LCA of imported agricultural products – impacts due to

deforestation and burning of residues

International Life Cycle Assessment and Management 2007

Portland, Oregon - October 2 to 4

Dr. Niels JungbluthESU-services Ltd., Uster, Switzerland

USE USE

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Topics

• Goal and scope of the project “Life cycle

inventories of bioenergy”

• Methodology allocation

• Specific regional problems

– Soy beans

– Plant oils

– Sugar cane

• Conclusions

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Problem setting for the project“LCI bioenergy”

• Diverging results for bioenergy in separate studies

• ecoinvent data v1.3 cover only a small part of

bioenergy chains. No common database

• Aims to fully cover the of most important bioenergy

chains

• Support for energy policy (fuel tax reductions)

• Examination for GHG reduction potential

• Investigation of several environmental aspects of

“biofuels” supply chains

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Resources, conversion techniques and “bioenergy” products investigated

biomass ressources (crops, wood, residues)

biogas

transport devices

wood pellets

heating

combined heat and power plant

electricity

methanolBTL-fuelshydrogen

synthetic gasethanol

filling station

plant oils

fatty acid methyl ester

wood chips

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Goal and Scope

• Time frame 2005 or new future technologies

• Investigation from well to Swiss wheel

• Products from multi-output processes are investigated with allocation factors that can be varied by the data user

• All direct co-products are included in the analysis

• Consistent investigation of energy, food and material products from biomass

• Clear differentiation of fossil and organic carbon

• Publication with ecoinvent data v2.0 late 2007 (www.ecoinvent.org)

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Allocation

• Multi-output processes are stored in the database – BEFORE allocation

• Input- and output-specific allocation factors, i.e.individual allocation factor allowed per pollutant and input

• Allocation executed after import of dataset into database-> calculation of allocated unit processes-> matrix becomes invertible

• NO system expansion,NO credits

• Cut-off applied for outputs without economic value and wastes for recycling

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Allocation: Example Biogas

use, digested matter(0.71 kg)

disposal, organic waste(1 kg)

biogas(0.1 Nm3)

biogas plant

organic waste, to biogas plant(1 kg)

cleaning, filling station

agriculture

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Soybean production

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Increase of agricultural area

This area was cleared by soybean farmers in Novo Progreso.Brazilian Government figures show that the rate of clearing has

increased.

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Annual forest loss in Brazilian Amazon

http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/deforestation_calculations.htmlhttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/section2group3/results_and_discussion

nearly 20‘000km2

= 600m2 per second

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Clear cutting of primary forests

• Agricultural area is increased by clear cutting

• Land transformation leads to CO2 emissions

• Burning of residues with further emissions

• Loss of biodiversity

• CO2 from land transformation accounts for

about 90% of Brazil CO2 emissions

• Particles from residue burning are an important problem in South-East Asia

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Principle of investigation

• What is the increase in agricultural area for the production in the reference year?

• What is emitted per m2 of clear cut land?

• Allocation of emissions between wood and stubbed land

• Stubbed land is the main driver

• New elementary flow „CO2, land

transformation“ as used by IPCC for different possibilities of analysis

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Inventory Clear Cutting

Name

Lo

catio

n

Infr

ast

ruct

ure

Pro

cess

Un

it clear-cutting, primary forest

round wood, primary forest, clear-cutting, at forest road

provision, stubbed

land

Location BR BR BRInfrastructureProcess 0 0 0

Unit ha m3 m2round wood, primary forest, clear-cutting, at forest road

BR 0 m3 5.21E+1 100 -

provision, stubbed land BR 0 m2 1.00E+4 - 100 Wood, primary forest, standing - - m3 1.82E+2 29 71 Transformation, from tropical rain forest - - m2 1.00E+4 - 100 Transformation, to forest, intensive, clear-cutting

- - m2 1.00E+4 - 100

power sawing, without catalytic converter RER 0 h 1.24E+1 100 -

Carbon dioxide, land transformation - - kg 1.20E+5 - 100 Carbon monoxide, fossil - - kg 7.84E+3 - 100 Methane, fossil - - kg 5.14E+2 - 100

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Inventory agricultural product

