Presentation - Copernicus.org

EuroChar – Life Cycle Assessment: Biochar
Mireille Rack, Dr. Jeremy Woods
EGU General Assembly 2012
Vienna, Austria – 24 April 2012

Presentation Overview
1) Overview EuroChar Project
2) Overview WP 3: LCA
• Overview LCA
• WP 3 Progress
• LCA – Attributional vs Consequential
3) Overview WP 7: Scenario Analysis
• Tasks & Questions to consider
4) Summary

EuroChar Project
‘Biochar for Carbon sequestration
and large-scale removal of
greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere’
January 2011 – December 2013
BIOCHAR
‘the carbon-rich product that remains
when biomass is heated to a high
temperature in reduced oxygen
conditions’
Tree diagram highlighting the various potential benefits of
biochar from http://www.biocharinternational.org/sites/default/files/CHARTREE2.jpg

EuroChar Project – General Structure

EuroChar Project – Partners
WP3 LCA
WP7
Scenario
Analysis

WP3 – Overview: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
“LCA addresses the environmental aspects and potential environmental
impacts...throughout a product’s life cycle from raw material acquisition
through production, use, end-of-life treatment...and final disposal”
(ISO, 2006)
Stages of LCA:
1. Goal & Scope Definition
2. Inventory Analysis (LCI)
3. Impact Assessment (LCIA)
4. Interpretation
(ISO, 2006)

WP3 – LCA: Progress
“LCA addresses the environmental aspects and potential environmental
impacts...throughout a product’s life cycle from raw material acquisition
through production, use, end-of-life treatment...and final disposal”
(ISO, 2006)
Stages of LCA:
1. Goal & Scope Definition
IN PROGRESS
2. Inventory Analysis (LCI)
IN PROGRESS
3. Impact Assessment (LCIA)
4. Interpretation
Step 1: Characterization of the
supply chain
-feedstock: cultivation,
processing/treatment,
transportation
-conversion technologies:
TC, HTC
-application of biochar: method
and form
-etc…

WP3 – LCA: Progress – HTC supply chain
DRAFT
Supply Chain - REFERENCE
Leaves (~ Sept. - March)
Green cuts (~ April – Aug.)
T = transport

WP3 – LCA: Progress – HTC supply chain
DRAFT
Supply Chain - HTC
Leaves (~ Sept. - March)
Green cuts (~ April – Aug.)
WWTP = waste water
treatment plant

Mass
allocation
Energy
allocation
WP3 – LCA: Progress – GHG calculations
TC – Wheat straw
Straw
Production
315.51
384.18
Total emissions (CO 2e kg) per tonne of straw
Harvest &
Bailing
3.82
Pelletization
1.2
DRAFT*
TC
35.15
*Calculations are based on literature figures, primary data and multiple assumptions/omissions

WP3 – LCA: Attributional vs Consequential
(Tarka-Sanchez et al., 2012)

WP7 – Scenario Analysis: Task & Questions to consider
Task 1 (Imperial College London)
Evaluate impacts of putting biochar on land, in terms of gross and net
greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration potential

Biochar
Diagram from Woolf et. al., 2010

Summary
Overall aim:
• To understand the
Next Steps
WP3 LCA:
o overall C-cycle
o overall impacts
o policy requirements
Continue & finalize
Goal & Scope Phase of LCA
Start
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
to develop modules and set up supply chains in SimaPro
WP7 Scenario Analysis:
Collect information from project partners on different aspects/questions

Thank you!
Imperial College London
Centre for Environmental Policy
www.imperial.ac.uk/environmentalpolicy
Mireille Rack
mireille.rack@imperial.ac.uk
Dr. Jeremy Woods
jeremy.woods@imperial.ac.uk
EuroChar Websites:
http://www.eurochar.org/
http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/rcn/97271_en.html

References
ISO. (2006) Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment – Principles and Framework. BSI. Report
number: BS EN ISO 14040:2006.
Tarka Sanchez, S., Woods, J., Akhurst, M., Brander, M., O‘Hare, M., Dawson, T. P., Edwards, R., Liska, A.J. &
Malpas, R. (2012) Accounting for indirect land-use change in the life cycle assessment of biofuel supply chains.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 9, 1105-1119.
Woolf, D., Amonette, J.E., Street-perrott, F.A., Lehmann, J. & Joseph, S. (2010) Sustainable biochar to mitigate
global climate change. Nature Communications, 1, 56.