Original scientific paper
Environmental Impacts of the First Generation Liquid Biofuels Production and Emerging Global Climate Changes
Rok FINK
orcid.org/0000-0002-0431-6147
; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences. Department for Sanitary Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Sašo MEDVED
; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Laboratory for Heating, Sanitary and Solar Technology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
In now days transport relays mostly on liquid fossil fuels, although history of combustion engine started with biofuels. But decreasing reserves of fossil fuels and emerging global changes forced mankind to revived liquid biofuels production.
In this research data from Faostat database and Climate Research Unit were calculated to create models for correlation between yield of feedstock and weather variables like precipitation and temperature are. For assessment of liquid biofuels production on environment, program tool Sima Pro 7.1 and method Eco indicator 99 was used. Results show that yield of feedstock for biofuels production is strongly influenced by temperature and less by precipitation. And that increasing the temperature will decrease yield for most of feedstock, except soybean yield is projected to increase. Some projections show that global air temperature will increase for 1.1 to 1.6 °C regard to baseline scenario 1980-1999. Meanwhile precipitation will decrease for 20 % in some regions, but will increase for the same share in others. Therefore Global projection of biofuels production at expected global changes show decrease up to 40 % by the end of 2100. Results of environmental assessment show much larger environmental load for biodiesel or bioethanol in comparison to fossil diesel, petrol or electricity from various sources.
Therefore can be concluded that first generation liquid biofuels can not represent long term solution, neither from ensuring enough quantities at projected global changes, neither from environmental point of view.
Keywords
Climate change; Environmental impacts; Liquid biofuels
Hrčak ID:
50588
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2009.
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