Page 23 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

8 A. Singh et al.

the gauging station, and use in the vehicle. Pollutants are generated in many
different steps of the production chain. The sustainability of renewable energy
production depends on the net energy gain fixed in the output that depends on the
production process parameters, such as the amount of energy-intensive inputs and
the energy input for harvest, transport and running the processing facilities (Haye
and Hardtke 2009), emissions and their production cost. The most used indicators
to measure the energy sustainability include life cycle energy balance, quantity of
fossil energy substituted per hectare, co-product energy allocation, life cycle
carbon balance, and changes in soil utilization (Silva Lora et al. 2011). Gnan-
sounou et al. (2009) stated that monitoring reduction in GHG emissions and
estimations of substitution efficiency with respect to fossil fuels is subject to
significant uncertainty and inaccuracy associated with the LCA approach.
The schematic illustration of the technical biomass potential and constraints to
the sustainable biomass potentials is presented in the Fig. 3. The technical
potential of biomass is much lower than the theoretical potential due to cost
involved in transport to collect them at production plant. The technical potential
also has several social, economical, and environmental constraints, resulting only
in a part of the technical potential that could be suitable for sustainable renewable
energy production. Gnansounou (2011) suggested that due to the multidimensional
impact of renewable energy sources, the sustainability impact assessment of

Theoretical potential

Technical potential

Ecological
Economic
constraints
constraints

Social & political
Sustainable potential constraints

Fig. 3 Schematic illustration of the technical potential and constraints to the sustainable biomass
potentials (Adapted from Steubing et al. 2010)