Environmental Sustainability and Climate Benefits of Green Technology for Bioethanol Production in Thailand

Biofuels are often presented as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels; however, empirical analysis that is widely reported in the literature shows that biofuel production can have negative environmental and social impacts. The potential for these negative impacts can be avoided through careful planning of biofuel feedstock production and processing. This report focuses on how green technologies and practices can be introduced into ethanol production to reduce its environmental footprint. The research site of this study is located in Khon Kaen province in northeastern Thailand. Emissions from ethanol production were estimated using life cycle greenhouse gas emission analysis. The analysis covered land use change, cultivation of cassava and sugarcane, ethanol processing, and transportation. Farming data from the study sites in 2013 was used to estimate emissions from crop cultivation and the transportation of cassava and sugarcane to the ethanol plants. Emissions from ethanol production processing were estimated from production data from a combined sugar milling and molasses ethanol factory and a cassava flour and ethanol factory. The estimated emissions from sugarcane farming (32 g CO2eq/MJ ethanol) were much higher than for cassava farming (5 g CO2eq/MJ ethanol) due to greater application of chemical fertilizer and burning during harvesting. The research estimated that the application of green agricultural technologies for sugarcane farming –non-burning, drainage management in irrigated areas, reduced use of chemical fertilizer, and increased use of green compost – would reduce emissions per year by 17 g CO2eq/MJ ethanol. The ethanol production from cassava generated high emissions from the burning of coal in the internal boilers of the ethanol production processing plant (56 g CO2eq/MJ ethanol). Utilisation of the waste to generate electricity and biogas would reduce emissions by 14 -26 g CO2eq/MJ ethanol per year by reducing dependence on coal and conventional sources of electricity. The research concluded that the green technologies and practices studied could contribute to both lower GHG emissions and better environmental outcomes from biofuel production.