Introduction
Several studies have been done on energy life cycle analysis of soybean biodiesel. These include:
- A 1994 paper published by the National SoyDiesel Development Board (Ahmed et al.);
- a 1998 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Sheehan et al., also known as the NREL study);
- A 2005 paper by Pimentel and Patzek;
- A 2006 study by the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL – also called the GREET model); and
- a 2009 study published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Pradhan et al.).
All of these studies varied in their conclusions. The variations were due to different assumptions about energy inputs.
This article addresses the varied energy inputs for transporting the biodiesel from the chemical plant to the customer.
Energy in Biodiesel Transport
Biodiesel transport is an area where there could be a lot of variation, depending on biodiesel plant size and geographical location. Significant variation existed in biodiesel transport energy among the models. This is one area where a national average could be quite misleading.
The NREL model assumed biodiesel transportation for a maximum distance of 160 km (100 mi) using trucks from the production facility to the point of end use. The GREET model assumed transporting biodiesel to marketing outlets requires 8,767 Btu per million Btu of biodiesel. This is equivalent to 1,027 Btu per gallon of biodiesel transported. The estimation was based on the total distance of 335 miles using a combination of truck, barge, and rail. It required a distance of about 32 miles for truck, 42 miles for barge, and 232 miles for rail to transport biodiesel from the plant to a distribution center, and another 30 miles by truck to get it to its final destination. This value was also used by Pradhan et al. (2009).
Table 1: Energy use in transportation (MJ/ha except for energy Pradhan et al. (2009')y allocation).
| Inputs | Ahmed et al. (1994) | ANL (2006) | Sheehan et al. (1998) | Pimentel and Patzek (2005) | ANL (2008) |
| Biodiesel Transport | 215 | 972 | 487 | - | 1,027 |
Bibliography
Ahmed, I., Decker, J., and Morris, D. (1994) How much energy does it take to make a gallon of soydiesel? National SoyDiesel Development Board, Jefferson City, MO.
ANL. (2006) The greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation (GREET) model Version 1.6. U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, Argonne, LLC.
ANL. (2008) The greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation (GREET) model. Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, Argonne, IL. Available
Pimentel, David, and Patzek, Tad W. (2005) Ethanol production using corn, switchgrass, and wood; biodiesel production using soybean and sunflower. Natural Resources Research 14(1):65-76.
Pradhan, A., Shrestha, D.S., McAloon, A., Yee, W., Haas, M., Duffield, J.A., and Shapouri, H. (2009) Energy Life-Cycle Assessment of Soybean Biodiesel. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Economic Report Number 845.
Sheehan, J., Camobreco, V., Duffield, J., Graboski, M., and Shapouri, H. (1998) Life cycle inventory of biodiesel and petroleum diesel for use in an urban bus. NREL/SR-580-24089. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Golden, CO.
More Topics on Biodiesel LCA
Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Energy Life Cycle Analysis of Biodiesel
Environmental Life Cycle Analysis of Biodiesel
Energy in Soybean Agriculture
Energy in Soybean Transport
Energy in Soybean Crushing and Transesterification
For Additional Information
- Introduction to Farm Energy
- Introduction to Biodiesel
- Biodiesel Feedstocks
- Biodiesel Processing
- Biodiesel Utilization
Contributors to This Article
Author
- Dev Shrestha, Associate Professor of Bioenergy, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, National Biodiesel Education Program, University of Idaho
Peer Reviewers
- Joe Thompson, Research Support Scientist, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, National Biodiesel Education Program, University of Idaho
- Cole Gustafson, Biofuels Economist, North Dakota State University
