Life Cycle Assessment of Biojet Fuels

Abstract This chapter presents the main methodological aspects of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and discusses the key published studies regarding biojet fuels. In addition to the intrinsic performance of each biofuel pathway (productivity, cultivation practices, use of inputs, etc.), the different methodological considerations among the studies also explain the differences in the life cycle emissions. Almost all pathways presented better performance in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the conventional jet fuel (which produces between 88 and 106 g CO 2 eq/MJ), but the range of values for some pathways is very wide. The land use change effect represents a relevant implication for the overall performance, and for some cases it can even negate all the benefits of the biofuel. However, due to the relatively small number of studies, the low maturity level or scale of the pathways, and the fact that GHG emissions have been the almost exclusive environmental issue under analysis, at this moment it is difficult to draw conclusions about the real benefits of the different routes for the production of biojet fuels.

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