title: Environmental assessment of biofuel pathways in Ile de France based on ecosystem modeling.
abstract: The objective of the work reported here was to reduce the uncertainty on the greenhouse gas balances of biofuels using agro-ecosystem modeling at a high resolution over the Ile-de-France region in Northern France. The emissions simulated during the feedstock production stage were input to a life-cycle assessment of candidate biofuel pathways: bioethanol from wheat, sugar-beet and miscanthus, and biodiesel from oilseed rape. Compared to the widely-used methodology based on fixed emission factors, ecosystem modeling lead to 55-70% lower estimates for N2O emissions, emphasizing the importance of regional factors. The life-cycle GHG emissions of first-generation biofuels were 50-70% lower than fossil-based equivalents, and 85% lower for cellulosic ethanol. When including indirect land-use change effects, GHG savings became marginal for biodiesel and wheat ethanol, but were positive due to direct effects for cellulosic ethanol.
authors.affiliation: AgroParisTech, INRA, UMR 1091 Environnement et Grandes Cultures, F-78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France. Electronic address: Benoit.Gabrielle@agroparistech.fr.
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gabrielle
authors.affiliation: INRA, AgroParisTech, UMR 1091 Environnement et Grandes Cultures, Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gagnaire
authors.affiliation: INRA, AgroParisTech, UMR 1091 Environnement et Grandes Cultures, Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: Raia Silvia
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Massad
authors.affiliation: INRA, AgroParisTech, UMR 1091 Environnement et Grandes Cultures, Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dufossé
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UPR Performances des systèmes de pérennes, Av. Agropolis, 34398 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bessou
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D017753:Ecosystem; D005602:France; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Biofuels; Energy crops; Greenhouse gas emissions; Land-use change; Life-cycle assessment