Energy Efficiency and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Jatropha for Energy in Nigeria: A “Well-to-Wheel” Perspective

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tosin Onabanjo ◽  
Giuseppina Di Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Biodiesel Production ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Base Case

There is a large imbalance between demand and supply of energy in Nigeria, with inefficient power supply being the country’s greatest economic bane. Aside energy crisis, fuel is a luxurious commodity and petroleum diesel is the predominant fuel for power generation, particularly in the industrial sector. As a result, the country suffers from forced power outages, and persistent black out while residents and industries are forced to depend on self-generated electricity. These have notably reduced industrialization and increased environmental pollution across the country. This paper proposes the use of Jatropha biodiesel as a substitute fuel to petroleum diesel. It examines the energy efficiency and environmental life cycle impact of the production and use of 1MJ of Jatropha biodiesel in a typical 126 MW (ISO rating) industrial gas turbine power plant with multi-fuel capability using life cycle assessment methodologies and principles. A net energy ratio of 2.37, 1.54, and 1.32 and fossil fuel savings of 58%, 36% and 27% were achievable under three farming system scenarios: a) base-case rain-fed, b) base-case irrigated and c) large scale farming system. Also, an environmental benefit with GHG savings of 19% was attainable under the three farming scenarios. The results demonstrate that the contribution of GHGs and effect on climate change is most significant with the end use of the fuel. It also highlights the importance of clear definition of the reference system which should be indicative of the local production system and comparative to the system under study. A favourable business and economic climate driven by demand is proposed for Independent Power Producer (IPP) to generate power for off-grid users instead of generating power for the national grid using a decentralized Jatropha biodiesel production system coupled to waste to energy technologies. This could significantly improve the energy situation; diversify the energy generation mix and fuel supply in Nigeria, especially for small-scale businesses and the rural population.

Life cycle assessment of a small-scale methanol production system: A Power-to-Fuel strategy for biogas plants

2020 ◽  
Vol 271 ◽  
pp. 122476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Eggemann ◽  
Neus Escobar ◽  
Ralf Peters ◽  
Peter Burauel ◽  
Detlef Stolten
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production System ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Methanol Production ◽  
System A ◽  
Biogas Plants

scholarly journals A Life Cycle Assessment Approach for Vegetables in Large-, Mid-, and Small-Scale Food Systems in the Midwest US

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11368
Author(s):  
Tiffanie F. Stone ◽  
Janette R. Thompson ◽  
Kurt A. Rosentrater ◽  
Ajay Nair
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Negative Impacts

Although vegetables are important for healthy diets, there are concerns about the sustainability of food systems that provide them. For example, half of fresh-market vegetables sold in the United States (US) are produced in California, leading to negative impacts associated with transportation. In Iowa, the focus of this study, 90% of food is imported from outside the state. Previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies indicate that food consumption patterns affect global warming potential (GWP), with animal products having more negative impacts than vegetables. However, studies focused on how GWP, energy, and water use vary between food systems and vegetable types are less common. The purpose of this study was to examine these environmental impacts to inform decisions to buy locally or grow vegetables in the Midwest. We used a life cycle approach to examine three food systems (large-, mid-, and small-scale) and 18 vegetables commonly grown in/near Des Moines, Iowa. We found differences in GWP, energy, and water use (p ≤ 0.001 for each) for the three food systems with the large-scale scenario producing more emissions. There were also differences among vegetables, with the highest GWP for romaine lettuce (1.92 CO2eq/kg vegetable) approximately three times that of leaf lettuce (0.65 CO2eq/kg vegetable) at the large scale. Hotspots and tradeoffs between GWP, energy, and water use were also identified and could inform vegetable production/consumption based on carbon and water use footprints for the US Midwest.

scholarly journals Environmental life cycle assessment of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production for human consumption in Austria – a comparison of mealworm and broiler as protein source

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Dreyer ◽  
Stefan Hörtenhuber ◽  
Werner Zollitsch ◽  
Henry Jäger ◽  
Lisa-Marie Schaden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production System ◽  
Tenebrio Molitor ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
On Farm ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Freshwater Eutrophication

