IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v226y2026ipcs1364032125010366.html

Environmental impacts of biomass energy: A life cycle assessment perspective for circular economy

Author

Listed:
  • Akhlisah, Zulkipli Nor
  • Ong, Hwai Chyuan
  • Lee, Hwei Voon
  • Tan, Yie Hua

Abstract

Biomass energy plays a pivotal role in advancing the transition toward a circular and low-carbon economy. This review addresses the need to consider a wider range of environmental impacts in the assessment of biomass energy such as carbon sequestration, ozone depletion, aquatic eutrophication, ionizing radiation, human toxicity potential (HTP) and other often-neglected impacts in existing reviews. However, the environmental sustainability of biomass energy remains a subject of ongoing debate with significant variations across different biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become an essential tool for assessing the environmental impacts of biomass energy systems by offering a comprehensive framework for evaluation. Existing review articles have predominantly focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming potential (GWP), often overlooking other environmental impacts. This article offers a novel review of LCA studies across a broader range of feedstocks and critically evaluates several key conversion technologies including pyrolysis, gasification, anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal processes and direct combustion. In contrast to existing reviews which typically focus on specific feedstocks, technologies or regions, this study provides a global, cross-sectoral perspective, bridging gaps between local practices and global sustainability strategies. This article contributes to advancing a circular and low-carbon economy by enhancing the understanding of the environmental sustainability of biomass energy and its role in driving transformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Akhlisah, Zulkipli Nor & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Lee, Hwei Voon & Tan, Yie Hua, 2026. "Environmental impacts of biomass energy: A life cycle assessment perspective for circular economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PC).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:226:y:2026:i:pc:s1364032125010366
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.116363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032125010366
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2025.116363?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ramos, João S. & Ferreira, Ana F., 2022. "Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of olive and wine industry co-products valorisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    2. Zhai, Yijie & Zhang, Tianzuo & Ma, Xiaotian & Shen, Xiaoxu & Ji, Changxing & Bai, Yueyang & Hong, Jinglan, 2021. "Life cycle water footprint analysis of crop production in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    3. Charisios Achillas & Dionysis Bochtis, 2020. "Toward a Green, Closed-Loop, Circular Bioeconomy: Boosting the Performance Efficiency of Circular Business Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-6, December.
    4. Li, Guoxuan & Wang, Shuai & Zhao, Jiangang & Qi, Huaqing & Ma, Zhaoyuan & Cui, Peizhe & Zhu, Zhaoyou & Gao, Jun & Wang, Yinglong, 2020. "Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of biomass-to-hydrogen production with methane tri-reforming," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    5. Yang, Qing & Liang, Ji & Li, Jiashuo & Yang, Haiping & Chen, Hanping, 2018. "Life cycle water use of a biomass-based pyrolysis polygeneration system in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 469-480.
    6. Jozami, Emiliano & Mele, Fernando D & Piastrellini, Roxana & Civit, Bárbara M & Feldman, Susana R, 2022. "Life cycle assessment of bioenergy from lignocellulosic herbaceous biomass: The case study of Spartina argentinensis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PA).
    7. Rosa, Lorenzo & Mazzotti, Marco, 2022. "Potential for hydrogen production from sustainable biomass with carbon capture and storage," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Wu, Zitao & Zhai, Haibo, 2021. "Consumptive life cycle water use of biomass-to-power plants with carbon capture and sequestration," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    9. Liu, Yang & Lyu, Yizheng & Tian, Jinping & Zhao, Jialing & Ye, Ning & Zhang, Yongming & Chen, Lujun, 2021. "Review of waste biorefinery development towards a circular economy: From the perspective of a life cycle assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    10. Longo, Sonia & Cellura, Maurizio & Luu, Le Quyen & Nguyen, Thanh Quang & Rincione, Roberta & Guarino, Francesco, 2024. "Circular economy and life cycle thinking applied to the biomass supply chain: A review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    11. Giuseppe, Cecere & Sahar, Azarkamand & Alba, Bala & Ilija, Sazdovski & Pere, Fullana-i-Palmer & Rigamonti, Lucia, 2025. "Assessing the social risk of high-protein food alternatives using the social life cycle assessment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    12. Nugroho, Yohanes Kristianto & Zhu, Liandong & Heavey, Cathal, 2022. "Building an agent-based techno-economic assessment coupled with life cycle assessment of biomass to methanol supply chains," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    13. Luca Ciacci & Fabrizio Passarini, 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Environmental and Energy Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-8, November.
