Biofuels and their potential to aid the UK towards achieving emissions reduction policy targets

The potential of biofuels contributing to the UK emission reduction targets in the formulated UK Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP) and the UK’s obligation in the wider EU emissions reduction targets are assessed using four scenarios. The scenarios were evaluated using hybrid lifecycle assessment developed in a multi-regional input–output (MRIO) framework. In the hybrid MRIO LCA framework, technology-specific processes in the biofuels and fossil fuels LCA systems are integrated into a generalised 2-region (UK and Rest of the World) environmental-economic input–output framework in order to account for economy-wide indirect GHG emissions in the biofuels and fossil fuels LCA systems in addition to other indirect impacts such as indirect land use change. The lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of biodiesel (soybean, palm, rape, waste cooking oil) and bio-ethanol (sugarcane, sugarbeet, corn) were assessed and compared to fossil fuel (diesel and petrol) baseline. From one of the scenarios, biodiesel production from waste cooking oil and bioethanol from sugarbeet offer the biggest potential for emissions savings relative to fossil fuel equivalent and offering a maximum emission savings of 4.1% observed with a biofuel market share of 10% reached in 2020. It was also established that under current biofuel feedstock mix, to achieve the 6% emissions saving primarily from biofuels as proposed in the LCTP, 23.8% of the transport fuels market would be required to be held by biofuels by 2020.

[1]  Gjalt Huppes,et al.  System boundary selection in life-cycle inventories using hybrid approaches. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[2]  Albert Faber,et al.  Investigating new technologies in a scenario context: description and application of an input–output method , 2008 .

[3]  Robert H. Crawford,et al.  Life cycle energy and greenhouse emissions analysis of wind turbines and the effect of size on energy yield , 2009 .

[4]  E. Hertwich.  Life cycle approaches to sustainable consumption: a critical review. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[5]  Robert Ries,et al.  Example of a Hybrid Life-Cycle Assessment of Construction Processes , 2006 .

[6]  Jacinto F. Fabiosa,et al.  Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change , 2008, Science.

[7]  K. Turner,et al.  An integrated IO and CGE approach to analysing changes in environmental trade balances , 2012 .

[8]  Andreas Ciroth,et al.  Geographical and technological differences in life cycle inventories shown by the use of process models for waste incinerators part I. technological and geographical differences , 2002 .

[9]  S. Suh,et al.  Application of hybrid life cycle approaches to emerging energy technologies--the case of wind power in the UK. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[10]  Keith A. Smith,et al.  N 2 O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels , 2007 .

[11]  David Zilberman,et al.  Challenge of biofuel: filling the tank without emptying the stomach? , 2007 .

[12]  Ghaffar Ali,et al.  How effectively low carbon society development models contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans in Asia , 2013 .

[13]  R. Crawford.  Validation of a hybrid life-cycle inventory analysis method. , 2008, Journal of environmental management.

[14]  Adolf Acquaye,et al.  Input-output analysis of Irish construction sector greenhouse gas emissions , 2010 .

[15]  Jesús Martín-Gil,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process from sunflower oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil , 2011 .

[16]  John Barrett,et al.  Identification of 'carbon hot-spots' and quantification of GHG intensities in the biodiesel supply chain using hybrid LCA and structural path analysis. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  M. Lenzen,et al.  The path exchange method for hybrid LCA. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[18]  Gjalt Huppes,et al.  A Structure Comparison of two Approaches to LCA Inventory Data, Based on the MIET and ETH Databases (10 pp) , 2005 .

[19]  Rainer Zah,et al.  The applicability of non-local LCI data for LCA , 2010 .

[20]  Gjalt Huppes,et al.  Methods for Life Cycle Inventory of a product , 2005 .

[21]  André Faaij,et al.  Greenhouse gas footprints of different biofuel production systems , 2010 .

[22]  Andreas Ciroth,et al.  Geographical and technological differences in Life Cycle Inventories shown by the use of process models for waste incinerators , 2002 .

[23]  Barney Foran,et al.  A tool for strategic biophysical assessment of a national economy - The Australian stocks and flows framework , 2011, Environ. Model. Softw..

[24]  Xunmin Ou,et al.  Energy consumption and GHG emissions of six biofuel pathways by LCA in (the) People's Republic of China , 2009 .

[25]  Adolf Acquaye,et al.  Stochastic hybrid embodied CO 2-eq analysis: An application to the Irish apartment building sector , 2011 .