Page 135 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Life Cycle Assessment of Biodiesel from Palm Oil 121

Fig. 13 Environmental impact potentials for 1 kg PME (excluding impacts from transportation)

impacts associated with the four main transportation stages within the PME pro-
duction. Figure 15 summarizes the total environmental impacts (including trans-
portation stages) within each of the production processes within the life cycle of
palm oil biodiesel.

5.1 Emissions Associated with Oil Palm Nursery System

Out of the eleven impact categories, six of them, namely radiation (32.57 % of
total radiation potentials), carcinogens (14.79 % of total carcinogens), ecotoxicity
(19.11 % of total ecotoxicity), climate change (5.18 % of total climate change),
land use (1.49 % of total land use), and acidification/eutrophication (8.81 % of
total acidification) potentials, were highly significant (Fig. 13) excluding the
impacts from transportation stages. The main emissions associated with these
impacts include the use of herbicides and pesticides (radiation, ecotoxicity, car-
cinogens, etc.) and fertilizers (ecotoxicity, acidification, radiation). N-fertilizers
emit N 2 O into the air which contributes to the climate change effects. The use or
spraying of herbicides and insecticides also emits particulate matter into the air.
Combining the effects on all impact categories as a single score, it can be seen
that the nursery stage contributed only 1 % environmental impacts for 1 kg pro-
duction of PME (Fig. 15). On the basis of human health, ecosystem depletion, and
resource use, the nursery stage contributed 0.358, 0.192, and 0.188 %, respec-
tively, for 1 kg PME.
In order to further reduce these impacts, the use of organic fertilizers can
replace inorganic ones. Glyphosate and paraquat as pesticides and herbicides must