Page 144 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Environmental Sustainability Assessment
of Ethanol from Cassava and Sugarcane
Molasses in a Life Cycle Perspective

Shabbir H. Gheewala

Abstract Liquid transportation fuels derived from biomass (biofuels) are widely
promoted inter alia due to their perceived environmental benefits. The environ-
mental sustainability of biofuels, however, must be rigorously tested using sci-
entific tools. Several such tools, namely net energy ratio (NER), net energy
balance (NEB), renewability, and life cycle assessment (LCA), are defined and
then used to analyze the environmental sustainability of ethanol produced from
cassava and sugarcane molasses in Thailand. These studies show the utility of such
tools in the evaluation and also point various areas of improvement. Use of
renewable energy sources in the supply chain, utilization of co-products as well as
waste products, and good management practices at the farm such as use of organic
fertilizers are some of the options that can help improve the environmental benefits
of biofuels.

1 Background/Context

Liquid transportation fuels derived from biomass feedstocks, popularly referred to
as ‘‘biofuels’’, seem to be an attractive substitute for oil-based gasoline and diesel
for several reasons. Firstly, their similarity in physical properties facilitates the use
of the existing infrastructure designed for their oil-based counterparts. The simi-
larity in chemical properties induces minimal modification requirements of the car
engines, especially for biodiesel. Being of biomass origin, the carbon dioxide

S. H. Gheewala (&)
The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut’s University
of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
e-mail: shabbir_g@jgsee.kmutt.ac.th
S. H. Gheewala
Center for Energy Technology and Environment, Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand

A. Singh et al. (eds.), Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Sources, 131
Green Energy and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-5364-1_6,
Ó Springer-Verlag London 2013