A systematic review of bioenergy life cycle assessments

On a global scale, bioenergy is highly relevant to renewable energy options. Unlike fossil fuels, bioenergy can be carbon neutral and plays an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Biomass electricity and heat contribute 90% of total final biomass energy consumption, and many reviews of biofuel Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) have been published. However, only a small number of these reviews are concerned with electricity and heat generation from biomass, and these reviews focus on only a few impact categories. No review of biomass electricity and heat LCAs included a detailed quantitative assessment. The failure to consider heat generation, the insufficient consideration of impact categories, and the missing quantitative overview in bioenergy LCA reviews constitute research gaps. The primary goal of the present review was to give an overview of the environmental impact of biomass electricity and heat. A systematic review was chosen as the research method to achieve a comprehensive and minimally biased overview of biomass electricity and heat LCAs. We conducted a quantitative analysis of the environmental impact of biomass electricity and heat. There is a significant variability in results of biomass electricity and heat LCAs. Assumptions regarding the bioenergy system and methodological choices are likely reasons for extreme values. The secondary goal of this review is to discuss influencing methodological choices. No general consensus has been reached regarding the optimal functional unit, the ideal allocation of environmental impact between co-products, the definition of the system boundary, or how to model the carbon cycle of biomass. We concluded that a higher level of transparency and a harmonisation of the preparation of biomass electricity and heat LCAs are needed to improve the comparability of such evaluations.

[1]  J. Zuwala,et al.  Life cycle approach for energy and environmental analysis of biomass and coal co-firing in CHP plant with backpressure turbine , 2012 .

[2]  H. L. Miller,et al.  Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis , 2007 .

[3]  Anna Björklund,et al.  Life cycle assessment of fuels for district heating: A comparison of waste incineration, biomass- and natural gas combustion , 2007 .

[4]  Toolseeram Ramjeawon,et al.  Life cycle assessment of electricity generation from bagasse in Mauritius , 2008 .

[5]  Michael Obersteiner,et al.  Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error , 2009, Science.

[6]  Jane C. Bare,et al.  Life cycle impact assessment research developments and needs , 2010 .

[7]  Ottar Michelsen,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Biomass‐based Combined Heat and Power Plants , 2011 .

[8]  Joyce Smith Cooper,et al.  Systematic Review Checklist , 2012 .

[9]  M. Nelles,et al.  Life cycle assessment of the supply and use of bioenergy: impact of regional factors on biogas production , 2012, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

[10]  Shabbir H. Gheewala,et al.  Potential of practical implementation of rice straw-based power generation in Thailand , 2008 .

[11]  Henrikke Baumann,et al.  The hitch hiker's guide to LCA : an orientation in life cycle assessment methodology and application , 2004 .

[12]  Marie Münster,et al.  Use of waste for heat, electricity and transport—Challenges when performing energy system analysis , 2009 .

[13]  Martin Pehnt,et al.  Dynamic life cycle assessment (LCA) of renewable energy technologies , 2006 .

[14]  E. Hertwich,et al.  CO2 emissions from biomass combustion for bioenergy: atmospheric decay and contribution to global warming , 2011 .

[15]  David R. Shonnard,et al.  An evaluation of greenhouse gas mitigation options for coal-fired power plants in the US Great Lakes States , 2010 .

[16]  Enrico Benetto,et al.  Life cycle assessment of fossil CO2 emissions reduction scenarios in coal-biomass based electricity production , 2004 .

[17]  G. Marland,et al.  The role of forest and bioenergy strategies in the global carbon cycle , 1996 .

[18]  F. Fantozzi,et al.  Life cycle assessment of biomass chains: Wood pellet from short rotation coppice using data measured on a real plant , 2010 .

[19]  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 .

[20]  Sandra Nutley,et al.  Editorial: What Works? The Role of Evidence in Public Sector Policy and Practice , 1999 .

[21]  Helena Mälkki,et al.  Selected emissions and efficiencies of energy systems based on logging and sawmill residues , 2003 .

[22]  Julian Cleary,et al.  Life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste management systems: a comparative analysis of selected peer-reviewed literature. , 2009, Environment international.

[23]  A. Baky,et al.  Biomass from agriculture in small-scale combined heat and power plants : A comparative life cycle assessment , 2011 .

[24]  Stefan Majer,et al.  Implications of biodiesel production and utilisation on global climate – A literature review , 2009 .

[25]  Amit Kumar,et al.  Comparison of the energy and environmental performances of nine biomass/coal co-firing pathways. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[26]  Bernard Chan,et al.  Wood Pellets for UBC Boilers Replacing Natural Gas Based on LCA , 2008 .

[27]  Rattan Lal,et al.  Changes in soil carbon and nutrient pools along a chronosequence of poplar plantations in the Columbia Plateau, Oregon, USA , 2007 .

[28]  Joan Rieradevall,et al.  Life cycle assessment of wood wastes: A case study of ephemeral architecture. , 2006, The Science of the total environment.

