Lin, H;
Borrion, A;
da Fonseca-Zang, WA;
Zang, JW;
Leandro, WM;
Campos, LC;
(2021)
Life cycle assessment of a biogas system for cassava processing to close the loop in the water-waste-energy-food nexus in Brazil.
Journal of Cleaner Production
, 299
, Article 126861. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126861.
Preview |
Text
Lin et al 2021 UCL Discovery.pdf - Accepted Version Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Biogas, generated from anaerobic digester (AD), has been one of the promising sources of renewable energy. To manage the organic waste from small cassava industry in Brazil, a waste-water-energy-food nexus (WWEF) system is proposed, combining AD and co-generation or combined heat and power (CHP) plants. However, the environmental impacts and benefits of this system are yet not known. By using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, environmental impacts of three scenarios are assessed, i.e. business-as-usual (base), improved business-as-usual and WWEF closed-loop. Functional unit (FU) in this study is defined as generating 1 kg cassava starch/flour. Global warming potential (GWP), cumulative energy demand (CED), freshwater eutrophication potential (FEP), terrestrial acidification potential (TAP) and water depletion potential (WDP) are selected. Landfilling cassava waste, power use for cassava starch and flour production, and emissions from fertilizer application are identified as environmental hotspots for business-as-usual case, suggesting making decisions on these aspects when dealing with environmental impacts. By using cassava waste to recover energy and nutrients for Brazilian rural family farming, the WWEF system is identified as the best environment-friendly scenario with lowest environmental impacts for the selected impact categories. The impact savings of the closed-loop scenario for GWP are over 90%, while over 50% of emissions for other selected impact categories, except FEP (lower than 10%), are saved compared to the business-as-usual and improved scenarios. Sensitivity analysis reinforces the results. Overall, this study provides a view on the potential of using cassava waste for the WWEF closed-loop system in Brazil, suggesting that the proposed WWEF closed-loop system is feasible and beneficial for small industries from the environmental perspective.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Life cycle assessment of a biogas system for cassava processing to close the loop in the water-waste-energy-food nexus in Brazil |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126861 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126861 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Yuca, Manioc, Starch, LCA, Anaerobic digestion, Environmental impacts |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10125456 |
Loading...
Loading...Loading...Loading...Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
