title: Environmental sustainability of bioethanol produced from sweet sorghum stem on saline-alkali land.
abstract: Life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the energy efficiency and environmental impacts of a bioethanol production system that uses sweet sorghum stem on saline-alkali land as feedstock. The system comprises a plant cultivation unit, a feedstock transport unit, and a bioethanol conversion unit, with 1000L of bioethanol as a functional unit. The net energy ratio is 3.84, and the net energy gain is 17.21MJ/L. Agrochemical production consumes 76.58% of the life cycle fossil energy. The category with the most significant impact on the environment is eutrophication, followed by acidification, fresh water aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and global warming. Allocation method, waste recycling approach, and soil salinity significantly influence the results. Using vinasse to produce pellet fuel for steam generation significantly improves energy efficiency and decreases negative environmental impacts. Promoting reasonable management practices to alleviate saline stress and increasing agrochemical utilization efficiency can further improve environmental sustainability.
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China.
authors.forename: Mingxin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China.
authors.forename: Xinxing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academic of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China. Electronic address: xiaxunfeng_CRAES@126.com.
authors.forename: Xunfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academic of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Beidou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academic of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000468:Alkalies / Q000737:chemistry; D056804:Biofuels / Q000382:microbiology*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000382:microbiology*; D054712:Salinity; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D045868:Sorghum / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000468:Alkalies; D056804:Biofuels; D012987:Soil; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Bioethanol; Environmental sustainability; Life cycle assessment; Saline–alkali land; Sweet sorghum stem