Top

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment

Published in:

01-11-2012 | PROMOTION OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS IN LCA

Integration of spatial analyses into LCA—calculating GHG emissions with geoinformation systems

Authors: Boris Dresen, Michael Jandewerth

Published in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment | Issue 9/2012

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Purpose

Spatial analyses in life cycle assessments are hardly ever conducted. The combination of geoinformation systems and life cycle assessments (LCA) databases is a way to realise such complex calculations. By the example of energetic utilisation of biomass via conditioned biogas a geoinformation systems-based calculation tool is presented which combines geodata on biomass potentials, infrastructure, land use, cost and technology databases with analysis tools for the planning of biogas plants to identify the most efficient plant locations, to calculate balances of emissions, biomass streams and costs.

Methods

The calculations include the impact categories greenhouse gases, acidification, and eutrophication and were tested for the Lower Rhine region and the Altmark region in Germany. The results of the greenhouse gas (GHG) balances are presented. By using only nationwide available datasets, the calculation tool can be used in other regions as well.

Results and discussion

Balances of individual sites, regional balances and their temporal development can be calculated in geoinformation systems (GIS) using LCA methods. The composition of the substrates varies according to site and catchment area and lead to large variations in plant configurations and the resulting GHG balances and cost structures.

Conclusions

GIS tools do not only allow the assessment of individual plants, but also the determination of the GHG reduction potential, the biogas potential as well as the necessary investment costs for entire regions. Thus, the exploitation of regional biogas potentials in a way that is sustainable and climate-friendly becomes simple.

previous article The critical review of life cycle assessment studies according to ISO 14040 and 14044

next article Life cycle assessment of the supply and use of bioenergy: impact of regional factors on biogas production

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Association for Technology and Structures in Agriculture, KTBL (2005) Gasausbeuten in landwirtschaftlichen Biogasanlagen, Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft (KTBL), Heft 88

Association for Technology and Structures in Agriculture, KTBL (2006) Energiepflanzen—Datensammlung für die Planung des Energiepflanzenbaus, Darmstadt, 1. Aufl

Bill R (1999) Grundlagen der Geo-Informationssysteme, band 1: hardware. Software und Daten, Heidelberg

Börjesson P, Berglund M (2007) Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems—part ii: the environmental impact of replacing various reference systems. Biomass Bioenerg 31:326–344CrossRef

Breuer T, Holm-Müller K (2006) Abschätzung der Chancen aus der Förderung von Biokraftstoffen für die ländlichen Regionen in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Landwirtschaftliche Fakultät der Universität Bonn, Schriftenreihe des Lehr- und Forschungsschwerpunktes USL, Nr., p 137

Ecoinvent (2004) Code of Practice. Ecoinvent report No. 2, Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Dübendorf

Fritsche U, Dehoust G, Jenseit W, Hünecke K, Rausch L, Schüler D, Wiegmann K, Hiebel M et al (2004) Material flow analysis of sustainable biomass use for energy; in German, Stoffstromanalyse zur nachhaltigen energetischen Nutzung von Biomasse. Öko-Institut, Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Institut für Energetik und Umwelt (IE), Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung (IFEU), Technische Universität Braunschweig. Technische Universität München, Darmstadt

Geyer R, Lindner JP, Stoms DM, Davis FW, Wittstock B (2010a) Coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessment of land use, part 1: inventory modelling. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:454–467CrossRef

Geyer R, Stoms DM, Lindner JP, Davis FW, Wittstock B (2010b) Coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessment of land use, part 2: impact assessment. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:692–703CrossRef

Gömann H, Kreins P, Breuer T (2008) Einfluss steigender Weltagrarpreise auf die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Energiemaisanbaus in Deutschland, Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues. Band 43:517–527

Heuvelmans G, Muys B, Feyen J (2005) Extending the life cycle methodology to cover impacts of land use systems on the water balance. Int J Life Cycle Assess 10(2):113–119CrossRef

Holm-Nielsen JB, Al Seadi T, Oleskowicz-Popiel P (2009) The future of anaerobic digestion and biogas utilization. Bioresour Technol 100:5478–5484CrossRef

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) Fourth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2007”. Cambridge University Press, UK

Mueller S (2006) Manure’s allure: variation of the financial, environmental, and economic benefits from combined heat and power systems integrated with anaerobic digesters at hog farms across geographic and economic regions. Renew Energ 32:248–256CrossRef

Murphy JD, McKoegh E, Kiely G (2004) Technical/economic/environmental analysis of biogas utilisation. Appl Energ 77:407–427CrossRef

Núñez M, Civit B, Muñoz P, Arena AP, Rieradevall J, Antón A (2010) Assessing potential desertification environmental impact in life cycle assessment, part 1: methodological aspects. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:67–78CrossRef

Potting J, Hauschild M (1997) LCA methodology—predicted environmental impact and expected occurrence of actual environmental impact, process and production engineering. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2(4):209–216CrossRef

Potting J, Hauschild M (2006) Spatial differentiation in life cycle impact assessment—a decade of method development to increase the environmental realism of LCIA. Int J Life Cycle Assess 11:11–13CrossRef

Shah VP, Ries RJ (2009) A characterization model with spatial and temporal resolution for life cycle impact assessment of photochemical precursors in the United States. Int J Life Cycle Assess 14:313–327CrossRef

SRU (2007) Climate Change Mitigation by Biomass, German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), Special report, Berlin

Tricase C, Lombardi M (2009) State of the art and prospects of Italian biogas production from animal sewage: technical–economic considerations. Renew Energ 34:477–485CrossRef

Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, BMU (2007) Leitstudie 2007, “Ausbaustrategie Erneuerbare Energien”, Aktualisierung und Neubewertung bis zu den Jahren 2020 und 2030 mit Ausblick bis 2050, Stuttgart

Urban W, Girod K, Lohmann H (2008) Technologien und Kosten der Biogasaufbereitung und Einspeisung in das Erdgasnetz. Ergebnisse der Markterhebung 2007–2008, Oberhausen

Yi I, Itsubo N, Inaba A, Matsumoto K (2007) Development of the interregional I/O based LCA method considering region-specifics of indirect effects in regional evaluation. Int J Life Cycle Assess 12(6):353–364

Ziegler F, Nilsson P, Mattsson B, Walther Y (2003) LCA methodology with case study—life cycle assessment of frozen cod fillets including fishery-specific environmental impacts. Int J Life Cycle Assess 8(1):39–47

Title: Integration of spatial analyses into LCA—calculating GHG emissions with geoinformation systems
Authors: Boris Dresen
Michael Jandewerth
Publication date: 01-11-2012
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment / Issue 9/2012
Print ISSN: 0948-3349
Electronic ISSN: 1614-7502
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-011-0378-3

Springer Professional

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results and discussion

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 9/2012

Young scientists in LCA—the “Ökobilanzwerkstatt”

LCA of energetic biomass utilization: actual projects and new developments—April 23, 2012, Berne, Switzerland

Life cycle assessment of the supply and use of bioenergy: impact of regional factors on biogas production

Regional assessment of local emissions of electric vehicles using traffic simulations for a use case in Germany

Assessment of the environmental performance of buildings: A critical evaluation of the influence of technical building equipment on residential buildings

The critical review of life cycle assessment studies according to ISO 14040 and 14044