Life cycle assessment of camelina and crambe production for biorefinery and energy purposes

Abstract

Abstract Biofuel production can have an adverse environmental impact, mainly in the crop production stage. This study compared the impact of camelina and crambe cultivation under conventional and reduced tillage management using a life cycle assessment (LCA). The study presents the impact of these non-edible crops for various purposes. The LCA was determined by the IPCC 2007 and ReCiPe Endpoint methods and the emission of greenhouse gases for both crops per hectare was similar (1,732–1,772 kg ha−1 CO2 eq.), although when calculated per 1 Mg of dry seeds, this value was more variable (1,152–1,528 kg Mg−1 CO2 eq.). When converted to the oil content, it was 3,368–3,999 kg Mg−1 CO2 eq., whereas when calculated for energy content it was 23.74–27.15 kg GJ−1 CO2 eq. The highest normalised score for all crops and cultivation technologies was determined for fossil depletion, followed by climate change and particulate matter formation, which resulted in a high level of damage in the human health category. The study found that reduced tillage results in lower environmental impact compared with traditional tillage due to lower consumption of production means, although the results do not account for soil carbon change, which should be considered in further detailed analysis.