2.4 Hydrous Ethanol Production from Sugarcane in Brazil
Monica Alcantara from Odebrecht Agroindustrial determined the carbon and water
footprint of hydrous ethanol produced from sugarcane in Brazil [11]. During growth,
sugarcane absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate of 28.3 g CO 2 /MJ. The cultivation and
harvesting of sugarcane releases 17.8 g CO 2 /MJ, transport with diesel-powered
trucks 4.5 g CO 2 /MJ, whilst processing releases 1 g CO 2 /MJ. Finally, burning in a car
engine releases 0.6 g CO 2 /MJ. The results of the carbon footprint depend on the
inclusion of LUC in the assessment. The water footprint was quantified at 18.4 l of
water per litre of ethanol produced at the Odebrecht plant including the life cycle
stages from agricultural production involving irrigation up to the operation of the
Odebrecht plant. Water use was identified as a hotspot for the Odebrecht
Agroindustrial company.
2.5 Emissions from Global Land Use Change
and Deforestation
Jean-Baptiste Bayart from Quantis discussed how to embed LUC in corporate
footprints [12], since it contributes around 18% of global GHG emissions, more
than the direct contribution of the agricultural sector (around 13.5%). The example
of soybeans in Argentina showed that more than 5 kg CO 2 -eq per kg soybean are
released due to land use change. Corporations can only adopt meaningful strategies
to avoid deforestation and other types of LUC in order to reach their GHG
reduction targets if these effects can be measured in a harmonised way. However,
current models have high uncertainty and there are many different models, which
can influence the results. A corporate consortium led by Quantis aims at giving
recommendations on how to quantify GHG emissions arising from land use change.
For the allocation of GHG emissions from LUC over time, Bayart proposed a
model with linear discounting over 20 years. This means that the allocated emissions during the first crop cycle are higher but will reduce over time.
Bayart concluded that their study is a step forward in reaching a consensus on
LUC modelling and that significant methodological improvements have been made.
The next step for Quantis is the launch of the pilot phase where the model will be
tested on products and commodities.
3 Outcomes of the Session
The session on Greening Agri-food Value Chains in Emerging Economies at the
8th International Conference on Life Cycle Management showed the manifold
challenges of emerging economies on their transition path to contributing to a
112
M. Stucki and A. Blignaut
Monica Alcantara from Odebrecht Agroindustrial determined the carbon and water
footprint of hydrous ethanol produced from sugarcane in Brazil [11]. During growth,
sugarcane absorbs carbon dioxide at a rate of 28.3 g CO 2 /MJ. The cultivation and
harvesting of sugarcane releases 17.8 g CO 2 /MJ, transport with diesel-powered
trucks 4.5 g CO 2 /MJ, whilst processing releases 1 g CO 2 /MJ. Finally, burning in a car
engine releases 0.6 g CO 2 /MJ. The results of the carbon footprint depend on the
inclusion of LUC in the assessment. The water footprint was quantified at 18.4 l of
water per litre of ethanol produced at the Odebrecht plant including the life cycle
stages from agricultural production involving irrigation up to the operation of the
Odebrecht plant. Water use was identified as a hotspot for the Odebrecht
Agroindustrial company.
2.5 Emissions from Global Land Use Change
and Deforestation
Jean-Baptiste Bayart from Quantis discussed how to embed LUC in corporate
footprints [12], since it contributes around 18% of global GHG emissions, more
than the direct contribution of the agricultural sector (around 13.5%). The example
of soybeans in Argentina showed that more than 5 kg CO 2 -eq per kg soybean are
released due to land use change. Corporations can only adopt meaningful strategies
to avoid deforestation and other types of LUC in order to reach their GHG
reduction targets if these effects can be measured in a harmonised way. However,
current models have high uncertainty and there are many different models, which
can influence the results. A corporate consortium led by Quantis aims at giving
recommendations on how to quantify GHG emissions arising from land use change.
For the allocation of GHG emissions from LUC over time, Bayart proposed a
model with linear discounting over 20 years. This means that the allocated emissions during the first crop cycle are higher but will reduce over time.
Bayart concluded that their study is a step forward in reaching a consensus on
LUC modelling and that significant methodological improvements have been made.
The next step for Quantis is the launch of the pilot phase where the model will be
tested on products and commodities.
3 Outcomes of the Session
The session on Greening Agri-food Value Chains in Emerging Economies at the
8th International Conference on Life Cycle Management showed the manifold
challenges of emerging economies on their transition path to contributing to a
112
M. Stucki and A. Blignaut