Presentation Title: Key Issues of Life-Cycle Analysis of Biofuels   Presenter: Michael Wang, Argonne National Laboratory Presentation Abstract: Biofuels have been promoted to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the U.S. transportation sector. The energy and environmental effects of biofuels, especially corn-based ethanol, have nonetheless been debated. Since 1997, Argonne National Laboratory has been studying the energy and GHG emission impacts of biofuels as part of its overall efforts to evaluate the life-cycle energy and emission effects of various advanced vehicle technologies and transportation fuels. Through its life-cycle analysis research, Argonne has developed the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model. California used the GREET model to develop its low carbon fuel standards (LCFS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used GREET, among several other models, to develop renewable fuel standards that were required in the U.S. 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.Biofuel energy and emissions results are determined by several critical factors � technology improvements in production of both feedstocks and fuels, methods of dealing with co-products in biofuel life-cycle analysis, potential land use changes, and system boundary of life-cycle analysis, among other factors. In the past several years, Argonne has been closely examining these issues. Argonne included the GHG emissions from potential land use changes that may be caused by biofuel production. Besides ethanol, Argonne has been examining other biofuels such as pyrolysis-based biofuels and algae-based biofuels. This presentation covers recent life-cycle analysis activities at Argonne and results of biofuels.

Key issues of life-cycle analysis of biofuels

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.