ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
LCA FOR RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Life cycle assessment of bio-based ethanol produced from different agricultural feedstocks
Ivan Muñoz • Karin Flury • Niels Jungbluth • Giles Rigarlsford • Llorenç Milà i Canals • Henry King
Received: 3 August 2012 / Accepted: 10 June 2013
© Springer-Verlag 2013
Responsible editor: Sangwon Suh
I. Muñoz • G. Rigarlsford () • L. Milà i Canals • H. King
Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Unilever, Sharnbrook MK44 1LQ, UK
e-mail: giles.rigarlsford@unilever.com
K. Flury • N. Jungbluth
ESU-services Ltd, Margrit Rainer-Strasse 11c, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
() Corresponding author:
Giles Rigarlsford
e-mail: giles.rigarlsford@unilever.com
Phone: +44 (0)1234 264812
Fax: +44 (0) 1234 264744
1
Global warming potential (from cradle to grave)
3.0
kg CO2-eq/kg
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
100% allocated to ethanol
Freshwater eutrophication potential
0.0005
kg P-eq/kg
0.0004
0.0003
0.0002
0.0001
0.0000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
100% allocated to ethanol
Marine eutrophication potential
0.030
kg N-eq/kg
0.025
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
100% allocated to ethanol
Terrestrial acidification potential
0.030
kg SO2-eq/kg
0.025
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
100% allocated to ethanol
Photochemical oxidant formation potential
kg NMVOC/kg
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.00
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
100% allocated to ethanol
Agricultural land occupation
m2a/kg
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
100% allocated to ethanol
Fig. 1 Results of the sensitivity analysis on allocation. 100 % of environmental burdens allocated to ethanol,
0 % to co-products
2
Global warming potential (from cradle to grave)
kg CO2-eq/kg
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Basic assumptions
Maize stover, US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
No pre-harvest burning
Freshwater eutrophication potential
0.0005
kg P-eq/kg
0.0004
0.0003
0.0002
0.0001
0.0000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Basic assumptions
Maize stover, US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
No pre-harvest burning
Marine eutrophication potential
kg N-eq/kg
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Basic assumptions
Maize stover, US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
No pre-harvest burning
Terrestrial acidification potential
kg SO2-eq/kg
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Basic assumptions
Maize stover, US
No pre-harvest burning
kg NMVOC/kg
Photochemical oxidant formation potential
0.035
0.030
0.025
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Basic assumptions
Maize stover, US
No pre-harvest burning
Agricultural land occupation
m2a/kg
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
No pre-harvest burning
Fig. 2 Results of the sensitivity analysis on pre-harvest burning of sugarcane. In the base case 70 % of the
biomass is burnt, and none in the ‘no pre-harvest burning’ scenario
3
Global warming potential (from cradle to grave)
kg CO2-eq/kg
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Climate change
Maize stover, US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Maize grain drying
Freshwater eutrophication potential
0.0005
kg P-eq/kg
0.0004
0.0003
0.0002
0.0001
0.0000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Maize grain drying
Marine eutrophication potential
kg N-eq/kg
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Maize grain drying
Terrestrial acidification potential
kg SO2-eq/kg
0.020
0.015
0.010
0.005
0.000
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Maize grain drying
Photochemical oxidant formation potential
kg NMVOC/kg
0.04
0.03
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.00
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Maize grain drying
m2a/kg
Agricultural land occupation
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
Sugarcane, BR CS
Sugarcane, BR NE
Maize grain, US
Base case
Maize stover, US
Maize grain drying
Fig. 3 Results of the sensitivity analysis on maize grain drying
4
Global warming potential (from cradle to grave)
6
5
kg CO2 -eq/kg
4
3
2
1
0
Sugarcane, BR CS Sugarcane, BR
NE
Maize grain, US Maize stover, US Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
kg P-eq/kg
Freshwater eutrophication potential
1.0E-03
9.0E-04
8.0E-04
7.0E-04
6.0E-04
5.0E-04
4.0E-04
3.0E-04
2.0E-04
1.0E-04
0.0E+00
Sugarcane, BR
CS
Sugarcane, BR Maize grain, US
NE
Maize stover,
US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
Photochemical oxidant formation potential
0.06
kg NMVOC-eq/kg
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.00
Sugarcane, BR
CS
Sugarcane, BR
NE
Maize grain, US Maize stover, US Sugar beet, FR
Marine eutrophication potential
0.06
0.05
kg N-eq/kg
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.00
Sugarcane, BR
CS
Sugarcane, BR Maize grain, US Maize stover, US Sugar beet, FR
NE
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
Terrestrial acidification potential
2.5E-02
kg SO2 -eq/kg
2.0E-02
1.5E-02
1.0E-02
5.0E-03
0.0E+00
Sugarcane, BR
CS
Sugarcane, BR Maize grain, US
NE
Maize stover,
US
Sugar beet, FR
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
Wheat, FR
Fossil, RER
Agricultural land occupation
4.5
4.0
m 2 yr/kg
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Sugarcane, BR
CS
Sugarcane, BR
NE
Maize grain, US Maize stover, US Sugar beet, FR
Fig. 5 Results of probabilistic analysis for ReCiPe impact indicators
5
The excel file below summarizes the estimation of the amount of LUC attributed to each crop
in the last 20 years according to the method by Milà i Canals et al. (2012):
LUC estimates for
crops.xlsx

Sugarcane in Brazil (North-East and Centre-South): 0.032 Ha/Ha

Wheat in France: 0.016 Ha/Ha
The calculation of GHG emissions resulting from LUC is carried out with the tool developed
by Flynn et al. (2012). Table 1 provides an overview of the input data used for each crop.
Table 1 Parameter set applied in the model of Flynn et al. (2012) to determine the greenhouse gas emissions
from land use changes
Soil C
Calculations &
maps
Native C stock
Categories
Parameters
Brazil CentreSouth
Climate zone
Tropical moist
Soil types
Low Activity Clay
New C stock*
Biomass C
Warm temperate dry
Wetland
91%Temperate/bore
al, 4.5%
temperate/boreal
dry, 4.5%
temperate/boreal
moist
91% native /
managed grassland,
9% annual crops
91%Improved, 9%
Reduced tillage, low
inputs
50% temp/boreal
dry, 50%
temperate/boreal
moist
Annual crop
All
All
Land use
native / managed
forest
native / managed
forest
Management & inputs
sustainable or none
sustainable or none
Climate zone
Tropical wet/moist
Tropical wet/moist &
tropical dry
Land use
Perennial crops
Full tillage, medium
inputs
Perennial crops
Full tillage, medium
inputs
Climate region
Tropical
Tropical
location
N & S America
Former land use/veg
Tropical moist forest
(>30%)
Crop type
Sugarcane
N & S America
Tropical moist forest
(>30%) & tropical
dry forest (>30%)
Sugarcane
Climate zone
Tropical moist
Tropical moist
All
Region/country
Central & S America
Central & S America
-
Management & inputs
Previous
biomass C
stock
Parameters
France
Climate zone
Previous LU
stock factor
New LU stock
factor
Parameters Brazil
North-East
Tropical moist &
tropical dry
Low Activity Clay
Reduced tillage, low
inputs
50% warm
temperate dry, 50%
warm temperate
moist/wet
All
Grassland
Annual crops
The excel files below show the specific calculations for each crop using this tool:
GHG from LUC Wheat.xls
GHG from LUC Centre-South.xls
GHG from LUC Sugarcane
Sugarcane North-East.xls
6
The GHG emissions calculated in these spreadsheets correspond to land 100% changed. In
order to get the emissions averaged over the LUC happened in the last 20 years in the
corresponding countries we need to take into account the amounts of LUC previously
estimated.
As an example, for wheat the emissions per unit of occupied land (ha ·year) are:
4711 kg CO2-eq/ha-LUC/year x 0.016 ha-LUC/ha = 75.4 kg CO2-eq/ha/year
Using the yield of ethanol per ha and year for each crop, the GHG emissions per kg ethanol
can be obtained. It must be highlighted that in the above calculation the amount of LUC has
not been annualized with a 20 year-period. This is because the GHG result from the tool by
Flynn et al. (2012) already provides an emission annualized by 20 years, thus dividing again
would be double-counting. However, in order to determine the amount of LUC per kg ethanol
a division by 20 years is needed.
7