Biofuel or excavation? - Life cycle assessment (LCA) of soil remediation options.

The environmental consequences of soil remediation through biofuel or through dig-and-dump were compared using life cycle assessment (LCA). Willow (Salix viminalis) was actually grown in-situ on a discontinued oil depot, as a phytoremediation treatment. These data were used for the biofuel remediation, while excavation-and-refill data were estimated from experience. The biofuel remediation had great environmental advantages compared to the ex situ excavation remediation. With the ReCiPe impact assessment method, which included biodiversity, the net environmental effect was even positive, in spite of the fact that the wood harvest was not utilised for biofuel production, but left on the contaminated site. Impact from the Salix viminalis cultivation was mainly through land use for the short rotation coppice, and through journeys of control personnel. The latter may be reduced when familiarity with biofuel as a soil treatment method increases. The excavation-and-refill remediation was dominated by the landfill and the transport of contaminated soil and backfill.

[1]  R. Borup,et al.  Dimethyl ether (DME) as an alternative fuel , 2006 .

[2]  C. Bauer,et al.  Key Elements in a Framework for Land Use Impact Assessment Within LCA (11 pp) , 2007 .

[3]  J. Porter,et al.  Distribution of assimilated carbon in plants and rhizosphere soil of basket willow (Salix viminalis L.) , 2002, Plant and Soil.

[4]  M. Curran,et al.  A review of assessments conducted on bio-ethanol as a transportation fuel from a net energy, greenhouse gas, and environmental life cycle perspective , 2007 .

[5]  R. Rytter.  Biomass production and allocation, including fine-root turnover, and annual N uptake in lysimeter-grown basket willows , 2001 .

[6]  P. Bardos,et al.  Environmental impact assessment of biofuel production on contaminated land - Swedish case studies , 2009 .

[7]  T. Spriggs,et al.  Phytoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in manufactured gas plant-impacted soil. , 2005, Journal of environmental quality.

[8]  G. Keoleian,et al.  Life cycle assessment of a willow bioenergy cropping system , 2003 .

[9]  Henrik Wenzel,et al.  Conference and workshop on modelling global land use implications in the environmental assessment of biofuels , 2008 .

[10]  P. Bardos,et al.  Biofuel and other biomass based products from contaminated sites - Potentials and barriers from Swedish perspectives , 2009 .

[11]  D. Sparks.  Elucidating the fundamental chemistry of soils: past and recent achievements and future frontiers , 2001 .

[12]  R. Schenck.  Land use and biodiversity indicators for life cycle impact assessment , 2001 .

[13]  Axel Seemann,et al.  Abbruch von Wohn- und Verwaltungsgebäuden - Handlungshilfe. Endbericht zum gleichnamigen Forschungsvorhaben im Auftrag der Landesanstalt für Umweltschutz Baden-Württemberg , 2001 .

[14]  Yvonne Andersson-Sköld,et al.  Local Gain, Global Loss: The Environmental Cost of Action , 2009 .

[15]  Jenny Norrman,et al.  LCA for Site Remediation: A Literature Review , 2004 .

[16]  M. Bossard,et al.  CORINE land cover technical guide - Addendum 2000 , 2000 .

[17]  Philip Owende,et al.  A screening LCA of short rotation coppice willow (Salix sp.) feedstock production system for small-scale electricity generation. , 2009 .

[18]  G. Keoleian,et al.  Renewable Energy from Willow Biomass Crops: Life Cycle Energy, Environmental and Economic Performance , 2005 .

[19]  G. Diamond,et al.  Risks to children from exposure to lead in air during remedial or removal activities at Superfund sites: A case study of the RSR lead smelter Superfund site† , 2003, Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology.