Key Issues in Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels

Abstract

The production of sustainable bioenergy is a challenging task in the promotion of biofuels for replacing the fossil based fuels to get cleaner environment and also to reduce the dependency on other countries and uncertainty of fuel price. One biofuels might be very attractive for heat production and not so attractive for electricity and transport purposes. The commercial-scale production of biofuels requires careful consideration of several issues that can be broadly categorized as: selecting biomass, cultivation technology, growth inputs (nutrients, water, etc.) and biofuel conversion technology. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that can be used effectively in assessing various biofuels for their sustainability and can help to policy makers to choose the best biofuels for specific purpose. Allocation method is very important in assessing the sustainability of biofuels as different allocation methods responded differently. The present chapter is an effort to highlight the key issues to consider in conducting an LCA for biofuels. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2012.