LCA of Biofuels and Biomaterials

Biofuels and biomaterials can today substitute many commodities produced from fossil resources, and the bio-based production is increasing worldwide. As fossil resources are limited, and the use of such resources is a major contributor to global warming and other environmental impacts, the potential of bio-products as substitutes for fossil-based products is receiving much attention. According to many LCA studies, bio-products are environmentally superior to fossil products in some life cycle impact categories, while the picture is often opposite in others. Bio-products is a highly diverse group of products and the environmental profile of bio-products relative to their fossil counterparts is case specific and to a high degree depending on the feedstock used. This illustrates the importance of conducting case specific LCAs for determining the environmental profile of bio-products relative to fossil ones, and emphasises the importance of including all relevant impact categories, in order to avoid problem shifting.

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