Page 51 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

The Application of Life Cycle Assessment
on Agricultural Production Systems
with Reference to Lignocellulosic Biogas
and Bioethanol Production as Transport

Fuels

Nicholas E. Korres

Abstract The need for new approaches in agricultural production such as these of
integrated agricultural systems for food and energy production necessitates the
rapprochement of these systems in terms of their environmental burden. This in
combination with the importance of lignocellulosic materials for biofuel produc-
tion makes the system under examination extremely complex. The feedstock
production, transport, processing, and conversion of cellulosic materials have not
been attempted to any real degree anywhere in the world; hence, a number of
sustainability issues related to energy inputs and environmental quality need to be
examined. This highlights the importance of LCA as an important optimization
tool. Nevertheless, the interactions and intra-, interrelationships necessitate a
thorough study of the system under examination and a good knowledge of life
cycle thinking.

1 Introduction

Research on potential climatic changes under an atmospheric composition modi-
fied by human activity through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a function of
CO 2 ,CH 4 , and N 2 O emissions, has indicated that the rise in average global
temperature is likely (Owen 2001). Agriculture releases significant amounts of
carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to the atmosphere
(Korres et al. 2011) while eutrophication, acidification, and natural resource
depletion usually due to non-judged agricultural practices impose significant
environmental threats to soil, water bodies, and biodiversity.

N. E. Korres (&)
Freelance consultant in Sustainable Agriculture and Bioenergy, 26 Grigoroviou Str, Patisia
GR-11141 Athens, Greece
e-mail: nkorres@yahoo.co.uk

A. Singh et al. (eds.), Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Sources, 37
Green Energy and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-5364-1_3,
Ó Springer-Verlag London 2013