Origins of the debate on the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of first-generation biofuels : A sensitivity analysis approach

Benoist Anthony, Dron Dominique, Zoughaib Assaad. 2012. Origins of the debate on the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of first-generation biofuels : A sensitivity analysis approach. Biomass and Bioenergy, 40 (1) : 133-142.

Quartile : Q1, Sujet : AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING / Quartile : Q1, Sujet : ENERGY & FUELS / Quartile : Q2, Sujet : BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Résumé : Available results about energy and GreenHouse Gases (GHG) balances of biofuels from Life- Cycle Assessment (LCA) or life-cycle based studies present large discrepancies and thus, may lead to contradictory policy-making measures. This work reviewed seven important European LCA studies in a sensitivity analysis approach in order to get a better understanding of the roots of such a debate for three major biofuels in European production: rape methyl ester and ethanol from wheat and sugar beet. Global trends and variability of energy and GHG balances were depicted and completed with a sensitivity analysis carried out for each methodological and data parameter, which allowed making recommendations on the carrying out of LCA in a policy-making or a biofuels comparison context. Methodological choices, and especially allocation rule, appeared as key elements for results variation with influences on balances up to 149%; system expansion approach was identified as the most relevant rule since it integrates the market potential and the environmental interest of by-products promotion, which was pointed out as a crucial point for biofuels sustainability. The influence of local specificity for cultivation data was evaluated up to 167%, which puts too large geographical coverage in question. Modelling uncertainties due to N2O emissions from soils showed influences from 17 to 46%, which represents a crucial challenge for research and for LCA results accuracy. Approximations evaluation pointed out the need to integrate agricultural machinery into the assessment. Finally, land-use issue revealed its dramatic importance for LCA results and the need to define explicit scenarios for land-use alternatives.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : biocarburant, gaz à effet de serre, impact sur l'environnement, évaluation de l'impact, modélisation environnementale, ester, éthanol, Triticum, Brassica napus, Beta vulgaris

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Europe

Classification Agris : P06 - Sources d'énergie renouvelable
P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières
P02 - Pollution

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 2 (2005-2013) - Biomasse énergie et sociétés du sud

Auteurs et affiliations

• Benoist Anthony, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR Biomasse-énergie (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0001-6635-4192
• Dron Dominique, Ecole des mines de Paris (FRA)
• Zoughaib Assaad, Ecole des mines de Paris (FRA)

Source : Cirad - Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/563719/)

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