Elsevier

Applied Energy

Volume 87, Issue 12, December 2010, Pages 3652-3660
Applied Energy

Life cycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel as transportation fuel in rural India

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.07.003Get rights and content

Abstract

Since 2003 India has been actively promoting the cultivation of Jatropha on unproductive and degraded lands (wastelands) for the production of biodiesel suitable as transportation fuel. In this paper the life cycle energy balance, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential and land use impact on ecosystem quality is evaluated for a small scale, low-input Jatropha biodiesel system established on wasteland in rural India. In addition to the life cycle assessment of the case at hand, the environmental performance of the same system expanded with a biogas installation digesting seed cake was quantified. The environmental impacts were compared to the life cycle impacts of a fossil fuel reference system delivering the same amount of products and functions as the Jatropha biodiesel system under research. The results show that the production and use of Jatropha biodiesel triggers an 82% decrease in non-renewable energy requirement (Net Energy Ratio, NER = 1.85) and a 55% reduction in global warming potential (GWP) compared to the reference fossil-fuel based system. However, there is an increase in acidification (49%) and eutrophication (430%) from the Jatropha system relative to the reference case. Although adding biogas production to the system boosts the energy efficiency of the system (NER = 3.40), the GWP reduction would not increase (51%) due to additional CH4 emissions. For the land use impact, Jatropha improved the structural ecosystem quality when planted on wasteland, but reduced the functional ecosystem quality. Fertilizer application (mainly N) is an important contributor to most negative impact categories. Optimizing fertilization, agronomic practices and genetics are the major system improvement options.

Introduction

In 2009 the Government of India approved the National Policy on Biofuels aiming at a 20% blend of biofuels with gasoline and diesel by 2017 [1]. In 2007, India consumed about 38 million tonnes of petroleum products in the transport sector [2] and is expected to double this consumption by 2030 [3]. In 2005, 71% of the transportation fuel was diesel [3]. Hence, the blending target implies a large increase in biodiesel production for which India has set high hopes on Jatropha curcas [3], [4], [5]. India intends to introduce Jatropha in wastelands and degraded lands only, to avoid conflict with food production and to simultaneously reclaim these unproductive areas, enhance rural socio-economic development and produce fuel [6], [7]. It is estimated that India holds 40–64 million ha of wasteland area, which could be partially or fully cultivated with Jatropha [3], [6]. Following the yield estimation of Francis et al. [6] this area could yield 19.4–31.1 million tonnes Jatropha biodiesel. By the end of 2007, the Ministry of Rural Development estimated that Jatropha covered 500,000–600,000 ha across India. The second phase in the promotion of Jatropha on wasteland, as proposed by India’s Planning Commission in 2003, includes expanding the plantation area of Jatropha to 12 million ha [4].

Even though the understanding of Jatropha’s biomass production and allometry [8], [9], reproductive ecology [10], [11] water use and footprint [12], [13], [14] significantly improved in recent years, the persistent lack of knowledge on input-responsiveness, agronomy and genetics mean that Jatropha as a biodiesel crop has yet to reach its full potential [15], [16]. Studies on the environmental risks and benefits of the Jatropha biodiesel system have only recently become available [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23].

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an appropriate tool to unravel and quantify the potential environmental risks and benefits of biodiesel systems [24]. However, often LCA studies of biofuels are limited to energy and greenhouse gas balances [20], [24], [25], [26] although other impact categories are important as well [23], [27], [28]. Several country or site-specific life cycle studies on Jatropha biodiesel (Thailand: [18], [22]; Ivory Coast: [19]; Malaysia: [20] and China: [21]) show favorable greenhouse gas and energy balance compared to an alternative fossil-fuel based system. For India a LCA study on Jatropha for electrification is available [23] showing a reduction of the life cycle GHG emissions by a factor 7 compared to a diesel generator or grid connection. When taking into account other environmental dimensions, the overall environmental performance only slightly improves compared to the reference system [23].

Based on high expectations created by the recent hype around biofuels and the resulting rapid expansion of Jatropha worldwide [29], there are voices suggesting that Jatropha is appropriate for small-scale, community based production aimed at local use. Large-scale investments [30] may hold both environmental and socio-economic sustainability risks, given the current knowledge gaps and the uncertain economic perspectives [30], [31]. Small-scale initiatives allow to assess the potential risks and benefits of the system and may pave the way for potentially sustainable expansion of Jatropha biodiesel production in the future. Based on this consideration, India’s transportation biodiesel blending targets, and Jatropha’s potential role in meeting these, it was set out to evaluate the environmental performance of a transport fuel production system using Jatropha in rural India.

This paper presents a case specific LCA study for a small scale, low-input Jatropha biodiesel system in rural India that is being used for reclaiming wasteland and producing biodiesel for local consumption in transportation. The LCA compares the performance of the Jatropha system with a fossil-fuel based reference system. Our analysis goes beyond assessing energy outputs and greenhouse gas balances and includes assessing other environmental impacts, particularly with respect to acidification, eutrophication and land use. This analysis aims at adding to the growing body of knowledge by looking at using Jatropha biodiesel as a source of rural energy for transportation. In addition to the LCA of the current situation in the case study area of Jatropha for biofuel, the environmental impacts of incorporating a biogas installation for digestion of the Jatropha seed cake was simulated for a more comprehensive analysis.

Section snippets

Methodology

The total environmental impact of the complete production system was assessed using LCA according to the standard described by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14010/44:2006).

Production system

This section describes the analyzed production system, based on the data gathered at NGO Utthan, Allahabad. Seedlings are prepared in the nursery using poly bags. Seeds are planted in a mixture of local compost and soil and are watered manually (water is pumped with an electrical pump). To prepare the wasteland for cultivation the field is ploughed with a tractor and planting pits are dug. 2599 Jatropha seedlings are planted per ha. During plantation establishment 111 kg ha−1 Urea (N:P:K: 46:0:0

Conclusions

In general the small-scale Jatropha biodiesel system for local transportation use shows similar environmental performance as other biofuel systems. Compared to other systems our case study shows a strong reduction in non-renewable energy requirement and a moderate reduction in global warming potential. The trade-off environmental cost for these reductions is an increase in eutrophication and acidification. Expanding the Jatropha biodiesel system with biogas production enhances the energy

Acknowledgments

This research is funded by the Flemish Interuniversity Council – University Development Co-operation (VLIR-UDC), and is a collaboration between K.U.Leuven and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Additional support was provided by core contributions by CIFOR. Dr. K.K. Tewari, Mr. Yunaid, Mr. Srivastava, Mr.R.K. Sing, Mr. Umesh, Mr. Shukla and Mr. Sanjey of the NGO Utthan in Allahabad are greatly acknowledged for their support during our fieldwork stay in Allahabad. Further we thank Dr. N.P.

Glossary

AP
Acidification Potential
CJO
crude Jatropha oil
EFQ
ecosystem functional quality
EP
eutrophication potential
ESQ
ecosystem structural quality
FU
functional unit
GHG
greenhouse gas
GWP
global warming potential
IR
infiltration rate
LCA
life cycle assessment
LO
land occupation
lPNV
local potential natural vegetation
LUC
land use change
NEG
net energy gain
NER
net energy ratio
NRER
non-renewable energy requirement
NS
number of vascular plant species
SC
soil cover
TAB
total aboveground biomass
VSD
vertical space distribution

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