Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Sustainable Bio-Oil Production Using a Mixed Supply Chain

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Mirkouei ◽  
Karl R. Haapala ◽  
John Sessions ◽  
Ganti S. Murthy
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Bio Oil ◽  
Potential Benefits

Recent growing interest in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requires the application of effective energy solutions, such as the utilization of renewable resources. Biomass represents a promising renewable resource for bioenergy, since it has the potential to reduce GHG emissions from various industry sectors. In spite of the potential benefits, biomass is limited due to logistical challenges of collection and transport to bio-refineries. This study proposes a forest biomass-to-bio-oil mixed supply chain network to reduce the GHG emissions compared to a conventional bioenergy supply chain. The mixed supply chain includes mixed-mode bio-refineries and mixed-pathway transportation. Life cycle assessment is conducted for a case study in the Pacific Northwest with the assistance of available life cycle inventory data for biomass-to-bio-oil supply chain. Impact assessment, on a global warming potential (GWP) basis, is conducted with the assistance of databases within SimaPro 8 software. Sensitivity analysis for the case investigated indicates that using the mixed supply chain can reduce GHG emissions by 2–5% compared to the traditional supply chain.

scholarly journals Environmental impacts and resource use from Australian pork production assessed using life-cycle assessment. 1. Greenhouse gas emissions

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Wiedemann ◽  
Eugene J. McGahan ◽  
Caoilinn M. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Manure Management ◽  
Pork Production ◽  
Emission Profile

Agricultural industries are under increasing pressure to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the supply chain. The Australian pork industry has established proactive goals to improve greenhouse-gas (GHG) performance across the industry, but while productivity indicators are benchmarked by industry, similar data have not previously been collected to determine supply chain GHG emissions. To assess total GHG emissions from Australian pork production, the present study conducted a life-cycle assessment of six case study supply chains and the national herd for the year 2010. The study aimed to determine total GHG emissions and hotspots, and to determine the mitigation potential from alternative manure treatment systems. Two functional units were used: 1 kg of pork liveweight (LW) at the farm gate, and 1 kg of wholesale pork (chilled, bone-in) ready for packaging and distribution. Mean GHG emissions from the case study supply chains ranged from 2.1 to 4.5 kg CO2-e/kg LW (excluding land-use (LU) and direct land use-change (dLUC) emissions). Emissions were lowest from the piggeries that housed grower-finisher pigs on deep litter and highest from pigs housed in conventional systems with uncovered anaerobic effluent ponds. Mean contribution from methane from effluent treatment was 64% of total GHG at the conventional piggeries. Nitrous oxide arose from both grain production and manure management, comprising 7–33% of the total emissions. The GHG emissions for the national herd were 3.6 kg CO2-e/kg LW, with the largest determining factor on total emissions being the relative proportion of pigs managed with high or low emission manure management systems. Emissions from LU and dLUC sources ranged from 0.08 to 0.7 kg CO2-e/kg LW for the case study farms, with differences associated with the inclusion rate of imported soybean meal in the ration and feed-conversion ratio. GHG intensity (excluding LU, dLUC) from the national herd was 6.36 ± 1.03 kg CO2-e/kg wholesale pork, with the emission profile dominated by methane from manure management (50%), followed by feed production (27%) and then meat processing (8%). Inclusion of LU and dLUC emissions had a minor effect on the emission profile. Scenarios testing showed that biogas capture from anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power generation resulted in a 31–64% reduction in GHG emissions. Finishing pigs on deep litter as preferred to conventional housing resulted in 38% lower GHG emissions than conventional finishing.

The potential of bio-methane as bio-fuel/bio-energy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: a qualitative assessment for Europe in a life cycle perspective

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 1683-1692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Tilche ◽  
Michele Galatola
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Crops ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Ghg Reduction

Anaerobic digestion is a well known process that (while still capable of showing new features) has experienced several waves of technological development. It was “born” as a wastewater treatment system, in the 1970s showed promise as an alternative energy source (in particular from animal waste), in the 1980s and later it became a standard for treating organic-matter-rich industrial wastewater, and more recently returned to the market for its energy recovery potential, making use of different biomasses, including energy crops. With the growing concern around global warming, this paper looks at the potential of anaerobic digestion in terms of reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The potential contribution of anaerobic digestion to GHG reduction has been computed for the 27 EU countries on the basis of their 2005 Kyoto declarations and using life cycle data. The theoretical potential contribution of anaerobic digestion to Kyoto and EU post-Kyoto targets has been calculated. Two different possible biogas applications have been considered: electricity production from manure waste, and upgraded methane production for light goods vehicles (from landfill biogas and municipal and industrial wastewater treatment sludges). The useful heat that can be produced as by-product from biogas conversion into electricity has not been taken into consideration, as its real exploitation depends on local conditions. Moreover the amount of biogas already produced via dedicated anaerobic digestion processes has also not been included in the calculations. Therefore the overall gains achievable would be even higher than those reported here. This exercise shows that biogas may considerably contribute to GHG emission reductions in particular if used as a biofuel. Results also show that its use as a biofuel may allow for true negative GHG emissions, showing a net advantage with respect to other biofuels. Considering also energy crops that will become available in the next few years as a result of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, this study shows that biogas has the potential of covering almost 50% of the 2020 biofuel target of 10% of all automotive transport fuels, without implying a change in land use. Moreover, considering the achievable GHG reductions, a very large carbon emission trading “value” could support the investment needs. However, those results were obtained through a “qualitative” assessment. In order to produce robust data for decision makers, a quantitative sustainability assessment should be carried out, integrating different methodologies within a life cycle framework. The identification of the most appropriate policy for promoting the best set of options is then discussed.

