Life cycle assessment of hydrothermal carbonization systems

1. Life cycle assessment of hydrothermal carbonization systems Mikołaj Owsianiak, Jennifer Brooks, Alexis Laurent, Morten Ryberg Technical University of Denmark EUBCE 2015, Vienna

2. Potential applications of hydrochar inventory

3. Overview • Life cycleassessment(LCA) as a tool to evaluateenvironmentalsustainability of products and systems • LCA case study on hydrocharapplication to soil to improvecropyield …

4. Sustainability Brundtland Commission: A sustainable development “...meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” Three dimensions interact in the creation of sustainable solutions • Environment • Society • Economy

5. Environmentalimpacts fromglobal scale: • global warming • ozone depletion • resource depletion throughregionalscale: • acidification (terrestrial) • eutrophication (terrestrial, aquatic) • ecotoxicity (water, soil) • human toxicity (cancer, noncancer) • respiratory effects • photochemicalozoneformation to localscale: • land use • water use

6. Waste canbe a resource • Organicwaste • HTC Equipment • reactor • HTC Process: • electricity • heat • Hydrochar: • solid fuel (e-coal) • soilfertilizer Hitzl M, Corma A, Pomares F, Renz M. (2014) The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) plant as a decentralbiorefinery for wet biomass. Catalysis Today, In press

7. (Simplified) lifecycle of HTC

8. Why to do an LCA on HTC systems? • To avoidclaimingsustainabilitywithoutquantifyingit • it is probably ok to useresources(steel, etc.) and energy to producehydrochar, as otherwiseorganicwastecould end up in a landfill and cause emissions of greenhouse gases. In that case, HTC canbeseen (relatively) sustainabable. However, this has to bedocumented. • To solveenvironmental problems withoutcreating new ones (i.e., burden-shifting) • hydrochar is expected to have environmentalbenefitswhenapplied to soil, but do we know for if extraction of resources and use of energy do not create more problems? • To beaware of potential environmental problems beforecompetitors or regulators find out (and surprizeus), and solvethem in good time

9. LCA methods • LCA is a standardizedtool • ISO (2006) ISO 14044:2006 Environmental management—lifecycleassessment—requirements and guidelines. International Standards Organization • EC-JRC (2010) General guide for lifecycleassessment—detailedguidance. ILCD Handbook—International Reference Life Cycle Data System, European Union EUR24708 http://lct.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ inventory

10. Hydrochar as soilammendment can potentially improve soil quality and increase crop yield replaces inorganic fertilizers or compost ratio C:N<40 to show positive influence on plant yield amount <2.5% (v/v) to avoidtoxiceffects can help mitigating climate change through the temporary storage of carbonin the soil ratio O:C<20 to increase stability in the soil inventory

11. System boundaries we environmentally assessed hydrochar application to soil as a mean to improve soil quality and increase crop yield, using life cycle assessment (LCA) “1 tonne of barley produced in Spain (average over a year)” Organic waste HTC barley hydrochar Inorganic fertilizer system with hydrochar Inorganic fertilizer Organic waste barley Biogas for electricity avoided electricity generation system without hydrochar inventory

12. Selection of crops inventory

13. Selection of crops Wheat Oats Barley inventory

14. Selection of soils Barley grown in Spain Soils of Spain Soils of Spain where barley is grown: inventory

15. Selection of soils inventory

16. Selection of soils Leptosols Regosol Cambisols inventory

17. Doeshydrochar bring environmentalbenefits? No Yes inventory

18. Conclusions Hydrochar shows environmental benefits for 10 out of 15 life cycle impact categories Impact profile depends mainly on crop yield and waste management system for organic waste inventory

19. Acknowledgements Michael Hauschild (DTU)

20. How we do it • Goal and scope 2. Life cycle inventory 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation inventory

21. How we do it • Goal and scope Functional unit ”management of 1 tonne of municipal household waste in Valencia” 2. Life cycle inventory 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation inventory

22. How we do it • Goal and scope 2. Life cycle inventory 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation inventory

23. How we do it Emissions to air kg • Goal and scope 2. Life cycle inventory 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation ... ... ... inventory

24. How we do it • Goal and scope Potential impact on global warming 2. Life cycle inventory IS impact on global warming ms,i (kg)mass of substanceemitted GWPs,i(kgCO2 eq•kg-1)global warming potential 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation inventory

25. How we do it • Goal and scope Potentialimpact on freshwater ecotoxicity: 2. Life cycle inventory IS impact on freshwater ecotoxicity ms,i (kg)mass of substance emitted CTPs,i(kg1,4/DBeq•kg-1)toxicity potential 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation inventory

26. How we do it • Goal and scope 2. Life cycle inventory IS (global warming) Person-equivalents 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation 1 3 4 2 inventory

27. How we do it • Goal and scope 2. Life cycle inventory IS (global warming) Person-equivalents 3. Life cycle impact assessment 4. Life cycle interpretation 1 3 4 2 inventory

28. Hydrochar as soilconditioner horticulture agriculture pots inventory

29. Environmentalsustainability Throughout the life cycle processes exchange substance flows with the surroundings • Resources and materials enter • Products, emissions and waste leave the system All these exchanges can impact on the environment and contribute to the environmental problems that we know We must consider all environmental impacts throughout the life cycle

30. Nitrogen content inventory