Environmental, social, and economic assessment of energy utilization of crop residue in China

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss an environmental, social, and economic analysis of energy utilization of crop residues from life cycle perspectives in China. The methodologies employed to achieve this objective are environmental life cycle assessment (E-LCA), life cycle cost (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). Five scenarios are developed based on the conversion technologies and final bioenergy products. The system boundaries include crop residue collection, transportation, pre-treatment, and conversion process. The replaced amounts of energy are also taken into account in the E-LCA analysis. The functional unit is defined as 1 MJ of energy produced. Eight impact categories are considered besides climate change in E-LCA. The investment capital cost and salary cost are collected and compared in the life cycle of the scenarios. Three stakeholders and several subcategories are considered in the S-LCA analysis defined by UNEP/SETAS guidelines. The results show that the energy utilization of crop residue has carbon emission factors of 0.09–0.18 kg (CO₂ eq per 1 MJ), and presents a net carbon emissions reduction of 0.03–0.15 kg (CO₂ eq per 1 MJ) compared with the convectional electricity or petrol, but the other impacts should be paid attention to in the biomass energy scenarios. The energy utilization of crop residues can bring economic benefit to local communities and the society, but the working conditions of local workers need to be improved in future biomass energy development.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

crop residue / life cycle assessment / life cycle cost / social life cycle assessment / energy production

References

[1] Gracceva F, Zeniewski P. A systemic approach to assessing energy security in a low-carbon EU energy system. Applied Energy, 2014, 123: 335–348

[2] Ang B W, Choong W, Ng T. Energy security: definitions, dimensions and indexes. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015, 42: 1077–1093

[3] Chu S, Majumdar A. Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future. Nature, 2012, 488(7411): 294–303

[4] Edenhofer O, Hirth L, Knopf B, Pahle M, Schlömer S, Schmid E, Ueckerdt F. On the economics of renewable energy sources. Energy Economics, 2013, 40: S12–S23

[5] Lund H, Mathiesen B V. Energy system analysis of 100% renewable energy systems—the case of Denmark in years 2030 and 2050. Energy, 2009, 34(5): 524–531

[6] Scarlat N, Dallemand J, Monforti-Ferrario F, Nita V. The role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy: policies and facts. Environmental Development, 2015, 15: 3–34

[7] Johnson E. Goodbye to carbon neutral: getting biomass footprints right. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2009, 29(3): 165–168

[8] Budzianowski W M. Negative carbon intensity of renewable energy technologies involving biomass or carbon dioxide as inputs. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2012, 16(9): 6507–6521

[9] Arneth A, Sitch S, Pongratz J, Stocker B D, Ciais P, Poulter B, Bayer A D, Bondeau A, Calle L, Chini L P, Gasser T, Fader M, Friedlingstein P, Kato E, Li W, Lindeskog M, Nabel J E M S, Pugh T A M, Robertson E, Viovy N, Yue C, Zaehle S. Historical carbon dioxide emissions caused by land-use changes are possibly larger than assumed. Nature Geoscience, 2017, 10(2): 79–84

[10] Lambin E F, Meyfroidt P. Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011, 108(9): 3465–3472

[11] Bringezu S, O’Brien M, Schütz H. Beyond biofuels: assessing global land use for domestic consumption of biomass: a conceptual and empirical contribution to sustainable management of global resources. Land Use Policy, 2012, 29(1): 224–232

[12] Abbasi T, Abbasi S. Biomass energy and the environmental impacts associated with its production and utilization. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2010, 14(3): 919–937

[13] Joselin Herbert G M, Unni Krishnan A. Quantifying environmental performance of biomass energy. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, 59: 292–308

[14] Cherubini F, Bird N D, Cowie A, Jungmeier G, Schlamadinger B, Woess-Gallasch S. Energy-and greenhouse gas-based LCA of biofuel and bioenergy systems: key issues, ranges and recommendations. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2009, 53(8): 434–447

[15] Cherubini F, Ulgiati S. Crop residues as raw materials for biorefinery systems—a LCA case study. Applied Energy, 2010, 87(1): 47–57

[16] Liu L, Zhuang D, Jiang D, Fu J. Assessment of the biomass energy potentials and environmental benefits of Jatropha curcas L. in Southwest China. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2013, 56: 342–350

[17] Renó M L G, Lora E E S, Palacio J C E, Venturini O J, Buchgeister J, Almazan O. A LCA (life cycle assessment) of the methanol production from sugarcane bagasse. Energy, 2011, 36(6): 3716–3726

[18] Astrup T F, Tonini D, Turconi R, Boldrin A. Life cycle assessment of thermal waste-to-energy technologies: review and recommendations. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 2015, 37: 104–115

