Life cycle assessment of palm biodiesel: Revealing facts and benefits for sustainability

Similarity between the properties of biodiesel and petroleum-derived diesel has made the former one of the most promising alternatives to a renewable and sustainable fuel for the transportation sector. In Malaysia, palm oil can be a suitable feedstock for the production of biodiesel due to its abundant availability and low production cost. However, not many assessments have been carried out regarding the impacts of palm biodiesel on the environment. Hence, in this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted for palm biodiesel in order to investigate and validate the popular belief that palm biodiesel is a green and sustainable fuel. The LCA study was divided into three main stages, namely agricultural activities, oil milling and transesterification process for the production of biodiesel. For each stage, the energy balance and green house gas assessments were presented and discussed. These are important data for the techno-economical and environmental feasibility evaluation of palm biodiesel. The results obtained for palm biodiesel were then compared with rapeseed biodiesel. From this study, it was found that the utilization of palm biodiesel would generate an energy yield ratio of 3.53 (output energy/input energy), indicating a net positive energy generated and ensuring its sustainability. The energy ratio for palm biodiesel was found to be more than double that of rapeseed biodiesel which was estimated to be only 1.44, thereby indicating that palm oil would be a more sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production as compared to rapeseed oil. Moreover, combustion of palm biodiesel was found to be more environment-friendly than petroleum-derived-diesel as a significant 38% reduction of CO2 emission can be achieved per liter combusted.

[1]  G. Carlin,et al.  Steam (physical) refining deodorizer for malaysian palm oil , 1977 .

[2]  Enrique Ortega,et al.  Assessing the sustainability of Brazilian oleaginous crops – possible raw material to produce biodiesel , 2010 .

[3]  John Sheehan,et al.  An Overview of Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel Life Cycles , 2000 .

[4]  I. Henson,et al.  Modelling carbon sequestration and emissions related to oil palm cultivation and associated land use change in Malaysia. , 2004 .

[5]  R. Schnepf.  European Union Biofuels Policy and Agriculture: An Overview , 2006 .

[6]  Jerry D. Murphy,et al.  Is it better to import palm oil from Thailand to produce biodiesel in Ireland than to produce biodiesel from indigenous Irish rape seed , 2009 .

[7]  Z. Helsel.  Chapter 13 – Energy and Alternatives for Fertilizer and Pesticide Use , 1992 .

[8]  Naoko Ellis,et al.  Perspectives on biodiesel as a sustainable fuel , 2010 .

[9]  Sittha Sukkasi,et al.  Investigation of electrodeposited Ni-based coatings for biodiesel storage , 2011 .

[10]  A. A. Burgess,et al.  Application of life cycle assessment to chemical processes , 2001 .

[11]  Geoffrey P. Hammond,et al.  Development of biofuels for the UK automotive market , 2008 .

[12]  Hewu Wang,et al.  Energy consumption and GHG emissions of GTL fuel by LCA: Results from eight demonstration transit buses in Beijing , 2010 .

[13]  Sune Balle Hansen,et al.  Feasibility Study of Performing an Life Cycle Assessment on Crude Palm Oil Production in Malaysia (9 pp) , 2007 .

[14]  R. Corley,et al.  The oil palm , 2003 .

[15]  Pomthong Malakul,et al.  Life cycle energy efficiency and potentials of biodiesel production from palm oil in Thailand , 2010 .

[16]  T. Boylston.  THE OIL PALM, 4th Ed , 2005 .

[17]  Arnold Tukker,et al.  Life cycle assessment as a tool in environmental impact assessment , 2000 .

[18]  Malgorzata Goralczyk,et al.  Life-cycle assessment in the renewable energy sector , 2003 .

[19]  Francisco Aparicio,et al.  Comparison of GHG emissions from diesel, biodiesel and natural gas refuse trucks of the City of Madrid , 2009 .

[20]  A. Mol,et al.  OPTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CRUDE PALM OIL INDUSTRY IN THAILAND THROUGH ENHANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS , 2006 .

[21]  M. Z. Abdullah,et al.  Analysis of biomass-residue-based cogeneration system in palm oil mills , 2003 .

[22]  Sam W. Wood,et al.  A Review of Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Fertiliser Production. , 2004 .

[23]  J. Ros,et al.  New environmental policy for system innovation: Casus alternatives for fossil motor fuels , 2009 .

[24]  Svend Bram,et al.  Using biomass : A system perturbation analysis , 2009 .

[25]  Keat Teong Lee,et al.  Palm-based biofuel refinery (PBR) to substitute petroleum refinery: An energy and emergy assessment , 2010 .

[26]  Y. Basiron.  Palm oil production through sustainable plantations , 2007 .

[27]  Teoh Cheng Hai,et al.  THE PALM OIL INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA From Seed to Frying Pan , 2002 .