Life cycle environmental impacts of bioethanol production from sugarcane molasses in Iran
Abstract
In recent years, bioethanol from sugarcane molasses has been produced on an industrial scale in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate molasses-based bioethanol production from an environmental point of view. Data were collected from Debel Khazai agro-industry situated in southern region of Iran by using face-to-face interviews and annual statistics of 2010 to 2016 (6-year life cycle of sugarcane cultivation). Ten impact categories including abiotic depletion (AD), acidification (AC), eutrophication (EP), global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion (OLD), human toxicity (HT), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity (FE), marine aquatic ecotoxicity (ME), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TE), and photochemical oxidation (PO) were selected based on CML methodology. Inventory data for production of the inputs were taken from Ecoinvent, BUWAL 250, and IDMAT 2001 databases. The results revealed that in sugarcane cultivation process, electricity and trash burning were the most important contributors to all impact categories except OLD and TE. In industrial phase, natural gas had the highest contribution to the most impact categories. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission for production of 1000 L molasses-based bioethanol was 1322.78 kg CO 2 eq. By comparing total GHG emissions from 1000 L bioethanol to gasoline, the net avoided GHG emissions came out at 503.17 kg CO 2 eq. According to results, it is clear that with increasing irrigation efficiency and improving performance of heating systems in industrial phase, environmental burdens would be significantly reduced.
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Global warming potential ranged between 0.016 and 400 kg CO2 produced for 1 MJ of ethanol from sugarcane.
“According to the literature review, global warming potential ranged between 0.016 and 400 kg CO2 produced for 1 MJ of ethanol from sugarcane (Amores et al. 2013, Farahani and Asoodar 2017, Silalertruksa and Gheewala 2009, Valencia and Cardona 2014).”
From Environmental and economic analysis of bioethanol production from sugarcane molasses and agave juice (2021) · cites this paper as Farahani and Asoodar 2017
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Environmental and economic analysis of bioethanol production from sugarcane molasses and agave juice
Parascanu, M. M., Sanchez, N., Sandoval-Salas, F., Carreto, C. M., Soreanu, G., & Sanchez-Silva, L. (2021) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-021-15471-4 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
- Authors
- Farahani, S. S., & Asoodar, M. A.
- Affiliations
- Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Khouzestan (IR)
- Corresponding author
- Farahani, Saeid Shahvarooghi
- Venue
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research
- Published
- 2017-08-13
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 28
- Pages
- 22547-22556
- ISSN
- 0944-1344 (ISSN-L)
- 1614-7499
- OpenAlex
- W2742353324
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 1.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Biofuel production and bioconversion
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
- Keywords
- bioethanol, sugarcane molasses, life cycle assessment, greenhouse gas emissions, sugarcane cultivation, electricity consumption, natural gas, irrigation efficiency, heating systems, environmental impact, Iran
- MeSH terms
- Oil and Gas Industry, Environment, Eutrophication, Humans, Iran, Molasses, Saccharum, Biofuels, Global Warming
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