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Shabbir H Gheewala - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Competitive use of sugarcane for food, fuel, and biochemical through the environmental and economic factors
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2019Co-Authors: Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H GheewalaAbstract:PurposeBioethanol demands for transport face uncertainty; additionally, the emergence of electric vehicles is raising concerns among the ethanol producers towards the future demand and viability of the industry. Thus, there is a need to look for new pathways of sugar and ethanol utilization. However, the environmental and economic implications of the existing and proposed systems must be assessed to ensure sustainability. The study aims to evaluate and compare the environmental and economic performances of sugarcane for three new sugar-electricity-polylactic acid (PLA) systems with the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol system. The environmental hotspots of the existing and proposed sugarcane Biorefinery systems are investigated and potential measures for enhancing environmental sustainability of the new systems identified.MethodsLife cycle assessment (LCA) is used for evaluating the environmental sustainability assessment of the sugarcane Biorefinery and the eco-efficiency indicator, combining both the economic and environmental performances. The ReCiPe method with the hierarchist perspective at midpoint and the endpoint levels is used for quantifying the environmental impact scores. The reference unit is a tonne of cane processed at the Biorefinery. The eco-efficiency is calculated based on the ReCiPe endpoint single score (“Pt”) and the values in “US$” of products from the different Biorefinery systems.Results and discussionThe results reveal that the PLA pathways to substitute ethanol and sugar production (PLA scenarios 1–3) can generate product values of about 83–220 US$/t cane processed leading to increased eco-efficiency values for all three PLA scenarios as compared to the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol system. The highest eco-efficiency (22 US$/Pt) is obtained for the pathways of PLA (scenario 3) and sugar-PLA (scenario 2). However, the LCA results show increased environmental impacts for all three PLA Biorefinery scenarios. This implies that the new PLA pathways do not lead to “strong” eco-efficiency improvement, i.e., the improvement is not in both environmental and economic dimensions. Recommendations are provided to improve the environmental performances of both the existing and the new PLA Biorefinery systems.ConclusionsThe sugarcane-based PLA Biorefinery could be an option for the case that the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol faces an uncertainty on ethanol demand. Nevertheless, there is a trade-off between the increased environmental impacts and the higher price. Strong eco-efficiency improvement must be encouraged to the sugarcane-based PLA Biorefinery systems. Using high-pressure boilers at the mills and changing cultivation practices to avoid the cane trash burning are recommended for the better decoupling of the environmental and economic performance of the sugarcane Biorefinery systems.
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life cycle assessment for enhancing environmental sustainability of sugarcane Biorefinery in thailand
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2017Co-Authors: Thapat Silalertruksa, Patcharaporn Pongpat, Shabbir H GheewalaAbstract:Abstract Biorefinery concept is gaining interest as a promising option for enhancing the benefits of biomass in the sugarcane industry. The study assesses the environmental sustainability of sugarcane Biorefinery systems expressed in terms of potential environmental impacts. The Biorefinery system includes sugarcane cultivation and harvesting, sugarcane milling and by-product utilization i.e. bagasse for steam and electricity, molasses for ethanol, and vinasse for fertilizer and soil conditioner. The results revealed that the improvement of sugarcane cultivation and harvesting practice e.g. green cane production along with integrated utilization of biomass residues through the entire chain would help reduce the environmental impacts of the main products derived from sugarcane e.g. sugar and ethanol. The potential impacts on climate change, acidification, photo-oxidant formation, particulate matter formation and fossil depletion could be reduced by around 38%, 60%, 90%, 63% and 21%, respectively. Hotspots identified from the results of this LCA study can provide the important information for policy makers towards enhancing sustainable sugarcane production in the future. Recommendations for effective implementation of the proposed sugarcane Biorefinery options to Thai sugarcane and sugar industries are discussed.
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Sustainability Assessment of a Biorefinery Complex in Thailand
Sustainability, 2011Co-Authors: Shabbir H Gheewala, Sébastien Bonnet, Kritana Prueksakorn, Pariyapat NilsalabAbstract:In this paper, a Biorefinery complex in Thailand was assessed vis-a-vis sustainability. The complex studied includes plantations of sugarcane and a Biorefinery system composed of several units including, a sugar mill, power plant, ethanol factory and fertilizer plant. The assessment aimed at evaluating the environmental and socio-economic implications relating to molasses-based ethanol production and use, and maximized utilization of the biomass materials produced as part of the Biorefinery complex. Global warming potential, human development index and total value added are the three indicators that were selected to perform the assessment. The results obtained revealed that the maximization of biomass utilization at the level of the Biorefinery complex provide greenhouse gases emissions reduction benefits, enhanced living conditions for sugarcane farmers and employees of the Biorefinery, and economic benefits, particularly with regard to profit and income generation. These results could serve as a first step to further improve and design indicators for sustainability assessment of biomass utilization.
