Page 238 - Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future

CHAPTER 7

A life cycle assessment of

tri-generation from biomass

waste: The experience of the

“agro-combined” of Thibar

Sonia Longo*, Maurizio Cellura*, Francesco Guarino*,
Marina Mistretta †
*
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
†
Department of Heritage, Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria,
Italy

Contents
1 Introduction 213
2 The LCA applied to the “agro-combined” system of Thibar 217
2.1 Goal and scope definition 217
2.2 Life cycle inventory 219
2.3 Life cycle impact assessment and interpretation 222
3 Conclusion 224
Acknowledgments 225
References 225

1 Introduction

The transition toward a resource-efficient and sustainable economy is a
global challenge aimed at facing environmental problems such as the deple-
tion of natural resources (including fossil fuels), the increase of environmen-
tal pressures, and the climate change (Cellura et al., 2013).
The production of energy from renewable sources is a key strategy to
ensure the transition to an eco-innovative and low-carbon economy
(Beccali et al., 2009). Furthermore, the use of renewable sources for the gen-
eration of electricity and useful heating and cooling can bring social and eco-
nomic benefits, such as creation of new jobs, potential lowering of the price
of oil because of lower demand, reduction of energy costs, saving/revenue
from the sale of self-generated energy (Bordoni et al., 2010).

Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815581-3.00007-5 All rights reserved. 213