Põllumajandusministeeriumi ja Maaelu ... - bioenergybaltic

material for biofuels (grain or oil crop), agricultural and transport machinery, producing fuel
from the agricultural raw material. Also the bioethanol production process is energy intensive.
Most of the studies give the result that per one unit of ethanol energy 0.6 to 0.8 units of fossil
fuels have been used.
The production of biodiesel is less energy intensive. Per one unit of biodiesel energy 0.45
energy units of fossil fuel is used.
In Estonia the required energy cost for biodiesel production has been evaluated by the
Estonian State Control together with the Research Institute of Agriculture. According to the
State Control, 1.3 – 1.4 capacity units of biodiesel fuel can be gained from one capacity unit of
liquid fuel for the rape yield of 1.5 t/ha.
Biomass Product Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment Standards
Methods for the assessment of product life cycles are based on the Republic of Estonia
standards for the assessment of life cycles EVS-EN ISO 14040:2006 and EVS-EN ISO
14044:2006, which are based on respective EU standards EN ISO 14040 and EN ISO 14044.
All officially conducted assessments of the life cycles must observe the scheme and principles
provided in the standards.
This International Standard EN ISO 14040 describes the principles and framework for life
cycle assessment (LCA) including a) the goal and scope definition of the LCA, b) the life
cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase, c) the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, d) the
life cycle interpretation phase, e) reporting and critical review of the LCA, f) limitations of
the LCA, g) relationship between the LCA phases, and h) conditions for the use of value
choices and optional elements.
This International Standard EN ISO 14044 specifies the requirements and provides guidelines
for life cycle assessment (LCA) including a) the goal and scope definition of the LCA, b) the
life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase, c) the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, d)
the life cycle interpretation phase, e) reporting and critical review of the LCA.
Life cycle of bioenergy products
Many bioenergy products generate large benefits compared to fossil fuels. But, they are not
per se advantageous compared to fossil fuels, neither in terms of primary fossil energy
consumption, nor in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In the worst case, both aspects can
even exceed the energy consumption as well as the emissions resulting from fossil fuels. In
order to assess benefits from the utilization of bioenergy products (biofuels) compared to
fossil fuels, life cycles have to be determined. These life cycles vary largely, depending on the
type of feedstock, choice of location, production of by-products, process technology and on
how the fuel is used. Within this variety, the basic components of life cycles in biofuel
processing are always the same. The life cycle of biofuels has several vertical process steps:
1) biomass production and transport,
2) biofuel processing,
3) biofuel distribution and
4) biofuel consumption.
In addition, the industrial process steps of producing fertilizers, seeds and pesticides for the
production of biomass must be included.
In each process step of bioenergy product (biofuels) production different actors are involved.
Biomass is produced by farmers. Transport is conducted by farmers, too, but sometimes it is
also conducted by logistic services or by the biomass conversion industry itself. Biofuel is
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