scholarly journals Life-Cycle Energy and GHG Emissions of Forest Biomass Harvest and Transport for Biofuel Production in Michigan

Energies ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 3258-3271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengli Zhang ◽  
Dana Johnson ◽  
Jinjiang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Biomass Harvest

Optimal Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Design and Allocation for Minimum Life Cycle Cost, Petroleum Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Shin Norman Shiau ◽  
Scott B. Peterson ◽  
Jeremy J. Michalek
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicle ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Hybrid Electric

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology has the potential to help address economic, environmental, and national security concerns in the United States by reducing operating cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and petroleum consumption from the transportation sector. However, the net effects of PHEVs depend critically on vehicle design, battery technology, and charging frequency. To examine these implications, we develop an integrated optimization model utilizing vehicle physics simulation, battery degradation data, and U.S. driving data to determine optimal vehicle design and allocation of vehicles to drivers for minimum life cycle cost, GHG emissions, and petroleum consumption. We find that, while PHEVs with large battery capacity minimize petroleum consumption, a mix of PHEVs sized for 25–40 miles of electric travel produces the greatest reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions. At today’s average US energy prices, battery pack cost must fall below $460/kWh (below $300/kWh for a 10% discount rate) for PHEVs to be cost competitive with ordinary hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Carbon allowance prices have marginal impact on optimal design or allocation of PHEVs even at $100/tonne. We find that the maximum battery swing should be utilized to achieve minimum life cycle cost, GHGs, and petroleum consumption. Increased swing enables greater all-electric range (AER) to be achieved with smaller battery packs, improving cost competitiveness of PHEVs. Hence, existing policies that subsidize battery cost for PHEVs would likely be better tied to AER, rather than total battery capacity.

Global Optimization of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Design and Allocation to Minimize Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Shin Norman Shiau ◽  
Jeremy J. Michalek
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Local Search ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Optimal Allocation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Global Solutions ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Battery Packs ◽  
Hybrid Electric

We pose a reformulated model for optimal design and allocation of conventional (CV), hybrid electric (HEV), and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles to obtain global solutions that minimize life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the fleet. The reformulation is a twice-differentiable, factorable, nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model that can be solved globally using a convexification-based branch-and-reduce algorithm. We compare results to a randomized multistart local-search approach for the original formulation and find that local-search algorithms locate global solutions in 59% of trials for the two-segment case and 18% of trials for the three-segment case. The results indicate that minimum GHG emissions are achieved with a mix of PHEVs sized for 25–45 miles of electric travel. Larger battery packs allow longer travel on electrical energy, but production and weight of underutilized batteries result in higher GHG emissions. Under the current average U.S. grid mix, PHEVs offer a nearly 50% reduction in life cycle GHG emissions relative to equivalent conventional vehicles and about 5% improvement over HEVs when driven on the standard urban driving cycle. Optimal allocation of different PHEVs to different drivers turns out to be of second order importance for minimizing net life cycle GHGs.

scholarly journals Spring Wheat Tolerance and Resistance to Heterodera avenae in the Pacific Northwest

Plant Disease ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 590-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Smiley ◽  
Juliet M. Marshall ◽  
Jennifer A. Gourlie ◽  
Timothy C. Paulitz ◽  
Shyam L. Kandel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Cyst Nematode ◽  
Cereal Cyst Nematode ◽  
Heterodera Avenae ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Systematic Field

The cereal cyst nematode Heterodera avenae reduces wheat yields in the Pacific Northwest. Previous evaluations of cultivar resistance had been in controlled environments. Cultivar tolerance had not been evaluated. Seven spring wheat trials were conducted in naturally infested fields in three states over 2 years. A split-plot design was used for all trials. Five trials evaluated both tolerance and resistance in 1.8-by-9-m plots treated or not treated with nematicides. Two trials evaluated resistance in 1-m head rows where each wheat entry was paired with an adjacent row of a susceptible cultivar. Cultivars with the Cre1 resistance gene (‘Ouyen’ and ‘Chara’) reduced the postharvest density of H. avenae under field conditions, confirming Cre1 parents as useful for germplasm development. Ouyen was resistant but it was also intolerant, producing significantly lower grain yield in controls than in plots treated with nematicides. Susceptible cultivars varied in tolerance. Undefined resistance was identified in one commercial cultivar (‘WB-Rockland) and four breeding lines (UC1711, SO900163, SY-B041418, and SY-97621-05). This research was the first systematic field demonstration of potential benefits to be derived through development and deployment of cultivars with resistance plus tolerance to cereal cyst nematode in North America.

