Environmental benefits analysis based on life cycle assessment of rice straw-based synthetic natural gas in China

Fei Feng, Guohui Song, Laihong Shen and Jun Xiao

Energy, 2017, vol. 139, issue C, 341-349

Abstract: A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of rice straw-based synthetic natural gas (R-SNG) production was carried out in this study, and the inventories of rice straw cultivating and harvesting, feedstock transportation, R-SNG facility construction and dismantling, and power consumption (i.e. purchased electricity (PE) scheme and self-supply power (SP) scheme) stages were analyzed. Then, the inventory data was characterized and normalized. The results showed that the SP scheme can significantly reduce the environmental impacts of R-SNG product. A comparison of R-SNG, natural gas (NG) and coal-based synthetic natural gas (C-SNG) was conducted from the perspective of environmental impacts. The results showed that the amount of CO2 emission from C-SNG was the largest, followed by that from NG, while the amount of CO2 emission from R-SNG was negative. A sensitivity analysis about allocation principles of the rice straw and rough rice was carried out to evaluate the allocation principles on the environmental impacts. In conclusion, R-SNG showed great environmental benefits in the abiotic resources saving and greenhouse gases emission reduction.

Keywords: Biomass; Rice-straw based; Synthetic natural gas; Life cycle assessment; Environmental impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:139:y:2017:i:c:p:341-349

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2017.07.167

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