loads in transportation, accommodation, and recreation activity sector are all inventoried and calculated here. In summary, per tourist per trip uses 1606 MJ of energy, 607 L of water, and emits 109,034 g of CO₂, 2660 g of CO, 597 g of HC, 70 g of NO_x. In addition, per tourist per trip also discharges 416 L of wastewater, 83.1 g of BOD, and 1.95 g of solid waste. In terms of energy use, the transportation consumes the largest energy (67%); in particular, the airplane sector. Moreover, per Penghu tourist results in more environmental loads than local people; for example, the amount of solid waste discharge per tourist is 1.95 kg per day, while that of per local people is 1.18 kg. Finally, the advantages and limitations of such LCA approach are also discussed.