    14. Sedjo, ROger A., 2013. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessments: Carbon Neutrality and Wood Biomass Energy," RFF Working Paper Series dp-13-11, Resources for the Future.
    15. Saharudin, Djasmine Mastisya & Jeswani, Harish Kumar & Azapagic, Adisa, 2023. "Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECSS): Life cycle environmental and economic assessment of electricity generated from palm oil wastes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 349(C).
    16. Fózer, Dániel & Volanti, Mirco & Passarini, Fabrizio & Varbanov, Petar Sabev & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Mizsey, Péter, 2020. "Bioenergy with carbon emissions capture and utilisation towards GHG neutrality: Power-to-Gas storage via hydrothermal gasification," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    17. Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar & Sarsaiya, Surendra & Patel, Anil & Juneja, Ankita & Singh, Rajendra Prasad & Yan, Binghua & Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar & Jain, Archana & Liu, Tao & Duan, Yumin & Pandey, Ashok & Zh, 2020. "Refining biomass residues for sustainable energy and bio-products: An assessment of technology, its importance, and strategic applications in circular bio-economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    18. Zhu, Yuli & Liang, Ji & Yang, Qing & Zhou, Hewen & Peng, Kun, 2019. "Water use of a biomass direct-combustion power generation system in China: A combination of life cycle assessment and water footprint analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    19. Kazemi Shariat Panahi, Hamed & Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, Homa & Dehhaghi, Mona & Orooji, Yasin & Mahian, Omid & Shahbeik, Hossein & Kiehbadroudinezhad, Mohammadali & Kalam, Md Abul & Karimi-Maleh, Hassa, 2024. "Nanotechnology applications in biodiesel processing and production: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    20. Zhao, Yuan & Lu, Kaifeng & Xu, Hao & Zhu, Lingjun & Wang, Shurong, 2021. "A critical review of recent advances in the production of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from lignocellulosic biomass through homogeneous catalytic hydrothermal conversion," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    21. Schakel, Wouter & Meerman, Hans & Talaei, Alireza & Ramírez, Andrea & Faaij, André, 2014. "Comparative life cycle assessment of biomass co-firing plants with carbon capture and storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 441-467.
    22. Zang, Guiyan & Zhang, Jianan & Jia, Junxi & Lora, Electo Silva & Ratner, Albert, 2020. "Life cycle assessment of power-generation systems based on biomass integrated gasification combined cycles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 336-346.
    23. Mohamed, Badr A. & O'Boyle, Marnie & Li, Loretta Y., 2023. "Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge with lignocellulosic and algal biomass for sustainable liquid and gaseous fuel production: A life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    24. ABM Abdul Malek & M Hasanuzzaman & Nasrudin A Rahim & Yusuf A Al–Turki, 2021. "Energy, economic, and environmental analysis of 10-MW biomass gasification based power generation in Malaysia," Energy & Environment, , vol. 32(2), pages 295-337, March.
    25. Chamkalani, A. & Zendehboudi, S. & Rezaei, N. & Hawboldt, K., 2020. "A critical review on life cycle analysis of algae biodiesel: current challenges and future prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    26. Felipe Romero-Perdomo & Miguel Ángel González-Curbelo, 2023. "Integrating Multi-Criteria Techniques in Life-Cycle Tools for the Circular Bioeconomy Transition of Agri-Food Waste Biomass: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-27, March.
    27. Al-Mawali, Kamla S. & Osman, Ahmed I. & Al-Muhtaseb, Ala’a H. & Mehta, Neha & Jamil, Farrukh & Mjalli, Farouk & Vakili-Nezhaad, G. Reza & Rooney, David W., 2021. "Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production utilising waste date seed oil and a novel magnetic catalyst: A circular bioeconomy approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 832-846.
    28. Billen, Pieter & Leccisi, Enrica & Dastidar, Subham & Li, Siming & Lobaton, Liliana & Spatari, Sabrina & Fafarman, Aaron T. & Fthenakis, Vasilis M. & Baxter, Jason B., 2019. "Comparative evaluation of lead emissions and toxicity potential in the life cycle of lead halide perovskite photovoltaics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1089-1096.
    29. Dias, Goretty M. & Ayer, Nathan W. & Kariyapperuma, Kumudinie & Thevathasan, Naresh & Gordon, Andrew & Sidders, Derek & Johannesson, Gudmundur H., 2017. "Life cycle assessment of thermal energy production from short-rotation willow biomass in Southern Ontario, Canada," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 343-352.
