Environmental performance of palm oil biodiesel — A life-cycle perspective

The increased use of palm oil as feedstock for biodiesel production has been a focus of discussion due to several environmental problems. This paper presents a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biodiesel from palm oil (PME). Alternative land use change (LUC) scenarios and fertilization types have been evaluated. A life-cycle inventory and modeling of palm plantation and oil extraction in Colombia, transportation and biodiesel production in Europe has been implemented. Life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results in terms of global warming potential. acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion and photochemical oxidation are presented for the various LUC scenarios and types of fertilization.