Biofuel Sustainability Assessment For Developing Regions

Biofuels can be an important and sustainable energy source in developing regions. Producing biofuels in developing regions is only beneficial if the process and materials used are sustainable. Therefore, the sustainability of biofuel manufacturing processes is an imperative assessment. Sustainability assessment metrics that have been developed for industrial processes are unfortunately not applicable and metrics for developing regions have not been established. Sustainability metrics for developing regions should include the key components of sustainability while accounting for and potential environmental and lifecycle impacts. This proposed assessment methodology will be used to determine the sustainability of biodiesel and biochar production from locally sourced feedstocks in developing regions. This research is funded in part by a US EPA People, Prosperity and the Planet Design Competition grant, No. SU835303.