Abstract Purpose Global food production needs to increase to provide enough food for over 9 billion people living by 2050. Traditional animal production is among the leading causes for climate change and occupation of land. Edible insects might be a sustainable protein supply to humans, but environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on them are scarce. This study performs an LCA of a small-scale production system of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) in Central Europe that are supplied with organic feedstuff. Methods A combined ReCiPe midpoint (H) and CED method is used to estimate the potential environmental impacts from cradle-to-gate. Impact categories include global warming potential (GWP), non-renewable energy use (NREU), agricultural land occupation (ALOP), terrestrial acidification potential (TAP) and freshwater eutrophication potential (FEP). The robustness of the results is tested via sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations. Results and discussion Impacts related to the production of 1 kg of edible mealworm protein amount to 20.4 kg CO2-eq (GWP), 213.66 MJ-eq (NREU), 22.38 m2 (ALOP), 159.52 g SO2-eq (TAP) and 12.41 g P-eq (FEP). Upstream feed production and on-farm energy demand related to the heating of the facilities are identified as environmental hot-spots: Depending on the impact category, feed supply contributes up to 90% and on-farm heating accounts for up to 65% of overall impacts. The organic mealworm production system is contrasted with a selected Austrian organic broiler production system, to which it compares favourably (18–72% lower impacts per category), with the exception of freshwater eutrophication (6% higher impacts). Conclusions This case study shows that the Austrian mealworm production system compares favourably to traditional livestock systems. Compared to LCAs from large-scale T. molitor rearing facilities in France and in the Netherlands, however, the Austrian production system cannot compete for the reasons of production scale, feed conversion efficiency and type of production system. Nevertheless, the investigated mealworms represent a sustainable protein alternative that should be added to the Western diet.

Life cycle assessment of small-scale high-input Jatropha biodiesel production in India

2011 ◽  
Vol 88 (12) ◽  
pp. 4831-4839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishan K. Pandey ◽  
Namita Pragya ◽  
P.K. Sahoo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Biodiesel Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
High Input

scholarly journals Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from a Traditional Nutrient-Rich Cambodian Diet Food Production System Using Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3660
Author(s):  
Rathna Hor ◽  
Phanna Ly ◽  
Agusta Samodra Putra ◽  
Riaru Ishizaki ◽  
Tofael Ahamed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Production System ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
Food Production System

Traditional Cambodian food has higher nutrient balances and is environmentally sustainable compared to conventional diets. However, there is a lack of knowledge and evidence on nutrient intake and the environmental greenness of traditional food at different age distributions. The relationship between nutritional intake and environmental impact can be evaluated using carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural production based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The objective of this study was to estimate the CO2 equivalent (eq) emissions from the traditional Cambodian diet using LCA, starting at each agricultural production phase. A one-year food consumption scenario with the traditional diet was established. Five breakfast (BF1–5) and seven lunch and dinner (LD1–7) food sets were consumed at the same rate and compared using LCA. The results showed that BF1 and LD2 had the lowest and highest emissions (0.3 Mt CO2 eq/yr and 1.2 Mt CO2 eq/yr, respectively). The food calories, minerals, and vitamins met the recommended dietary allowance. The country’s existing food production system generates CO2 emissions of 9.7 Mt CO2 eq/yr, with the proposed system reducing these by 28.9% to 6.9 Mt CO2 eq/yr. The change in each food item could decrease emissions depending on the type and quantity of the food set, especially meat and milk consumption.

scholarly journals Is Agriculture Always a GHG Emitter? A Combination of Eddy Covariance and Life Cycle Assessment Approaches to Calculate C Intake and Uptake in a Kiwifruit Orchard

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6906
Author(s):  
Federica Rossi ◽  
Camilla Chieco ◽  
Nicola Di Virgilio ◽  
Teodoro Georgiadis ◽  
Marianna Nardino
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Co2 Absorption ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Efficiency Ratio

While a substantial reduction of GHG (greenhouse gases) is urged, large-scale mitigation implies a detailed and holistic knowledge on the role of specific cropping systems, including the effect of management choices and local factors on the final balance between emissions and removals, this last typical of cropping systems. Here, a conventionally managed irrigated kiwifruit orchard has been studied to assess its greenhouse gases emissions and removals to determine its potential action as a C sink or, alternately, as a C source. The paper integrates two independent approaches. Biological CO2 fluxes have been monitored during 2012 using the micrometeorological Eddy covariance technique, while life cycle assessment quantified emissions derived from the energy and material used. In a climatic-standard year, total GHG emitted as consequence of the management were 4.25 t CO2-eq−1 ha−1 yr−1 while the net uptake measured during the active vegetation phase was as high as 4.9 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1. This led to a positive contribution of the crop to CO2 absorption, with a 1.15 efficiency ratio (sink-source factor defined as t CO2 stored/t CO2 emitted). The mitigating activity, however, completely reversed under extremely unfavorable climatic conditions, such as those recorded in 2003, when the efficiency ratio became 0.91, demonstrating that the occurrence of hotter and drier conditions are able to compromise the capability of Actinidia to offset the GHG emissions, also under appropriate irrigation.

Towards a green and fast production system: Integrating life cycle assessment and value stream mapping for decision making

2021 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 106519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Salvador ◽  
Murillo Vetroni Barros ◽  
Giovani Elias Tagliaferro dos Santos ◽  
Karen Godoi van Mierlo ◽  
Cassiano Moro Piekarski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production System ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Value Stream
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document