IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v102y2013icp440-448.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

GHG emission performance of various liquid transportation biofuels in Finland in accordance with the EU sustainability criteria

Author

Listed:
  • Koponen, Kati
  • Soimakallio, Sampo
  • Tsupari, Eemeli
  • Thun, Rabbe
  • Antikainen, Riina

Abstract

The European Union (EU) has set a binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target for transportation biofuels and other bioliquids. In this study, the GHG emissions of various biofuel chains considered as relevant in large-scale production in Finland were calculated in accordance with the EU sustainability criteria. Special attention was paid to uncertainties and the sensitivities of certain parameters. According to the results, it is impossible in many cases to unambiguously conclude whether or not a biofuel chain passes the emission-saving limit provided by the EU. This may reduce the willingness to invest in biofuel production. Major sources of uncertainties and sensitivities are nitrous oxide emissions from soil and nitrogen fertilisation, emissions of process heat production and soil carbon stock changes in biomass production. Several propositions are made in order to reduce the uncertainty of the results and to make the EU sustainability criteria for biofuels more harmonised and accurate.

Suggested Citation

  • Koponen, Kati & Soimakallio, Sampo & Tsupari, Eemeli & Thun, Rabbe & Antikainen, Riina, 2013. "GHG emission performance of various liquid transportation biofuels in Finland in accordance with the EU sustainability criteria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 440-448.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:102:y:2013:i:c:p:440-448
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.07.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261912005351
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.07.023?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. Soimakallio, Sampo & Kiviluoma, Juha & Saikku, Laura, 2011. "The complexity and challenges of determining GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from grid electricity consumption and conservation in LCA (life cycle assessment) – A methodological review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6705-6713.
    3. Thamsiriroj, Thanasit & Murphy, Jerry D., 2011. "A critical review of the applicability of biodiesel and grass biomethane as biofuels to satisfy both biofuel targets and sustainability criteria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1008-1019, April.
    4. Hoefnagels, Ric & Smeets, Edward & Faaij, André, 2010. "Greenhouse gas footprints of different biofuel production systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 1661-1694, September.
    5. Searchinger, Timothy & Heimlich, Ralph & Houghton, R. A. & Dong, Fengxia & Elobeid, Amani & Fabiosa, Jacinto F. & Tokgoz, Simla & Hayes, Dermot J. & Yu, Hun-Hsiang, 2008. "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12881, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    6. Suvi Monni & Paula Perälä & Kristiina Regina, 2007. "Uncertainty in Agricultural CH 4 AND N 2 O Emissions from Finland – Possibilities to Increase Accuracy in Emission Estimates," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 545-571, May.
    7. Hammond, G.P. & Kallu, S. & McManus, M.C., 2008. "Development of biofuels for the UK automotive market," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(6), pages 506-515, June.
    8. Cheng, Jay J. & Timilsina, Govinda R., 2011. "Status and barriers of advanced biofuel technologies: A review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3541-3549.
    9. Tuomi, Mikko & Vanhala, Pekka & Karhu, Kristiina & Fritze, Hannu & Liski, Jari, 2008. "Heterotrophic soil respiration—Comparison of different models describing its temperature dependence," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 182-190.
    10. Soimakallio, Sampo & Saikku, Laura, 2012. "CO2 emissions attributed to annual average electricity consumption in OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 13-20.
    11. Tuomi, M. & Thum, T. & Järvinen, H. & Fronzek, S. & Berg, B. & Harmon, M. & Trofymow, J.A. & Sevanto, S. & Liski, J., 2009. "Leaf litter decomposition—Estimates of global variability based on Yasso07 model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(23), pages 3362-3371.
    12. Demirbas, Ayhan, 2009. "Political, economic and environmental impacts of biofuels: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(Supplemen), pages 108-117, November.
    13. Soimakallio, S. & Mäkinen, T. & Ekholm, T. & Pahkala, K. & Mikkola, H. & Paappanen, T., 2009. "Greenhouse gas balances of transportation biofuels, electricity and heat generation in Finland--Dealing with the uncertainties," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 80-90, January.
    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. Silalertruksa, Thapat & Gheewala, Shabbir H. & Sagisaka, Masayuki & Yamaguchi, Katsunobu, 2013. "Life cycle GHG analysis of rice straw bio-DME production and application in Thailand," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 560-567.
    2. Månsson, André & Sanches-Pereira, Alessandro & Hermann, Sebastian, 2014. "Biofuels for road transport: Analysing evolving supply chains in Sweden from an energy security perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 349-357.
    3. Buratti, C. & Barbanera, M. & Fantozzi, F., 2013. "Assessment of GHG emissions of biomethane from energy cereal crops in Umbria, Italy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 128-136.
    4. Ganesh, Duraisamy & Ayyappan, P.R. & Murugan, Rangasamy, 2019. "Experimental investigation of iso-butanol/diesel reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion in a non-road diesel engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1307-1319.
    5. Malça, João & Coelho, António & Freire, Fausto, 2014. "Environmental life-cycle assessment of rapeseed-based biodiesel: Alternative cultivation systems and locations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 837-844.
    6. Repo, Anna & Ahtikoski, Anssi & Liski, Jari, 2015. "Cost of turning forest residue bioenergy to carbon neutral," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 12-21.
    7. Yadav, Jaykumar & Ramesh, A., 2018. "Injection strategies for reducing smoke and improving the performance of a butanol-diesel common rail dual fuel engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1-12.
    8. Wise, Marshall & Dooley, James & Luckow, Patrick & Calvin, Katherine & Kyle, Page, 2014. "Agriculture, land use, energy and carbon emission impacts of global biofuel mandates to mid-century," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 763-773.
    9. Cho, Hyun Jun & Kim, Jin-Kuk & Ahmed, Faisal & Yeo, Yeong-Koo, 2013. "Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy balances of a biodiesel production from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 479-488.
    10. Han, Xiaoye & Yang, Zhenyi & Wang, Meiping & Tjong, Jimi & Zheng, Ming, 2017. "Clean combustion of n-butanol as a next generation biofuel for diesel engines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 347-359.
    11. Sastre, C.M. & Maletta, E. & González-Arechavala, Y. & Ciria, P. & Santos, A.M. & del Val, A. & Pérez, P. & Carrasco, J., 2014. "Centralised electricity production from winter cereals biomass grown under central-northern Spain conditions: Global warming and energy yield assessments," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 737-748.

