Life cycle assessment of corn-based ethanol production in Argentina. A sensitive analysis

PIERAGOSTINI, CARLA; AGUIRRE, PIO; MUSSATI, MIGUEL C.

Dublin

Conferencia; SEEP2012 - 5th International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Protection; 2012

Dublin City University

Biofuels, mainly biodiesel and bioethanol, constitute a renewable source of primary energy and its sustainable use is a valuable palliative to the current global energy crisis. The transportation sector is one of the major consumers of bioethanol in blend with gasoline; however, it can also be used as raw material to produce hydrogen and synthesis gas by reforming processes. In turn, hydrogen and synthesis gas can be used for electric power generation. Then, bioethanol production catches scientists and governments? attention due to both its variety of uses and applications, and its renewable origin. However, environmental and sustainability aspects should still be addressed and trade-offs elucidated. In this context, this work aims at analyzing the environmental impact of corn-based bioethanol production in Argentina resorting to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The Eco-indicator 99 LCIA method and SimaPro software are chosen to perform the analysis. The study involves from raw material production to ethanol without distillation. The system is divided into two subsystems: corn cultivation (subsystem 1) and refinery (subsystem 2). The functional units are 1 kg of maize and 1 kg of ethanol without distillation respectively. A sensitivity analysis is performed. In doing so, several scenarios are investigated, such as by assuming different farming practice, considering deforestation, varying the grain yield, altering transportation, and the energy matrix. The assessed environmental performances are discussed and compared in light of regional characteristics and circumstances.