Environmental impact and energy balance assessment in ethanol production from sugarcane molasses: A life cycle analysis in southern India

Sudhakar Uppalapati, S.P. Jani, J. Bensam Raj, C. Rajaganapathy, S. Murugapoopathi, Sumarlin Shangdiar and Kassian T.T. Amesho

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2024, vol. 204, issue C

Abstract: Blending ethanol with fossil fuels is regarded as an important measure to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies addressing overall greenhouse gas emissions and energy utilization during ethanol production from sugarcane in South India. This study represents a pioneering attempt to determine the emissions and resource utilization, enabling a comparison of the carbon footprint of the ethanol production process with that of using fossil fuels. The study employed the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and resource utilization. Data was obtained from field studies conducted at Gayatri Sugars Limited, Telangana state, India. The collected data was input into a life cycle analysis (LCA) model in which two cane trash treatment methods were evaluated: burning and mulching. In terms of emissions, the CO2 emissions for one ton of sugarcane were 43.86 kg during cultivation, 45.98 kg during transportation, 69.05 kg during burning of cane trash, and 6.37 kg during the production of one ton of ethanol. The overall energy yield ratio was found to be 15.795 MJ/MJf. Emissions from sugarcane farming and transportation stages were high, significantly contributing to a high carbon footprint. The net emission was significantly lower for the mulching process, which also improved soil characteristics and fertility. The outcomes provide valuable insights for academia, industrial decision-makers, and policymakers at both state and central government levels.

Keywords: Life cycle analysis; Greenhouse gas emissions; Wet milling; Sugarcane molasses; Biofuel; Sensitivity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124005331
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:204:y:2024:i:c:s1364032124005331

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114807

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().