    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. Malça, João & Freire, Fausto, 2011. "Life-cycle studies of biodiesel in Europe: A review addressing the variability of results and modeling issues," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 338-351, January.
    2. Sokka, L. & Sinkko, T. & Holma, A. & Manninen, K. & Pasanen, K. & Rantala, M. & Leskinen, P., 2016. "Environmental impacts of the national renewable energy targets – A case study from Finland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1599-1610.
    3. Fabio G. Santeramo & Monica Delsignore & Enrica Imbert & Mariarosaria Lombardi, 2023. "The Future of the EU Bioenergy Sector: Economic, Environmental, Social, and Legislative Challenges," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 17(1), pages 1-1–52, April.
    4. Geoffrey P Hammond & Hayley R Howard & Andrew Tuck, 2012. "Risk assessment of UK biofuel developments within the rapidly evolving energy and transport sectors," Journal of Risk and Reliability, , vol. 226(5), pages 526-548, October.
    5. van Eijck, Janske & Batidzirai, Bothwell & Faaij, André, 2014. "Current and future economic performance of first and second generation biofuels in developing countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 115-141.
    6. Ekman, Anna & Wallberg, Ola & Joelsson, Elisabeth & Börjesson, Pål, 2013. "Possibilities for sustainable biorefineries based on agricultural residues – A case study of potential straw-based ethanol production in Sweden," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 299-308.
    7. Koponen, Kati & Soimakallio, Sampo & Kline, Keith L. & Cowie, Annette & Brandão, Miguel, 2018. "Quantifying the climate effects of bioenergy – Choice of reference system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2271-2280.
    8. 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.
    9. Khoo, Hsien H., 2015. "Review of bio-conversion pathways of lignocellulose-to-ethanol: Sustainability assessment based on land footprint projections," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 100-119.
    10. Baudry, Gino & Delrue, Florian & Legrand, Jack & Pruvost, Jérémy & Vallée, Thomas, 2017. "The challenge of measuring biofuel sustainability: A stakeholder-driven approach applied to the French case," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 933-947.
    11. Batidzirai, B. & Smeets, E.M.W. & Faaij, A.P.C., 2012. "Harmonising bioenergy resource potentials—Methodological lessons from review of state of the art bioenergy potential assessments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6598-6630.
    12. Winden, Matthew & Cruze, Nathan & Haab, Tim & Bakshi, Bhavik, 2015. "Monetized value of the environmental, health and resource externalities of soy biodiesel," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 18-24.
    13. Bilgili, Faik & Koçak, Emrah & Bulut, Ümit & Kuşkaya, Sevda, 2017. "Can biomass energy be an efficient policy tool for sustainable development?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 830-845.
    14. Malça, João & Coelho, António & Freire, Fausto, 2014. "Environmental life-cycle assessment of rapeseed-based biodiesel: Alternative cultivation systems and locations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 837-844.
    15. Suopajärvi, Hannu & Pongrácz, Eva & Fabritius, Timo, 2013. "The potential of using biomass-based reducing agents in the blast furnace: A review of thermochemical conversion technologies and assessments related to sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 511-528.
    16. 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.
    17. Demirbas, Ayhan, 2011. "Biodiesel from oilgae, biofixation of carbon dioxide by microalgae: A solution to pollution problems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(10), pages 3541-3547.
    18. Dupoux, Marion, 2019. "The land use change time-accounting failure," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    19. Hoekman, S. Kent & Broch, Amber, 2018. "Environmental implications of higher ethanol production and use in the U.S.: A literature review. Part II – Biodiversity, land use change, GHG emissions, and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3159-3177.
    20. Borrion, Aiduan Li & McManus, Marcelle C. & Hammond, Geoffrey P., 2012. "Environmental life cycle assessment of lignocellulosic conversion to ethanol: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4638-4650.

    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:appene:v:102:y:2013:i:c:p:440-448. 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/405891/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.