Potential of biofuels from algae: Comparison with fossil fuels, ethanol and biodiesel in Europe and Brazil through life cycle assessment (LCA)

Maria Luisa N.M. Carneiro, Florian Pradelle, Sergio L. Braga, Marcos Sebastião P. Gomes, Ana Rosa F.A. Martins, Franck Turkovics and Renata N.C. Pradelle

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 73, issue C, 632-653

Abstract: Despite a substantial literature using life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the extent to which second and third generation biofuels are more sustainable than the first generation remains a subject of debate. Although the existence of limitations due to LCA variability and uncertainty, this paper intends to determine global tendencies based on a statistic and critical interpretation of previously published study results, reviewing 61 recent papers addressing an environmental evaluation of microalgae biofuels. Such information is compared to the same impact indicators for fossil fuels and for ethanol and biodiesel from terrestrial crops in Europe and Brazil. For each case, the system boundaries and the methodological choices were precisely described. The sustainability potential of all biofuels was evaluated by the Global Warming Potential (GWP), the Energy Ratio (ER) and the Land Use (LU), allowing a broad estimation of the biofuels’ contribution to climate change mitigation, their net energy efficiency and their competiveness with food production chain.

Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Biofuels; Review; Algae; Global Warming Potential (GWP); Land-Use (LU); Net Energy Ratio (NER); Energy Return On Investment (EROI) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.01.152

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