[19] Patel M, Zhang X, Kumar A. Techno-economic and life cycle assessment on lignocellulosic biomass thermochemical conversion technologies: a review. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, 53: 1486–1499

[20] Browne J, Nizami A, Thamsiriroj T, Murphy J D. Assessing the cost of biofuel production with increasing penetration of the transport fuel market: a case study of gaseous biomethane in Ireland. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2011, 15(9): 4537–4547

[21] Duer H, Christensen P O. Socio-economic aspects of different biofuel development pathways. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2010, 34(2): 237–243

[22] Fazio S, Barbanti L. Energy and economic assessments of bio-energy systems based on annual and perennial crops for temperate and tropical areas. Renewable Energy, 2014, 69: 233–241

[23] Keller H, Rettenmaier N, Reinhardt G A. Integrated life cycle sustainability assessment—a practical approach applied to biorefineries. Applied Energy, 2015, 154: 1072–1081

[24] Ekener E, Hansson J, Larsson A, Peck P. Developing life cycle sustainability assessment methodology by applying values-based sustainability weighting-tested on biomass based and fossil transportation fuels. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018, 181: 337–351

[25] Zhao G. Assessment of potential biomass energy production in China towards 2030 and 2050. International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 2018, 37(1): 47–66

[26] Asian Development Bank. Preparing National Strategy for Rural Biomass Renewable Energy Development. Building Science. Manila: Asian Development Bank, 2008

[27] Ministry of Agriculture. National Inventory and Evaluation Report of Crop Straw Resources. Beijing: Ministry of Agriculture of China, 2010 (in Chinese)

[28] Zhan H Y. Supply and utilization of non-wood fibers and waste papers in China’s per industry. China Pulp & Paper, 2010, 8: 021

[29] Jiang B, Sun Z, Liu M. China’s energy development strategy under the low-carbon economy. Energy, 2010, 35(11): 4257–4264

[30] Zhang Z X. China in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Energy Policy, 2010, 38(11): 6638–6653

[31] Ministry of Agriculture of China. Agricultural Biomass Energy Development Plan (2007–2015). Beijing, China, 2007 (in Chinese)

[32] National Energy Administration of China. China Plans Nationwide Use of Ethanol Gasoline by 2020. Beijing, China 2017 (in Chinese)

[33] Jaleta M, Kassie M, Erenstein O. Determinants of maize stover utilization as feed, fuel and soil amendment in mixed crop-livestock systems, Ethiopia. Agricultural Systems, 2015, 134: 17–23

[34] Lehtomäki A, Viinikainen T A, Rintala J A. Screening boreal energy crops and crop residues for methane biofuel production. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2008, 32(6): 541–550

[35] International Energy Agency. Technology Roadmap-biofuels for Transport. Paris, France, 2011

[36] Abdoulmoumine N, Adhikari S, Kulkarni A, Chattanathan S. A review on biomass gasification syngas cleanup. Applied Energy, 2015, 155: 294–307

[37] Lan W, Chen G, Zhu X, Wang X, Xu B. Progress in techniques of biomass conversion into syngas. Journal of the Energy Institute, 2015, 88(2): 151–156

[38] ISO. Environmental management–life cycle assessment–principles and framework. ISO 14040, 2006

[39] ISO. Environmental management–life cycle assessment–requirements and guidelines. ISO 14044, 2006

[40] Benoît C, Norris G A, Valdivia S, Ciroth A, Moberg A, Bos U, Prakash S, Ugaya C, Beck T. The guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products: just in time! International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2010, 15(2): 156–163

[41] Jørgensen A, Herrmann I T, Bjørn A. Analysis of the link between a definition of sustainability and the life cycle methodologies. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2013, 18(8): 1440–1449

[42] Russo Garrido S, Parent J, Beaulieu L, Revéret J P. A literature review of type I S-LCA—making the logic underlying methodological choices explicit. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2018, 23(3): 432–444

[43] Hoogmartens R, Van Passel S, Van Acker K, Dubois M. Bridging the gap between LCA, LCC and CBA as sustainability assessment tools. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2014, 48: 27–33

[44] Valdivia S, Ugaya C M, Hildenbrand J, Traverso M, Mazijn B, Sonnemann G. A UNEP/SETAC approach towards a life cycle sustainability assessment—our contribution to Rio 20. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2013, 18(9): 1673–1685

[45] Jiang D, Zhuang D, Fu J, Huang Y, Wen K. Bioenergy potential from crop residues in China: availability and distribution. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2012, 16(3): 1377–1382