[29]  Bin Chen,et al.  Life-cycle energy production and emissions mitigation by comprehensive biogas-digestate utilization. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

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

[31]  Stéphanie Lacour,et al.  Life cycle assessment applied to electricity generation from renewable biomass , 2012 .

[32]  Sonja Siegl,et al.  Green Electricity From Biomass, Part I: Environmental Impacts of Direct Life Cycle Emissions , 2011 .

[33]  Xiaoyu Yan,et al.  Life cycle analysis of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for road transportation fuels in China , 2009 .

[34]  J Villegas,et al.  Life cycle assessment of biofuels: energy and greenhouse gas balances. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[35]  G. Heath,et al.  Environmental and sustainability factors associated with next-generation biofuels in the U.S.: what do we really know? , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[36]  S. Kvale.  The Social Construction of Validity , 1995 .

[37]  Anders Hammer Strømman,et al.  Life cycle assessment of bioenergy systems: state of the art and future challenges. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[38]  H. MacLean,et al.  Forest bioenergy or forest carbon? Assessing trade-offs in greenhouse gas mitigation with wood-based fuels. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[39]  Francis Meunier,et al.  Environmental assessment of biogas co- or tri-generation units by life cycle analysis methodology , 2005 .

[40]  E. Brizio,et al.  LCA of bioenergy chains in Piedmont (Italy): a case study to support public decision makers towards sustainability. , 2011 .

[41]  Tom N. Kalnes,et al.  Life cycle assessment of electricity generation using fast pyrolysis bio-oil , 2011 .

[42]  Michael Whitaker,et al.  Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Coal‐Fired Electricity Generation , 2012 .

[43]  Marcelle C. McManus.  Life cycle impacts of waste wood biomass heating systems: A case study of three UK based systems , 2010 .

[44]  Dagnija Blumberga,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Biogas Production from Marine Macroalgae: a Latvian Scenario , 2011 .

[45]  Gregg Marland,et al.  Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Bioenergy Systems , 2010 .

[46]  Andrea Corti,et al.  Life cycle assessment (LCA) of an integrated biomass gasification combined cycle IBGCC with CO2 removal , 2005 .

[47]  Estelle Vial,et al.  Life cycle assessment of eucalyptus short rotation coppices for bioenergy production in southern France , 2013 .

[48]  Andrew D. Jones,et al.  Supporting Online Material for: Ethanol Can Contribute To Energy and Environmental Goals , 2006 .

[49]  P. Abdul Salam,et al.  An Assessment of the potential for non-plantation biomass resources in selected Asian countries for 2010 , 2005 .

[50]  Karne de Boer,et al.  Extraction and conversion pathways for microalgae to biodiesel: a review focused on energy consumption , 2012, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[51]  Panagiotis Grammelis,et al.  An economic and environmental assessment of biomass utilization in lignite‐fired power plants of Greece , 2006 .

[52]  Tim Grant,et al.  Comparative life cycle assessment of uses of rice husk for energy purposes , 2011 .

[53]  D. Meier,et al.  (GTI‐tcbiomass) life‐cycle assessment of the BTO®‐process (biomass‐to‐oil) with combined heat and power generation , 2010 .

[54]  Roberto Dones,et al.  Evaluation of ecological impacts of synthetic natural gas from wood used in current heating and car systems , 2007 .

[55]  Gail Taylor,et al.  Sources of variability in greenhouse gas and energy balances for biofuel production: a systematic review , 2010 .

[56]  Varun,et al.  LCA of renewable energy for electricity generation systems—A review , 2009 .

[57]  Eric Johnson,et al.  Goodbye to carbon neutral: Getting biomass footprints right , 2009 .

[58]  C. Hennig,et al.  Bioenergy production and use: Comparative analysis of the economic and environmental effects , 2012 .

[59]  Leif Gustavsson,et al.  CO2 mitigation costs of large-scale bioenergy technologies in competitive electricity markets , 2003 .

[60]  Sandra Nutley,et al.  Viewpoint: Editorial: What Works? The Role of Evidence in Public Sector Policy and Practice , 1999 .

[61]  O. Edenhofer.  Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation , 2011 .

[62]  M. Mann,et al.  A life cycle assessment of biomass cofiring in a coal-fired power plant , 2001 .

[63]  S. Prasertsan,et al.  Biomass and biogas energy in Thailand: Potential, opportunity and barriers , 2006 .

[64]  S. Davis,et al.  Life-cycle analysis and the ecology of biofuels. , 2009, Trends in plant science.

[65]  Bruno Peuportier,et al.  How to account for CO2 emissions from biomass in an LCA , 2007 .

[66]  Marc A. Rosen,et al.  Allocating carbon dioxide emissions from cogeneration systems: descriptions of selected output-based methods. , 2008 .

[67]  Vasilis Fthenakis,et al.  Land use and electricity generation: A life-cycle analysis , 2009 .

[68]  A R Jadad,et al.  What contributions do languages other than English make on the results of meta-analyses? , 2000, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[69]  Carles M. Gasol,et al.  Life-cycle assessment of electricity from biomass: case studies of two biocrops in Spain. , 2010 .