Thapat Silalertruksa - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Competitive use of sugarcane for food, fuel, and biochemical through the environmental and economic factors
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2019Co-Authors: Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H GheewalaAbstract:PurposeBioethanol demands for transport face uncertainty; additionally, the emergence of electric vehicles is raising concerns among the ethanol producers towards the future demand and viability of the industry. Thus, there is a need to look for new pathways of sugar and ethanol utilization. However, the environmental and economic implications of the existing and proposed systems must be assessed to ensure sustainability. The study aims to evaluate and compare the environmental and economic performances of sugarcane for three new sugar-electricity-polylactic acid (PLA) systems with the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol system. The environmental hotspots of the existing and proposed sugarcane Biorefinery systems are investigated and potential measures for enhancing environmental sustainability of the new systems identified.MethodsLife cycle assessment (LCA) is used for evaluating the environmental sustainability assessment of the sugarcane Biorefinery and the eco-efficiency indicator, combining both the economic and environmental performances. The ReCiPe method with the hierarchist perspective at midpoint and the endpoint levels is used for quantifying the environmental impact scores. The reference unit is a tonne of cane processed at the Biorefinery. The eco-efficiency is calculated based on the ReCiPe endpoint single score (“Pt”) and the values in “US$” of products from the different Biorefinery systems.Results and discussionThe results reveal that the PLA pathways to substitute ethanol and sugar production (PLA scenarios 1–3) can generate product values of about 83–220 US$/t cane processed leading to increased eco-efficiency values for all three PLA scenarios as compared to the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol system. The highest eco-efficiency (22 US$/Pt) is obtained for the pathways of PLA (scenario 3) and sugar-PLA (scenario 2). However, the LCA results show increased environmental impacts for all three PLA Biorefinery scenarios. This implies that the new PLA pathways do not lead to “strong” eco-efficiency improvement, i.e., the improvement is not in both environmental and economic dimensions. Recommendations are provided to improve the environmental performances of both the existing and the new PLA Biorefinery systems.ConclusionsThe sugarcane-based PLA Biorefinery could be an option for the case that the existing sugar-electricity-ethanol faces an uncertainty on ethanol demand. Nevertheless, there is a trade-off between the increased environmental impacts and the higher price. Strong eco-efficiency improvement must be encouraged to the sugarcane-based PLA Biorefinery systems. Using high-pressure boilers at the mills and changing cultivation practices to avoid the cane trash burning are recommended for the better decoupling of the environmental and economic performance of the sugarcane Biorefinery systems.
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life cycle assessment for enhancing environmental sustainability of sugarcane Biorefinery in thailand
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2017Co-Authors: Thapat Silalertruksa, Patcharaporn Pongpat, Shabbir H GheewalaAbstract:Abstract Biorefinery concept is gaining interest as a promising option for enhancing the benefits of biomass in the sugarcane industry. The study assesses the environmental sustainability of sugarcane Biorefinery systems expressed in terms of potential environmental impacts. The Biorefinery system includes sugarcane cultivation and harvesting, sugarcane milling and by-product utilization i.e. bagasse for steam and electricity, molasses for ethanol, and vinasse for fertilizer and soil conditioner. The results revealed that the improvement of sugarcane cultivation and harvesting practice e.g. green cane production along with integrated utilization of biomass residues through the entire chain would help reduce the environmental impacts of the main products derived from sugarcane e.g. sugar and ethanol. The potential impacts on climate change, acidification, photo-oxidant formation, particulate matter formation and fossil depletion could be reduced by around 38%, 60%, 90%, 63% and 21%, respectively. Hotspots identified from the results of this LCA study can provide the important information for policy makers towards enhancing sustainable sugarcane production in the future. Recommendations for effective implementation of the proposed sugarcane Biorefinery options to Thai sugarcane and sugar industries are discussed.
Pariyapat Nilsalab - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Sustainability Assessment of a Biorefinery Complex in Thailand
Sustainability, 2011Co-Authors: Shabbir H Gheewala, Sébastien Bonnet, Kritana Prueksakorn, Pariyapat NilsalabAbstract:In this paper, a Biorefinery complex in Thailand was assessed vis-a-vis sustainability. The complex studied includes plantations of sugarcane and a Biorefinery system composed of several units including, a sugar mill, power plant, ethanol factory and fertilizer plant. The assessment aimed at evaluating the environmental and socio-economic implications relating to molasses-based ethanol production and use, and maximized utilization of the biomass materials produced as part of the Biorefinery complex. Global warming potential, human development index and total value added are the three indicators that were selected to perform the assessment. The results obtained revealed that the maximization of biomass utilization at the level of the Biorefinery complex provide greenhouse gases emissions reduction benefits, enhanced living conditions for sugarcane farmers and employees of the Biorefinery, and economic benefits, particularly with regard to profit and income generation. These results could serve as a first step to further improve and design indicators for sustainability assessment of biomass utilization.