Name

Loca

tion Uni

t soybeans, at farm

Location BRInfrastructureProcess 0

Unit kgOccupation, arable, non-irrigated m2a 1.97E+0Transformation, to arable, non-irrigated m2 3.93E+0Transformation, from forest, intensive, clear-cutting m2 6.22E-2Transformation, from arable, non-irrigated m2 3.77E+0Transformation, from shrub land, sclerophyllous m2 1.03E-1provision, stubbed land BR m2 6.22E-2

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Soybean greenhouse gasses

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

soybeans BR soybeans US Soy beans, integratedproduction, CH

Soy beans organic, CH

fossil, non-CO2 CH4, biogenic CO2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

soybeans BR soybeans US Soy beans, integratedproduction, CH

Soy beans organic, CH

fossil, non-CO2 CH4, biogenic CO2 CO2, land trans

kg CO2-eq per kg at field

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Soybean (ecological scarcity 2006)

-1'000

-

1'000

2'000

3'000

4'000

5'000

6'000

7'000

8'000

9'000

soybeans BR soybeans US Soy beans,integrated

production, CH

Soy beans organic,CH

eco

log

ical

sca

rcit

y 20

06 p

oin

ts p

er k

g

Metolachlor

Copper

2,4-D

Phosphorus

Phosphate

Nitrate

Particulates, < 2.5 um

Dinitrogen monoxide

Benzene

Occupation, arable, non-irrigatedRemaining substances

Important differences in environmental profile

Fires during clear cutting

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Plant oil production

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

rape oil CH rape oil RER palm oil MY palm kernel oilMY

soybean oil BR soybean oil US Soya oil RER

fossil, non-CO2 CH4, biogenic CO2

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

rape oil CH rape oil RER palm oil MY palm kernel oilMY

soybean oil BR soybean oil US Soya oil RER

fossil, non-CO2 CH4, biogenic CO2 CO2, land trans

kg CO2-eq per kg oil at plant

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Sugar production of sugar cane

agriculture

Harvest manual/machinery

Sugar /Ethanol production

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Sugar production

0.00E+00

1.00E-07

2.00E-07

3.00E-07

4.00E-07

5.00E-07

6.00E-07

7.00E-07

sugar, from sugar beet CH sugar, from sugarcane BR

DA

LY/k

g

Remaining substances Nitrogen oxides

Ammonia Sulfur dioxide

Particulates, > 2.5 um, and < 10um Particulates, < 2.5 um Respiratory effects, inorganic,Eco-indicator 99, (H,A) due to burning of

residues

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Sugar production

Respiratory effects, organic, Eco-indicator 99, (H,A) due to burning of

residues

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

sugar, from sugar beet, at sugar refinery/kg/CH U sugar, from sugarcane, at sugar refinery/kg/BR U

DA

LY/k

g

Remaining substances kg C2H4 Toluene Air kg C2H4 Ethene Air kg C2H4

Hexane Air kg C2H4 Propane Air kg C2H4 Ethane Air kg C2H4

Butane Air kg C2H4 Pentane Air kg C2H4 Carbon monoxide, biogenic Air kg C2H4

Methane, fossil Air kg C2H4 Carbon monoxide, fossil Air kg C2H4 Sulfur dioxide Air kg C2H4

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Conclusions

• Products show environmental “Achilles’ tendon” in different areas=> Focus of investigation depends on product analysed

• “Biofuels” example: - burning of residues

- CO2 emissions due to land transformation

=> acknowledge and model regional differences

• ecoinvent data provide the necessary information

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Thanks to participating organisations

• Financing: – Swiss Federal Offices for Energy (BFE), Agriculture (BLW) and Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL)

– Erdöl-Vereinigung, Zurich; Alcosuisse, Berne; Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich

• Experts: – Carbotech AG, Basel– Chudacoff Oekoscience, Zürich– Doka Ökobilanzen– ENERS Energy Concept, Lausanne– INFRAS, Bern– Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ)

• ecoinvent manager: Rolf Frischknecht, ecoinvent Centre

• Project leader: Niels Jungbluth, ESU-services Ltd.

ecoinvent

A joint initiative of the Swiss ETH research domain and Swiss Federal Offices

Trust in Transparency!www.ecoinvent.org