IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v55y2011i11p1070-1077.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Influence of allocation methods on the environmental performance of biorefinery products—A case study

Author

Listed:
  • Cherubini, Francesco
  • Strømman, Anders Hammer
  • Ulgiati, Sergio

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is the prevailing framework for estimating the environmental performances of a product/service. The application of LCA frequently requires practitioners to address allocation issues, especially when a large number of co-products are produced. The choice of an allocation approach for multifunctional processes is among the most debated methodological aspects in the LCA community, given its potentially large influence on final outcomes. Despite numerous efforts, a uniform consensus on the best allocation practice is still lacking and no single method appears as the most suitable for all situations.

Suggested Citation

  • Cherubini, Francesco & Strømman, Anders Hammer & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2011. "Influence of allocation methods on the environmental performance of biorefinery products—A case study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(11), pages 1070-1077.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:55:y:2011:i:11:p:1070-1077
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.06.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344911001273
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.06.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cherubini, Francesco & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2010. "Crop residues as raw materials for biorefinery systems - A LCA case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 47-57, January.
    2. Bo Weidema, 2000. "Avoiding Co‐Product Allocation in Life‐Cycle Assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 4(3), pages 11-33, July.
    3. Pettersson, Karin & Harvey, Simon, 2010. "CO2 emission balances for different black liquor gasification biorefinery concepts for production of electricity or second-generation liquid biofuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1101-1106.
    4. Yáñez Angarita, Edgar Eduardo & Silva Lora, Electo Eduardo & da Costa, Rosélis Ester & Torres, Ednildo Andrade, 2009. "The energy balance in the Palm Oil-Derived Methyl Ester (PME) life cycle for the cases in Brazil and Colombia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2905-2913.
    5. Hu, Zhiyuan & Tan, Piqiang & Yan, Xiaoyu & Lou, Diming, 2008. "Life cycle energy, environment and economic assessment of soybean-based biodiesel as an alternative automotive fuel in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1654-1658.
    6. Shapouri, Hosein & Duffield, James A. & Wang, Michael Q., 2002. "The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update," Agricultural Economic Reports 34075, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Malça, João & Freire, Fausto, 2006. "Renewability and life-cycle energy efficiency of bioethanol and bio-ethyl tertiary butyl ether (bioETBE): Assessing the implications of allocation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 3362-3380.
    8. Eriksson, Ola & Finnveden, Goran & Ekvall, Tomas & Bjorklund, Anna, 2007. "Life cycle assessment of fuels for district heating: A comparison of waste incineration, biomass- and natural gas combustion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1346-1362, February.
    9. Cherubini, Francesco & Bird, Neil D. & Cowie, Annette & Jungmeier, Gerfried & Schlamadinger, Bernhard & Woess-Gallasch, Susanne, 2009. "Energy- and greenhouse gas-based LCA of biofuel and bioenergy systems: Key issues, ranges and recommendations," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(8), pages 434-447.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vance, C. & Sweeney, J. & Murphy, F., 2022. "Space, time, and sustainability: The status and future of life cycle assessment frameworks for novel biorefinery systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    2. Puca, Antonio & Carrano, Marco & Liu, Gengyuan & Musella, Dimitri & Ripa, Maddalena & Viglia, Silvio & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2017. "Energy and eMergy assessment of the production and operation of a personal computer," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 124-136.
    3. Julia Wenger & Stefan Pichler & Annukka Näyhä & Tobias Stern, 2022. "Practitioners’ Perceptions of Co-Product Allocation Methods in Biorefinery Development—A Case Study of the Austrian Pulp and Paper Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Manfroni, Michele & Bukkens, Sandra G.F. & Giampietro, Mario, 2022. "Securing fuel demand with unconventional oils: A metabolic perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    5. Heimersson, Sara & Svanström, Magdalena & Cederberg, Christel & Peters, Gregory, 2017. "Improved life cycle modelling of benefits from sewage sludge anaerobic digestion and land application," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 126-134.
    6. Nariê Rinke Dias de Souza & Bruno Colling Klein & Mateus Ferreira Chagas & Otavio Cavalett & Antonio Bonomi, 2021. "Towards Comparable Carbon Credits: Harmonization of LCA Models of Cellulosic Biofuels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-17, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Renó, Maria Luiza Grillo & Lora, Electo Eduardo Silva & Palacio, José Carlos Escobar & Venturini, Osvaldo José & Buchgeister, Jens & Almazan, Oscar, 2011. "A LCA (life cycle assessment) of the methanol production from sugarcane bagasse," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 3716-3726.