    30. Ubando, Aristotle T. & Rivera, Diana Rose T. & Chen, Wei-Hsin & Culaba, Alvin B., 2020. "Life cycle assessment of torrefied microalgal biomass using torrefaction severity index with the consideration of up-scaling production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1113-1124.
    31. Murphy, Fionnuala & Sosa, Amanda & McDonnell, Kevin & Devlin, Ger, 2016. "Life cycle assessment of biomass-to-energy systems in Ireland modelled with biomass supply chain optimisation based on greenhouse gas emission reduction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1040-1055.
    32. Yao, Dong & Xu, Zaifeng & Qi, Huaqing & Zhu, Zhaoyou & Gao, Jun & Wang, Yinglong & Cui, Peizhe, 2022. "Carbon footprint and water footprint analysis of generating synthetic natural gas from biomass," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 780-789.
    33. Mohamed Alwaeli & Viktoria Mannheim, 2022. "Investigation into the Current State of Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Waste Management—A State-of-the-Art Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
    34. Yang, Bo & Wei, Yi-Ming & Hou, Yunbing & Li, Hui & Wang, Pengtao, 2019. "Life cycle environmental impact assessment of fuel mix-based biomass co-firing plants with CO2 capture and storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    35. Carlos Tapia & Marco Bianchi & Georg Pallaske & Andrea M. Bassi, 2021. "Towards a territorial definition of a circular economy: exploring the role of territorial factors in closed-loop systems," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(8), pages 1438-1457, August.
    36. Kang, Shimin & Fu, Jinxia & Zhang, Gang, 2018. "From lignocellulosic biomass to levulinic acid: A review on acid-catalyzed hydrolysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 340-362.
    37. Ringsred, Anna & van Dyk, Susan & Saddler, John (Jack), 2021. "Life-cycle analysis of drop-in biojet fuel produced from British Columbia forest residues and wood pellets via fast-pyrolysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    38. Sadhukhan, Jhuma, 2022. "Net zero electricity systems in global economies by life cycle assessment (LCA) considering ecosystem, health, monetization, and soil CO2 sequestration impacts," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 960-974.
    39. Yi, Qun & Zhao, Yingjie & Huang, Yi & Wei, Guoqiang & Hao, Yanhong & Feng, Jie & Mohamed, Usama & Pourkashanian, Mohamed & Nimmo, William & Li, Wenying, 2018. "Life cycle energy-economic-CO2 emissions evaluation of biomass/coal, with and without CO2 capture and storage, in a pulverized fuel combustion power plant in the United Kingdom," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 258-272.
    40. Yana, Syaifuddin & Nizar, Muhammad & Irhamni, & Mulyati, Dewi, 2022. "Biomass waste as a renewable energy in developing bio-based economies in Indonesia: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    41. Roy, Poritosh & Dutta, Animesh & Gallant, Jim, 2020. "Evaluation of the life cycle of hydrothermally carbonized biomass for energy and horticulture application," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    42. Silva, D.A.L. & Filleti, R.A.P. & Musule, R. & Matheus, T.T. & Freire, F., 2022. "A systematic review and life cycle assessment of biomass pellets and briquettes production in Latin America," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    43. Bello, Sara & Galán-Martín, Ángel & Feijoo, Gumersindo & Moreira, Maria Teresa & Guillén-Gosálbez, Gonzalo, 2020. "BECCS based on bioethanol from wood residues: Potential towards a carbon-negative transport and side-effects," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    44. Aberilla, Jhud Mikhail & Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro & Azapagic, Adisa, 2019. "Environmental sustainability of small-scale biomass power technologies for agricultural communities in developing countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 493-506.
    45. Im-orb, Karittha & Arpornwichanop, Amornchai, 2020. "Process and sustainability analyses of the integrated biomass pyrolysis, gasification, and methanol synthesis process for methanol production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Salas, D.A. & Boero, A.J. & Ramirez, A.D., 2024. "Life cycle assessment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    2. Li, Guang & Li, Na & Liu, Fan & Zhou, Xing, 2022. "Development of life cycle water footprint for lignocellulosic biomass to biobutanol via thermochemical method," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 222-227.