scholarly journals Effects of Local Biomass Availability and Road Network Properties on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Biomass Supply Chain

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Jäppinen ◽  
O.-J. Korpinen ◽  
T. Ranta
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Biomass Supply ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
Gis Methods ◽  
Biomass Availability

This study presents two case studies of 100 GWh of forest biomass supply: Rovaniemi in northern Finland and Mikkeli in south-eastern Finland. The study evaluates the effects of local biomass availability and road network properties on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of these two supply chains. The local forest biomass availability around the case study locations, truck transportation distances, and road network properties were analyzed by GIS methods to produce accurate and site-dependent data for the transportation emission calculations. The GHG emissions were then assessed by LCA methods. The total transportation distance to Rovaniemi was 22% larger than to Mikkeli, but the transportation derived GHG emissions were 31% larger. The results highlight the fact that local conditions should always be taken into account when assessing the sustainability of biomass-based energy production.

scholarly journals A framework for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through carbon pricing for offshore outsourcing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amulya Gurtu
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
Offshore Outsourcing ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Supply Chain Costs ◽  
The Impact

Reducing supply chain costs is a primary concern of every organization. Organizations have implemented offshore outsourcing as an effective strategy towards reducing supply chain costs. However, neither government nor corporate organizations have sufficiently taken into account the effects of this strategy on global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of offshore outsourcing on global GHG emissions, and the effect of changes in fuel prices in addition to a carbon price on additional emissions on supply chain costs. The purpose is supported by five key objectives. The objectives are addressed through a systematic methodology. The analysis is supported by a literature review, and the development and testing of mathematical models. Finally, a framework to reduce global GHG emissions through a carbon price on differential emissions from manufacturing and additional emissions from international transportation is proposed. The findings suggest that offshore outsourcing has increased global emissions. The fuel prices are increasing at a rate higher than the overall rate. A carbon price on excess emissions due to outsourcing coupled with increasing fuel prices impacts supply chain costs adversely and leads to bigger lot-sizes. As an illustration at the national level, the framework showed that emissions for the USA increased by about 20% for every year between 2007 and 2010. As another example from a corporate organization, the net profit (profit after tax) for Wal-Mart was reduced by about 19% for 2006 due to a carbon price on manufacturing emissions alone. The suggested framework is a major contribution for quantifying the extent of changes in the emissions due to offshore outsourcing and the value of these emissions at a prevailing rate of carbon tax in North America. It is intended to provide a basis for reducing emissions and costs from global supply chains. The proposed framework provides a level playing field to manufacturers in different countries using different technologies, provides incentives to organizations for manufacturing in locations where net emissions are low, helps national governments determine how they can generate revenue for dealing with emissions, and, most importantly, aids in reducing overall global GHG emissions.

scholarly journals Economic and Environmental Optimization of the Forest Supply Chain for Timber and Bioenergy Production from Beetle-Killed Forests in Northern Colorado

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 689 ◽  
Author(s):  
She ◽  
Chung ◽  
Han
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Bioenergy Production ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Northern Colorado

Harvesting mountain pine beetle-infested forest stands in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains provides an opportunity to utilize otherwise wasted resources, generate net revenues, and minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Timber and bioenergy production are commonly managed separately, and their integration is seldom considered. Yet, degraded wood and logging residues can provide a feedstock for bioenergy, while the sound wood from beetle-killed stands can still be used for traditional timber products. In addition, beneficial greenhouse gas emission (GHG) savings are often realized only by compromising net revenues during salvage harvest where beetle-killed wood has a relatively low market value and high harvesting cost. In this study we compared Sequential and Integrated decision-making scenarios for managing the supply chain from beetle-killed forest salvage operations. In the Sequential scenario, timber and bioenergy production was managed sequentially in two separate processes, where salvage harvest was conducted without considering influences on or from bioenergy production. Biomass availability was assessed next as an outcome from timber production managed to produce bioenergy products. In the Integrated scenario, timber and bioenergy production were managed jointly, where collective decisions were made regarding tree salvage harvest, residue treatment, and bioenergy product selection and production. We applied a multi-objective optimization approach to integrate the economic and environmental objectives of producing timber and bioenergy, and measured results by total net revenues and total net GHG emission savings, respectively. The optimization model results show that distinctively different decisions are made in selecting the harvesting system and residue treatment under the two scenarios. When the optimization is fully economic-oriented, 49.6% more forest areas are harvested under the Integrated scenario than the Sequential scenario, generating 12.3% more net revenues and 50.5% more net GHG emission savings. Comparison of modelled Pareto fronts also indicate the Integrated decision scenario provides more efficient trade-offs between the two objectives and performs better than the Sequential scenario in both objectives.

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