    2. Danilo Arcentales-Bastidas & Carla Silva & Angel D. Ramirez, 2022. "The Environmental Profile of Ethanol Derived from Sugarcane in Ecuador: A Life Cycle Assessment Including the Effect of Cogeneration of Electricity in a Sugar Industrial Complex," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Milazzo, M.F. & Spina, F. & Primerano, P. & Bart, J.C.J., 2013. "Soy biodiesel pathways: Global prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 579-624.
    4. Castanheira, Érica Geraldes & Acevedo, Helmer & Freire, Fausto, 2014. "Greenhouse gas intensity of palm oil produced in Colombia addressing alternative land use change and fertilization scenarios," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 958-967.
    5. Dandres, Thomas & Gaudreault, Caroline & Tirado-Seco, Pablo & Samson, Réjean, 2011. "Assessing non-marginal variations with consequential LCA: Application to European energy sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3121-3132, August.
    6. Yang, Q. & Chen, G.Q., 2013. "Greenhouse gas emissions of corn–ethanol production in China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 176-184.
    7. Liu, Huacai & Huang, Yanqin & Yuan, Hongyou & Yin, Xiuli & Wu, Chuangzhi, 2018. "Life cycle assessment of biofuels in China: Status and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 301-322.
    8. Yang, Q. & Chen, G.Q., 2012. "Nonrenewable energy cost of corn-ethanol in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 340-347.
    9. Parajuli, Ranjan & Dalgaard, Tommy & Jørgensen, Uffe & Adamsen, Anders Peter S. & Knudsen, Marie Trydeman & Birkved, Morten & Gylling, Morten & Schjørring, Jan Kofod, 2015. "Biorefining in the prevailing energy and materials crisis: a review of sustainable pathways for biorefinery value chains and sustainability assessment methodologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 244-263.
    10. Maarten Messagie & Fayçal Boureima & Jan Mertens & Javier Sanfelix & Cathy Macharis & Joeri Van Mierlo, 2013. "The Influence of Allocation on the Carbon Footprint of Electricity Production from Waste Gas, a Case Study for Blast Furnace Gas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-16, March.
    11. Carneiro, Maria Luisa N.M. & Pradelle, Florian & Braga, Sergio L. & Gomes, Marcos Sebastião P. & Martins, Ana Rosa F.A. & Turkovics, Franck & Pradelle, Renata N.C., 2017. "Potential of biofuels from algae: Comparison with fossil fuels, ethanol and biodiesel in Europe and Brazil through life cycle assessment (LCA)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 632-653.
    12. Khoshnevisan, Benyamin & Shafiei, Marzieh & Rajaeifar, Mohammad Ali & Tabatabaei, Meisam, 2016. "Biogas and bioethanol production from pinewood pre-treated with steam explosion and N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO): A comparative life cycle assessment approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 935-950.
    13. Achten, Wouter M.J. & Almeida, Joana & Fobelets, Vincent & Bolle, Evelien & Mathijs, Erik & Singh, Virendra P. & Tewari, Dina N. & Verchot, Louis V. & Muys, Bart, 2010. "Life cycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel as transportation fuel in rural India," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(12), pages 3652-3660, December.
    14. Velásquez-Arredondo, H.I. & Ruiz-Colorado, A.A. & De Oliveira, S., 2010. "Ethanol production process from banana fruit and its lignocellulosic residues: Energy analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3081-3087.
    15. Yan, Xiaoyu & Crookes, Roy J., 2009. "Life cycle analysis of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for road transportation fuels in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2505-2514, December.
    16. Kudakasseril Kurian, Jiby & Raveendran Nair, Gopu & Hussain, Abid & Vijaya Raghavan, G.S., 2013. "Feedstocks, logistics and pre-treatment processes for sustainable lignocellulosic biorefineries: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 205-219.
    17. Šantek, Božidar & Gwehenberger, Gernot & Šantek, Mirela Ivančić & Narodoslawsky, Michael & Horvat, Predrag, 2010. "Evaluation of energy demand and the sustainability of different bioethanol production processes from sugar beet," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(11), pages 872-877.
    18. Iriarte, Alfredo & Rieradevall, Joan & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2012. "Transition towards a more environmentally sustainable biodiesel in South America: The case of Chile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 263-273.
    19. Zhai, Jihua & Burke, Ian T. & Stewart, Douglas I., 2021. "Beneficial management of biomass combustion ashes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    20. Shirzad, Mohammad & Kazemi Shariat Panahi, Hamed & Dashti, Behrouz B. & Rajaeifar, Mohammad Ali & Aghbashlo, Mortaza & Tabatabaei, Meisam, 2019. "A comprehensive review on electricity generation and GHG emission reduction potentials through anaerobic digestion of agricultural and livestock/slaughterhouse wastes in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 571-594.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:55:y:2011:i:11:p:1070-1077. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.