Life Cycle Assessment and Technology Integration
Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation Network for Green Energy, Fuels & Chemicals
Funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP)
THEME 5 – Life Cycle Assessment and Technology Integration
Using a Life Cycle Approach (LCA): integrates the environmental variable from onset, optimizes industrial processes from the onset, minimizes the risk of major problems after the introduction of one of these technologies, and, ensures that the new technologies do not shift the problem elsewhere. Specific projects include:
1) development, improvement, and integration of the LCA components to develop LCA databases and analysis tools based on ABIN’s research activities and other data, to be implemented within an online Biomass inventory and Mapping Analysis Tool;
2) conducting one extensive LCA case study in one of the major bio-refinery routes identified by the Network;
3) creation of a biofuel/bioenergy Life Cycle Inventory Database;
4) integration of processes , examining the energy and material flows in various processes for the production of green chemicals, fuels and energy in order to promote energy and material exchange to minimize the raw material consumption while maximizing product yield and value;
5) interpreting life cycle inventory results by aggregating and evaluating their contribution to a few impact categories.
L. Townley-Smith* (AAFC), R. Samson* (École Polytechnique de Montréal), L. Deschênes (École Polytechnique de Montréal), X. Bi (University of British Columbia), M. Wismer (Saskatchewan Research Council), A. Manuilova (Saskatchewan Research Council)
* Theme Co-Leader