[70]  Jens Lansche,et al.  Life cycle assessment of energy generation of biogas fed combined heat and power plants: Environmental impact of different agricultural substrates , 2012 .

[71]  Vladimir Strezov,et al.  Sustainability considerations for electricity generation from biomass , 2010 .

[72]  Jeroen B. Guinee,et al.  Handbook on life cycle assessment operational guide to the ISO standards , 2002 .

[73]  Haji Hassan Masjuki,et al.  Life cycle assessment (LCA) of electricity generation from rice husk in Malaysia , 2012 .

[74]  Adisa Azapagic,et al.  Allocation of environmental burdens in co-product systems: Product-related burdens (Part 1) , 1999 .

[75]  Panagiotis Grammelis,et al.  Evaluation of the environmental impact of waste wood co-utilisation for energy production , 2004 .

[76]  Daniel Weisser,et al.  A guide to life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electric supply technologies , 2007 .

[77]  Shiva Habibi,et al.  Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Bioenergy in Ontario, Canada , 2007, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.

[78]  Taraneh Sowlati,et al.  Techno‐economic analysis of renewable energy source options for a district heating project , 2010 .

[79]  David C. Hoaglin,et al.  Some Implementations of the Boxplot , 1989 .

[80]  Fernando Sebastián,et al.  Large-scale analysis of GHG (greenhouse gas) reduction by means of biomass co-firing at country-scale: Application to the Spanish case , 2012 .

[81]  Fengqiao Liu,et al.  Quantitative assessment of bioenergy from crop stalk resources in Inner Mongolia, China , 2012 .

[82]  Anne Roedl.  Production and energetic utilization of wood from short rotation coppice—a life cycle assessment , 2010 .

[83]  David Parsons,et al.  Home heating in temperate Australia , 2010 .

[84]  Martin Heller,et al.  Life cycle energy and environmental benefits of generating electricity from willow biomass , 2004 .

[85]  Lester B. Lave,et al.  Evaluating automobile fuel/propulsion system technologies , 2003 .

[86]  Edgar G. Hertwich,et al.  Life cycle assessment of wood-based heating in Norway , 2009 .

[87]  D. Tranfield,et al.  Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review , 2003 .

[88]  Pål Börjesson,et al.  Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems—Part I: Fuel-cycle emissions , 2006 .

[89]  Shahab Sokhansanj,et al.  Life cycle assessment of base–load heat sources for district heating system options , 2011 .

[90]  Hui Liu,et al.  Distribution, utilization structure and potential of biomass resources in rural China: With special references of crop residues , 2008 .

[91]  Patrick Hofstetter,et al.  Midpoints versus endpoints: The sacrifices and benefits , 2000 .

[92]  Eric D. Larson,et al.  A review of life-cycle analysis studies on liquid biofuel systems for the transport sector , 2006 .

[93]  Per-Anders Hansson,et al.  Greenhouse gas balance of harvesting stumps and logging residues for energy in Sweden , 2011 .

[94]  Enrico Cini,et al.  Multicriteria analysis to evaluate the energetic reuse of riparian vegetation , 2010 .

[95]  F. Sebastián,et al.  Cofiring versus biomass-fired power plants: GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions savings comparison by m , 2011 .

[96]  Réjean Landry,et al.  Lessons from Innovation Empirical Studies in the Manufacturing Sector: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 1993-2003 , 2006 .

[97]  Hans-Jürgen Dr. Klüppel,et al.  The Revision of ISO Standards 14040-3 - ISO 14040: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework - ISO 14044: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines , 2005 .

[98]  David Styles,et al.  Energy crops in Ireland: Quantifying the potential life-cycle greenhouse gas reductions of energy-crop electricity , 2007 .

[99]  Iris Lewandowski,et al.  Delayed harvest of miscanthus—influences on biomass quantity and quality and environmental impacts of energy production , 2003 .

[100]  Arlene Fink,et al.  Conducting research literature reviews : from the internet to paper , 2014 .

[101]  Gerry Johnson,et al.  Managers' Perspectives on Making Major Investment Decisions: the Problem of Linking Strategic and Financial Appraisal , 1993 .

[102]  Paul J. Crutzen,et al.  Nitrous oxide’s impact on net greenhouse gas savings from biofuels: life-cycle analysis comparison , 2009 .

[103]  David J. Muth,et al.  Sustainable agricultural residue removal for bioenergy: A spatially comprehensive US national assessment , 2013 .

[104]  F. T. Veld,et al.  Beyond the Fossil Fuel Era: On the Feasibility of Sustainable Electricity Generation Using Biogas from Microalgae , 2012 .

[105]  M. Mann,et al.  Biomass Power and Conventional Fossil Systems with and without CO2 Sequestration – Comparing the Energy Balance, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economics , 2004 .

[106]  Wilhelm Claupein,et al.  Life-cycle analysis of heat generation using biomass from semi-natural grasslands in Central Europe. , 2009 .