(GTI-tcbiomass) life-cycle assessment of the BTO®-process (biomass-to-oil) with combined heat and power generation

A life cycle assessment study of the biomass-to-oil (BTO®) process based on the fast ablative pyrolysis of wood chips from forest residues has been performed. The planned system consists of eight pyrolyzers with a throughput of 6 tpd each. The bio-oil will be burnt in eight modified diesel engines with a capacity of 315 kWhel each. The results were compared with a reference system (fossil diesel-fueled CHP). The comparison is made for the production of 1 kWh of electrical energy (kWhel) and shows significant differences for global warming potential (GWP100: ?87.7%), eutrophication potential (EP: +23.2%), acidification potential (AP: ?44.6%), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP: ?63.6%), and ozone depletion potential (ODP: ?92.4%). The results of the BTO-CHP-system show lower environmental impact values in all environmental impact categories except for the EP-value, which exceeds the reference due to the application of bio-oil additives derived from agricultural production. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010