[46] Agbor V B, Cicek N, Sparling R, Berlin A, Levin D B. Biomass pretreatment: fundamentals toward application. Biotechnology Advances, 2011, 29(6): 675–685

[47] Evans A, Strezov V, Evans T J. Assessment of sustainability indicators for renewable energy technologies. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2009, 13(5): 1082–1088

[48] United Nations Environment Programme. Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products. Paris: United Nations Environment Programme—Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Life Cycle Initiative, 2009

[49] Miret C, Chazara P, Montastruc L, Negny S, Domenech S. Design of bioethanol green supply chain: comparison between first and second generation biomass concerning economic, environmental and social criteria. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2016, 85: 16–35

[50] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Special report on renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation. 2011, available at the website of srren.ipcc-wg3.de

[51] Editorial Committee of China Electric Power. China Electric Power Yearbook 2015. Beijing: China Electric Power Press, 2015

[52] Wernet G, Bauer C, Steubing B, Reinhard J, Moreno-Ruiz E, Weidema B. The ecoinvent database version 3 (part I): overview and methodology. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2016, 21(9): 1218–1230

[53] Qiu H, Yan J, Lei Z, Sun D. Rising wages and energy consumption transition in rural China. Energy Policy, 2018, 119: 545–553

[54] Wang X, Yamauchi F, Otsuka K, Huang J. Wage growth, landholding, and mechanization in Chinese agriculture. World Development, 2016, 86: 30–45

[55] Benoit-Norris C, Cavan D A, Norris G. Identifying social impacts in product supply chains: overview and application of the social hotspot database. Sustainability, 2012, 4(9): 1946–1965

[56] Subramanian K, Chau C, Yung W K. Relevance and feasibility of the existing social LCA methods and case studies from a decision-making perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018, 171: 690–703

[57] Tonini D, Astrup T. LCA of biomass-based energy systems: a case study for Denmark. Applied Energy, 2012, 99: 234–246

[58] Yang J, Chen B. Global warming impact assessment of a crop residue gasification project—a dynamic LCA perspective. Applied Energy, 2014, 122: 269–279

[59] González-García S, Iribarren D, Susmozas A, Dufour J, Murphy R J. Life cycle assessment of two alternative bioenergy systems involving Salix spp. biomass: bioethanol production and power generation. Applied Energy, 2012, 95: 111–122

[60] Thornley P, Gilbert P, Shackley S, Hammond J. Maximizing the greenhouse gas reductions from biomass: the role of life cycle assessment. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2015, 81: 35–43

[61] Boschiero M, Cherubini F, Nati C, Zerbe S. Life cycle assessment of bioenergy production from orchards woody residues in Northern Italy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016, 112: 2569–2580

[62] Turconi R, Tonini D, Nielsen C F, Simonsen C G, Astrup T. Environmental impacts of future low-carbon electricity systems: detailed life cycle assessment of a Danish case study. Applied Energy, 2014, 132: 66–73

[63] Gullberg A T, Ohlhorst D, Schreurs M. Towards a low carbon energy future—renewable energy cooperation between Germany and Norway. Renewable Energy, 2014, 68: 216–222

[64] Yan H, Liu J, Huang H Q, Tao B, Cao M. Assessing the consequence of land use change on agricultural productivity in China. Global and Planetary Change, 2009, 67(1-2): 13–19

[65] Finkbeiner M. Indirect land use change–help beyond the hype? Biomass and Bioenergy, 2014, 62: 218–221

[66] Nishiguchi S, Tabata T. Assessment of social, economic, and environmental aspects of woody biomass energy utilization: direct burning and wood pellets. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, 57: 1279–1286

[67] Cowell R, Bristow G, Munday M. Acceptance, acceptability and environmental justice: the role of community benefits in wind energy development. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2011, 54(4): 539–557

[68] Sun J, Chen J, Xi Y, Hou J. Mapping the cost risk of agricultural residue supply for energy application in rural China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2011, 19(2-3): 121–128

[69] Zhang S Q, Deng M S, Shan M, Zhou C, Liu W, Xu X, Yang X. Energy and environmental impact assessment of straw return and substitution of straw briquettes for heating coal in rural China. Energy Policy, 2019, 128: 654–664

[70] Liska A J, Yang H, Milner M, Goddard S, Blanco-Canqui H, Pelton M P, Fang X X, Zhu H, Suyker A E. Biofuels from crop residue can reduce soil carbon and increase CO₂ emissions. Nature Climate Change, 2014, 4(5): 398–401

[71] Cambero C, Sowlati T. Assessment and optimization of forest biomass supply chains from economic, social and environmental perspectives—a review of literature. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2014, 36: 62–73

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-020-0696-x and is accessible for authorized users.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2020 Higher Education Press