    3. Wang, Hongkui & Yan, Yuting & Li, Zhen & Cao, Zhi & Fu, Yao & Zhou, Zheng & Zhao, Dongliang, 2025. "Carbon mitigation potential and economic benefits of biomass co-firing in coal-fired power plants: A case study in Nanjing, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    4. Yao, Dong & Xu, Zaifeng & Qi, Huaqing & Zhu, Zhaoyou & Gao, Jun & Wang, Yinglong & Cui, Peizhe, 2022. "Carbon footprint and water footprint analysis of generating synthetic natural gas from biomass," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 780-789.
    5. Wu, Zitao & Zhai, Haibo, 2021. "Consumptive life cycle water use of biomass-to-power plants with carbon capture and sequestration," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    6. Wang, Ying & Yan, Yuxin & Lin, Qingyang & Liu, Hanxiao & Luo, Xiang & Zheng, Chenghang & Wu, Tao & Gao, Xiang, 2024. "Multi-scope decarbonization and environmental impacts evaluation for biomass fuels co-firing CHP units in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 372(C).
    7. Martín-Gamboa, Mario & Marques, Pedro & Freire, Fausto & Arroja, Luís & Dias, Ana Cláudia, 2020. "Life cycle assessment of biomass pellets: A review of methodological choices and results," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    8. William Ampomah & Anthony Morgan & Desmond Ofori Koranteng & Warden Ivan Nyamekye, 2024. "CCUS Perspectives: Assessing Historical Contexts, Current Realities, and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-57, August.
    9. Zhang, Lihui & Li, Songrui & Hu, Yitang & Nie, Qingyun, 2022. "Economic optimization of a bioenergy-based hybrid renewable energy system under carbon policies—from the life-cycle perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    10. Mohamed, Usama & Zhao, Ying-jie & Yi, Qun & Shi, Li-juan & Wei, Guo-qing & Nimmo, William, 2021. "Evaluation of life cycle energy, economy and CO2 emissions for biomass chemical looping gasification to power generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 366-387.
    11. Yang, Lin & Lv, Haodong & Jiang, Dalin & Fan, Jingli & Zhang, Xian & He, Weijun & Zhou, Jinsheng & Wu, Wenjing, 2020. "Whether CCS technologies will exacerbate the water crisis in China? —A full life-cycle analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    12. Yang, Bo & Wei, Yi-Ming & Hou, Yunbing & Li, Hui & Wang, Pengtao, 2019. "Life cycle environmental impact assessment of fuel mix-based biomass co-firing plants with CO2 capture and storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Yun-Long Zhang & Jia-Ning Kang & Min Dai & Juan-Juan Hou & Lan-Cui Liu & Yi-Ming Wei & Hua Liao, 2025. "The role of BECCS technology in achieving carbon neutrality: evidences from China’ coal power sector," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(10), pages 23803-23827, October.
    14. Kheiralipour, Kamran & Khoobbakht, Mohammad & Karimi, Mahmoud, 2024. "Effect of biodiesel on environmental impacts of diesel mechanical power generation by life cycle assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    15. Catalano, Giovanni & D'Adamo, Idiano & Gastaldi, Massimo & Nizami, Abdul-Sattar & Ribichini, Marco, 2024. "Incentive policies in biomethane production toward circular economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    16. Saharudin, Djasmine Mastisya & Jeswani, Harish Kumar & Azapagic, Adisa, 2023. "Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECSS): Life cycle environmental and economic assessment of electricity generated from palm oil wastes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 349(C).
    17. Galán-Martín, Ángel & Contreras, María del Mar & Romero, Inmaculada & Ruiz, Encarnación & Bueno-Rodríguez, Salvador & Eliche-Quesada, Dolores & Castro-Galiano, Eulogio, 2022. "The potential role of olive groves to deliver carbon dioxide removal in a carbon-neutral Europe: Opportunities and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    18. Goren, A. Yagmur & Dincer, Ibrahim & Khalvati, Ali, 2025. "A comprehensive life cycle impact evaluation of hydrogen production processes for cleaner applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    19. Fu, Chao & Zhang, Wei & Li, Anxiang & Shen, Qingfei & Zhao, Ning & Cui, Zhiheng & Wang, Jiangjiang, 2024. "Exergy-water-carbon-cost nexus of a biomass-syngas-fueled fuel cell system integrated with organic Rankine cycle," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    20. Wu, Xiao & Zhang, Ziteng & Zhang, Xuan, 2024. "Operating optimization of biomass direct-fired power plant integrated with carbon capture system considering the life cycle economic and CO2 reduction performance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:rensus:v:226:y:2026:i:pc:s1364032125010366. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    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.