Open AccessComparing environmental impacts of electricity, heat and fuel from energy crops: Evaluating biogas utilization pathways by the basket of benefit methodology
Author(s) -
Bystricky Maria,
Knödlseder Tobias,
WeberBlaschke Gabriele,
Faulstich Martin
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
engineering in life sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.547
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1618-2863
pISSN - 1618-0240
DOI - 10.1002/elsc.201000072
Subject(s) - biogas , bioenergy , life cycle assessment , environmental science , biofuel , greenhouse gas , energy crop , renewable energy , biodiesel , waste management , agriculture , electricity , cogeneration , environmental engineering , electricity generation , engineering , production (economics) , ecology , chemistry , economics , electrical engineering , biochemistry , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , biology , catalysis , macroeconomics
Since the potentially available agricultural land for energy crop cultivation is limited, the area should be used in a sustainable and efficient way. In this project, the “basket of benefit” methodology, a special life‐cycle assessment approach, is used to calculate emissions of different bioenergy pathways, related to 1 ha of agricultural land. The method comprises both land use and energy output in one functional unit and enables a comparison in spite of the different “end use” (electricity, heat, and fuels). In this article, environmental impacts of different utilization pathways of biogas from energy crops are assessed. Decentralized electricity and heat production in a cogeneration plant is compared with feeding purified biomethane into the gas grid for centralized electricity and heat production, and to the usage as transportation fuel. Similarly, biogas is compared with biodiesel from rapeseed and bioethanol from sugar beet. Calculations are based on the conditions in south‐east Germany. Results for the impact categories global warming potential and eutrophication potential are presented. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the results are heterogeneous: Biogas shows fewer emissions than biodiesel and bioethanol only if a big proportion of the generated heat is consumed. Biogas use as biofuel can be rated similar to the use of the other biofuels. Due to the application of digestates as fertilizer, biogas exhibits a higher eutrophication potential than the other bioenergy carriers. At the moment, more bioenergy pathways, as well as additional impact categories, are being included into the analysis.