Life cycle energy, environment and economic assessment of soybean-based biodiesel as an alternative automotive fuel in China

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 33; no. 11; pp. 1654 - 1658
• Main Authors: Hu, Zhiyuan, Tan, Piqiang, Yan, Xiaoyu, Lou, Diming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biomass; China; Cost; Emission; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Life cycle assessment; Natural energy; Soybean-based biodiesel; Asia; China; Life cycle assessment; Emission; Soybean-based biodiesel; Energy; Cost; China; Alternative motor fuel; Ecobalance; Technicoeconomic study; Biofuel; Cost analysis; Soybean oil; Performance; Biodiesel
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2008.06.004

Life cycle energy, environment and economic assessment for conventional diesel (CD) and soybean-based biodiesel (SB) in China was carried out in this paper. The results of the assessment have shown that compared with CD, SB has similar source-to-tank (StT) total energy consumption, 76% lower StT fossil energy consumption, 79% higher source-to-wheel (StW) nitrogen oxides (NO X ) emissions, 31%, 44%, 36%, 29%, and 67% lower StW hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxides (SO X ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions, respectively. SB is thus considered to be much more renewable and cleaner than CD. However, the retail price of SB at gas stations would be about 86% higher than that of CD without government subsidy according to the cost assessment and China had to import large amount of soybean to meet the demand in recent years. Therefore, although SB is one of the most promising clean and alternative fuels, currently it is not a good choice for China. It is strategically important for China to diversify the feedstock for biodiesel and to consider other kinds of alternative fuels to substitute CD.