Biodiesel Production in a Semiarid Environment: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

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• 作者：Wahidul K. Biswas ; Louise Barton ; Daniel Carter
• 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：April 1, 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：45
• 期：7
• 页码：3069-3074
• 全文大小：729K
• 年卷期：v.45,no.7(April 1, 2011)
• ISSN：1520-5851

文摘

While the use of biodiesel appears to be a promising alternative to petroleum fuel, the replacement of fossil fuel by biofuel may not bring about the intended climate cooling because of the increased soil N₂O emissions due to N-fertilizer applications. Using a life cycle assessment approach, we assessed the influence of soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions on the life cycle global warming potential of the production and combustion of biodiesel from canola oil produced in a semiarid climate. Utilizing locally measured soil N₂O emissions, rather than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) default values, decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the production and combustion of 1 GJ biodiesel from 63 to 37 carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e)/GJ. GHG were 1.1 to 2.1 times lower than those from petroleum or petroleum-based diesel depending on which soil N₂O emission factors were included in the analysis. The advantages of utilizing biodiesel rapidly declined when blended with petroleum diesel. Mitigation strategies that decrease emissions from the production and application of N fertilizers may further decrease the life cycle GHG emissions in the production and combustion of biodiesel.