Eco-efficiency. of agro-energy sectors. Dr. Mitra Kami Delivand STAR-AgroEnergy University of Foggia, Italy Summer

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1 Eco-efficiency of agro-energy sectors Dr. Mitra Kami Delivand STAR-AgroEnergy University of Foggia, Italy Summer

2 Layout Introduction to the topic Eco-efficiency (EE) EE in Agroenergy LCA tool Bioeconomy& biorefinery Case studies (measuring EE) Conclusions

3 Why Bioenergy? EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) mandates that 20% of overall energy use at the EU level, and 10% of energy usein the transport sector at the Member States level, must come from renewable sources by Insufficient quantities of fossil fuel to meet the world demand Environmental pollution (GHG) Social benefits of diversifying energy sources: Local resources Rural employment labor to produce those resources

4 Why Agroenergy? According to FAO, agroenergyrefers to energy function of agriculture, i.e. agricultural-based energy Agricultural crops, e.g. Soybean, sugarcane, wheat, maize, etc. Agricultural residues, e.g. pruning, straw, etc. Agromass, e.g. wood Are abundant in most parts of the world Several commercially conversion technologies are available to transform them to energy Would gain benefits over fossil-based energy, If produced efficiently and sustainably Can promote rural development, climate change mitigation, improved energy supply & security

5 Challenges in Agro-based energy Evidence from science, academia, and grassroots voices: May not be carbon neutral Reducing forest carbon stocks may well outweigh any fossil savings, e.g. in wood May not be a truly renewable alternative to fossil fuels in terms of life-cycle ecological & environmental footprints May not be cost effective with compatible fossil-based energy Potential carbon stocks for >20 years Immediate carbon releasing

6 Eco-efficiency Moving towards sustainable development with fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution "the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity, throughout the life cycle, to a level at least in line with the earth's estimated carrying capacity." (Eco-efficient Leadership, WBCSD) World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Reduce material intensity Reduce energy intensity Reduce toxic materials Enhance recyclability Maximize renewable resources Extend product durability Increase product/service intensity

7 Eco-efficiency, cont d A management philosophy for enhancing both economic and environmental benefits by minimizing ecological impact while maximizing production efficiency (reduced energy consumption, material use, waste generation, improved recycling, ) Developed to consider the environmental impacts of industrial sectors How efficient an economic activity is with respect to its impact upon nature measured as the ratio of the value added produced to environmental impacts

8 Eco-efficiency, cont d Methods: An empirical relation in economic activities between production value and environmental impact Win-win analysis: Comparison to a historical reference situation/system or comparison between two alternatives Energy Cost Incremental eco-efficiency = (at micro-level) (more value & less impacts)

9 Eco-efficiency analysis tools Two LCA-based calculation systems: 1) Eco-efficiency analysis tool developed by BASF to assess the economic and ecological advantages and disadvantages of products and processes on their entire life cycle including: The materials used, the use of the product, and options for recycling and disposal Entire economic picture (e.g. costs) Source: BASF-

10 Eco-efficiency analysis tools, cont d 2) Model of eco-costs value ratio (EVR model) developed by the Delft University of Technology asks for a maximum value/costs ratio of the business chain achieved at a minimum level of ecological impact The practical use of eco-costs: comparing the sustainability of several product types with the same functionality through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) The external costs made on the reduction of the environmental burden (e.g. pollution and materials depletion) in our world to a level which is in line with the carrying capacity of our earth E.g. for each 1 t CO 2 emission, an investment of 135 in a renewable alternative project is required so that the total GHG emissions in the world will be stabilized Source:

11 EVR model, cont d End points Total eco-cost of emissions Normalization Eco-costs of Resource depletion Eco-costs of Eco-costs of + GWP ecosystem + Eco-costs of Human health Mid points Characterization factor Abiotic depletion Water scarcity Land-use waste Fossil fuels Global warming Life cycle process chains Extraction, transportation, production, use, end-use, disposal Adopted from: Eco-toxicity Acidification Eutrophication Fine dust Summer smog Carcinogens

