Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.3390/su142315886
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Analysing the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of regional energy integration scenarios of a bio-based industrial network
Author Bezama, A.; Hildebrandt, J.; Thrän, D.
Source Titel Sustainability
Year 2022
Department BIOENERGIE
Volume 14
Issue 23
Page From art. 15886
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords regional life cycle assessment; bioeconomy; integrated LCA; social LCA; defossilizing process energy provisioning; climate neutrality
Abstract The goal of this work was to evaluate the socio-economic and environmental life cycle advantages of alternative defossilization pathways for a bio-based industrial network in Central Germany. Five scenarios were defined considering the potential energy utilization of further regionally available biomass capacities. The evaluation was made using an integrated approach, i.e., using a traditional life cycle assessment methodology, complemented by a regionalized socio-economic life cycle assessment framework. The results show that the environmental advantages from the change in energy provisioning reduced about 5% of the total environmental impacts. The analysis of the socio-economic impacts shows that the path to defossilization of the integrated network provides a clear enhancement of the expected regional socio-economic impacts. These results show that 100% decoupling from natural gas brings overall positive sustainability advantages to all organizations participating in the evaluated value chains. The methodological approach presented in this work can allow the identification of hotspots and opportunities within the regions where the implementation of technological alternatives takes place.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26835
Bezama, A., Hildebrandt, J., Thrän, D. (2022):
Analysing the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of regional energy integration scenarios of a bio-based industrial network
Sustainability 14 (23), art. 15886 10.3390/su142315886