A A Carlos Cardona - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Design strategies for sustainable biorefineries
Biochemical Engineering Journal, 2016Co-Authors: B Jonathan Moncada, M Valentina Aristizábal, A A Carlos CardonaAbstract:Abstract The Biorefinery concept is considered as one of the research cornerstones in the last years and as the best option to transform the different biomass systems into value-added products. A review about different approaches related to the modelling and assessment of biorefineries is presented taking into account raw materials, technologies, processing routes, products, and technical, economic and environmental aspects. Methodologies for biorefineries design as conceptual design, optimization and early-stage approaches are studied. Three main concepts are analyzed for the conceptual design of Biorefinery systems: hierarchy, sequencing and integration. Finally, the proposed strategy for Biorefinery synthesis is applied briefly to two previously cases developed by the authors. A mass index as a new basic concept is applied for understanding the Biorefinery efficiency in terms of processing biomass.
Francesco Cherubini - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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crop residues as raw materials for Biorefinery systems a lca case study
Applied Energy, 2010Co-Authors: Francesco Cherubini, Sergio UlgiatiAbstract:Abstract Our strong dependence on fossil fuels results from the intensive use and consumption of petroleum derivatives which, combined with diminishing oil resources, causes environmental and political concerns. The utilization of agricultural residues as raw materials in a Biorefinery is a promising alternative to fossil resources for production of energy carriers and chemicals, thus mitigating climate change and enhancing energy security. This paper focuses on a Biorefinery concept which produces bioethanol, bioenergy and biochemicals from two types of agricultural residues, corn stover and wheat straw. These Biorefinery systems are investigated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, which takes into account all the input and output flows occurring along the production chain. This approach can be applied to almost all the other patterns that convert lignocellulosic residues into bioenergy and biochemicals. The analysis elaborates on land use change aspects, i.e. the effects of crop residue removal (like decrease in grain yields, change in soil N 2 O emissions and decrease of soil organic carbon). The Biorefinery systems are compared with the respective fossil reference systems producing the same amount of products/services from fossils instead of biomass. Since climate change mitigation and energy security are the two most important driving forces for Biorefinery development, the assessment focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cumulative primary energy demand, but other environmental categories are evaluated as well. Results show that the use of crop residues in a Biorefinery saves GHG emissions and reduces fossil energy demand. For instance, GHG emissions are reduced by about 50% and more than 80% of non-renewable energy is saved. Land use change effects have a strong influence in the final GHG balance (about 50%), and their uncertainty is discussed in a sensitivity analysis. Concerning the investigation of the other impact categories, Biorefinery systems have higher eutrophication potential than fossil reference systems. Based on these results, a residues-based Biorefinery concept is able to solve two problems at the same time, namely find a use for the abundant lignocellulosic residues and ensure a mitigation effect for most of the environmental concerns related to the utilization of non-renewable energy resources. Therefore, when agricultural residues are used as feedstocks, best management practices and harvest rates need to be carefully established. In fact, rotation, tillage, fertilization management, soil properties and climate can play an important role in the determination of the amount of crop residue that can be removed minimizing soil carbon losses.
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Toward a common classification approach for Biorefinery systems
Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining, 2009Co-Authors: Francesco Cherubini, Gerfried Jungmeier, R. Van Ree, Maria Wellisch, Thomas Willke, Ioannis V. Skiadas, Ed De JongAbstract:This paper deals with a Biorefinery classification approach developed within International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Task 42. Since production of transportation biofuels is seen as the driving force for future Biorefinery developments, a selection of the most interesting transportation biofuels until 2020 is based on their characteristics to be mixed with gasoline, diesel and natural gas, reflecting the main advantage of using the already-existing infrastructure for easier market introduction. This classification approach relies on four main features: (1) platforms; (2) products; (3) feedstock; and (4) processes. The platforms are the most important feature in this classification approach: they are key intermediates between raw materials and final products, and can be used to link different Biorefinery concepts. The adequate combination of these four features represents each individual Biorefinery system. The combination of individual Biorefinery systems, linked through their platforms, products or feedstocks, provides an overview of the most promising Biorefinery systems in a classification network. According to the proposed approach, a Biorefinery is described by a standard format as ‘platform(s) – products – and feedstock(s)’. Processes can be added to the description, if further specification is required. Selected examples of Biorefinery classification are provided; for example, (1) one platform (C6 sugars) Biorefinery for bioethanol and animal feed from starch crops (corn); and (2) four platforms (lignin/syngas, C5/C6 sugars) Biorefinery for synthetic liquid biofuels (Fischer-Tropsch diesel), bioethanol and animal feed from lignocellulosic crops (switchgrass). This classification approach is flexible as new subgroups can be added according to future developments in the Biorefinery area. © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
