Abstract

The Biofuels Industrial Strategy established by the government of South Africa in 2007 has emphasised the need to understand the potential benefits and consequences of developing biofuels in the country. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a preferred tool to measure energy and environmental performances of biofuel production; however, LCA relies heavily on data and developing a life cycle inventory (LCI) plays a crucial role in any LCA studies. The lack of availability and difficulty in obtaining data from reliable sources can provide a great challenge during the process of developing biofuels LCI. This study develops a LCI database for the production of ethanol using sugarcane molasses in South Africa. The inventory includes all the input and output data associated with various sub-system of ethanol production. Relevant data are collected through national statistics and various literatures. The LCI has been developed as a first step towards the LCA studies which can assist in measuring the performance of South African ethanol development in the future.

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