12 EVR model, cont d EVR links the production side and the consumers side of our economy EVR indicates to what extent a (design of a) product contributes to the de-linking of economy and ecology = EE= = OR EE= 1-EVR The lower EVR, the higher eco-efficiency Source : TUDelft-

13 EE of agroenegy Potential Technical Sustainable Production Conversion of energy from the sun into energy stored as carbon compounds (feedstock) Logistics Harvesting, collection, transportation Conversion Transfer of stored carbon compounds in feedstock to energy & materials Reduced portion needed for soil maintenance Ratios of CFP Resource Energy Production cost Value added Employment. Quantitative efficiency indicators Eco-efficiency assessment

14 LCA tool to assess the eco-efficiency efficiency of agroenergy LCA concept Extraction Production Distribution Use and end-use Conventional LCA framework- ISO Inputs and outputs: Energy materials Transport, etc. Emissions to air, water, soil, waste Impact categories Weighting schemes Software: SimaPro Gabi, etc.

15 LCA steps System boundary defined according to the objectives, time, budget,. Source: Eco-efficiency and sustainability G1 Issue 1- Functional unit e.g. 1MJ product yr -1 1ha yr -1 LCI databases, process design, measurement & calculations, literature, etc. Allocation procedure Not mandatory

16 An example

17 Example for Agro-residues residues-to to-energy (consequential approach) System expansions

18 Bioeconomy Bioenergywill be a key in bioeconomy Sustainable biomass processing and its conversion to an spectrum of marketable products and energy (biorefineryconcept in IEA Bioenergy Task 42) By-product synergy (using of the by-products and wastes as raw materials added values, creating zero waste)- value creating aspect of ecoefficiency increased profitability, reducing pollutions and natural resource consumptions, relieving the adverse environmental impacts Bioenergy will provide a development of the rural bioeconomy Costs of bioenergy and especially transportation costs Regional energy balance Utilization of waste streams

19 Example of material and energy inputs-outputs in biorefinery Adopted and modified from doi: /j.biortech Inputs-outputs Process design Material Flow Analysis (MFA) Mass & Energy balances Calculations & estimates

20 Adopted and modified from doi: /j.biortech Allocation-cont d cont d

21 Inventory of emissions & impact assessment-cont d Inventory items CO2 N2O CH4 NOX SO2 P... Impact category Global warming Eutrophication Acidification Several LCI databases, USLCI, Ecoinvent, etc. & Several calculation methods, e.g. ReCipe, CML2, EDIP2003, etc.... How eco-efficient is the system in terms of GHG? Adopted and modified from Delivand& Genansounou 2913 ( doi: /j.biortech )

22 Cont d. Is it eco-efficient? efficient? Comparison 50% GHG emissions reduction compared to fossil-based fuel is the target Reference flows (WTW from Ecoinventdatabase): gr CO 2 -eq/mj diesel gr CO 2 -eq/mj gasoline ~35.5 gr Co 2 -eq/mj output Sustainable efficient w.r.t GHG emissions ~65 gr Co 2 -eq/mj output if not exploring the by-products NOT SUSTAINABLE

23 Example of comparison of two agroenergies Five indicators Source: Delivand et al., 2012 (

24 Techno -ecoefficiency ecoefficiencyanalysis of two agroenergies, cont d Eco-efficiency = EE ={[ [ of straw-to-power] / of straw-to-ethanol]} =0.10 (i.e. a factor of 10 in favor of straw-to-ethanol) & EE= 0.13 at macro-level (value added GDP) *16% of the value added and 9% of the GHG reduction comes from excess electricity generated in the ethanol option

25 Example of comparison three logistics strategies of GRH Source: Published paper in ECOS 2014, Finland Cost US$/t

26 Conclusions EE supports the use of high efficient technology and methods with less use of natural resources and energy with fewer waste for the same FU It addresses both environmental and economic benefits through production efficiency Minimization of pollutions, use of natural resources & energy, toxic material, wastes, etc. EE indicators can enhance the capacity of agroenergy sustainability Indirect land use change/impacts: a challenging focus for the ECO-EFFICIENCY and SUSTAINABILITY measures of AGROENERGY

27 Mitra Kami Delivand