Page 140 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

126 K. T. Lee and C. Ofori-Boateng

Fig. 17 Environmental impacts associated with biodiesel from palm oil. Pt: Eco-Indicator 99
(EI99, EA) points. 1 pt * impacts from one-thousandth person per year

associated with PME production. Figure 17 summarizes the total environmental
impacts associated with the production of PME over its life cycle.
The most significant environmental damage or impacts were caused by respi-
ratory inorganics which are caused by emissions from fossil fuel combustion and
other chemical use such as sodium hydroxide. Fossil fuel, acidification/eutrophi-
cation, ecotoxicity, climate change, respiratory organics, and respiratory inor-
ganics were also significant at 11.07, 12.58, 1.49, 11.17, 3.08, and 60.61 % of the
total environmental impacts associated with 1 kg PME production, respectively.

6 Conclusion

Environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of palm oil biodiesel were
assessed in this chapter using the well-to-wheel variant. The potentials of eleven
main impact categories were considered for oil palm nursery, plantation, oil mill,
CPO refinery, transesterification, biodiesel use as well as four transportation
stages. Results from the analysis indicated that fossil fuel use was high in the
plantation, transesterification, and transportation stages which further led to
increase in climate change, respiratory organics, and acidification potentials. Fossil
fuel consumption was highest (43 % of total impacts) in the transesterification unit
exclusive of all impacts from transportation. Emissions from diesel use and
transportation throughout the life cycle of palm biodiesel were more that 90 % of
the total impacts. The use of fertilizers and herbicides also increased the overall
impacts in the nursery and plantation stages.