On quantifying sources of uncertainty in the carbon footprint of biofuels: Crop/feedstock, LCA modelling approach, land-use change, and GHG metrics
Open accessAbstract
Biofuel systems may represent a promising strategy to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels in electricity generation and transportation. First-generation biofuels from sugar and starch crops for ethanol (a gasoline substitute) and from oilseed crops for biodiesel (a petroleum diesel substitute) have come under increasing levels of scrutiny due to the uncertainty associated with the estimation of climate change impacts of biofuels, such as due to indirect effects on land use. This analysis estimates the magnitude of some uncertainty sources: i) crop/feedstock, ii) life cycle assessment (LCA) modelling approach, iii) land-use change (LUC), and iv) greenhouse gas (GHG) metrics. The metrics used for characterising the different GHGs (global warming potential-GWP and global temperature change potential-GTP at different time horizons) appeared not to play a significant role in explaining the variance in the carbon footprint of biofuels, as opposed to the crop/feedstock used, the inclusion/exclusion of LUC considerations, and the LCA modelling approach (p<0.001). The estimated climate footprint of biofuels is dependent on the latter three parameters and, thus, is context-specific. It is recommended that these parameters be dealt with in a manner consistent with the goal and scope of the study. In particular, it is essential to interpret the results of the carbon footprint of biofuel systems in light of the choices made in each of these sources of uncertainty, and sensitivity analysis is recommended to overcome their influence on the result.
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A recent development in technologies has introduced a circular economy concept in which wealth can be created from waste [38,39].
“A recent development in technologies has introduced a circular economy concept in which wealth can be created from waste [38,39].”
From The Environmental Impacts of Bar Soap Production: Uncovering Sustainability Risks with LCA Analysis (2023) · cites this paper as [38]
Section 2.1 lists biofuel pathways using waste oil and manure, but does not discuss wealth creation or say that recent technologies introduced a circular-economy concept. A search for “circular economy” found it in a reference title, not in a passage making the cited claim; searches for waste valorisation likewise found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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References 47 · Cited by 101
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- Authors
- Brandão, M., Heijungs, R., & Cowie, A. L.
- Affiliations
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- Leiden University (NL)
- University of New England (AU)
- Venue
- Biofuel Research Journal
- Publisher
- Greenwave Publishing of Canada
- Published
- 2022-06-01
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1608-1616
- ISSN
- 2292-8782 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4282008036
- Cited by
- 101
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 23
- FWCI
- 7.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Biofuel Research Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
- Keywords
- biofuels, carbon footprint, uncertainty quantification, life cycle assessment, land use change, global warming potential, global temperature change potential, ethanol, biodiesel, oilseed crops, sensitivity analysis
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