Author, as appears in the article.: Cabrera-Jiménez R; Mateo-Sanz JM; Gavaldà J; Jiménez L; Pozo C
Department: Enginyeria Química
URV's Author/s: Gavaldà Casado, Jordi / Jiménez Esteller, Laureano / Mateo Sanz, Josep Maria
Keywords: Waste incineration Transportation sector Transport Through the lens Sustainable transportation Sustainable development Renewable energy Renewable energies Performance Liquid biofuels Life-cycle assessment Life cycle Lca Fleet operations Environmental impact Efficiency Data envelopment analysis Carbon source Carbon emissions Carbon Biomass Biofuels Analysis approach transport systems sustainable development slacks-based measure renewable energy lca environmental efficiency analysis energy efficiency emissions diesel china biomass biofuels allocation
Abstract: Liquid biofuels can facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable transportation sector by curbing carbon emissions while maintaining most of the current vehicle fleet. Today, a myriad of alternatives are available to produce biofuels, where different decisions for the fuel type, blend, conversion process and carbon source will affect the final cost and environmental impact of the product. In this contribution, we analyze the performance of 72 different biofuels routes based on 12 indicators that cover the three sustainability dimensions: economic, environmental and social. The proposed multi-criteria approach combines Data Envelopment Analysis with Life Cycle Assessment to evaluate biofuels from a cradle-to-wheel perspective, that is, considering the production chain spanning from biomass production to the combustion of the biofuel in the engine. Results reveal that there are 35 biofuels routes performing better than the rest, with renewable diesel being a better option than ethanol-based blends or biodiesel, and waste biomass preferred over cellulosic biomass or bio-oils. The selection of the carbon source proofed to be the most important decision, highlighting the need to consider regional aspects related to soil and climate before promoting a certain biofuel. Overall, our results can help to derive effective policies for the adoption of biofuels attaining the best performance at minimum cost and environmental risks. © 2021 The Author(s)
Thematic Areas: Renewable energy, sustainability and the environment Química Nuclear energy and engineering Mechanical engineering Materiais Matemática / probabilidade e estatística Management, monitoring, policy and law Interdisciplinar Geociências General energy Fuel technology Farmacia Engineering, chemical Engenharias iv Engenharias iii Engenharias ii Engenharias i Energy engineering and power technology Energy (miscellaneous) Energy (all) Energy & fuels Economia Civil and structural engineering Ciências biológicas iii Ciências biológicas i Ciências ambientais Ciências agrárias i Ciência de alimentos Ciência da computação Building and construction Biotecnología Biodiversidade Arquitetura, urbanismo e design
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: laureano.jimenez@urv.cat josepmaria.mateo@urv.cat josepmaria.mateo@urv.cat jordi.gavalda@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0002-3186-7235 0000-0002-6352-9863 0000-0002-6352-9863 0000-0002-3702-0422
Record's date: 2024-09-07
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261921014690?via%3Dihub
Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: Applied Energy. 307
APA: Cabrera-Jiménez R; Mateo-Sanz JM; Gavaldà J; Jiménez L; Pozo C (2022). Comparing biofuels through the lens of sustainability: A data envelopment analysis approach. Applied Energy, 307(), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118201
Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118201
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2022
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV