Life Cycle Assessment and Energy Balance of a Polygeneration Plant Fed with Lignocellulosic Biomass of Cynara cardunculus L.

This article aims to present an evaluation of the environmental performance a combustion polygeneration plant fed with lignocellulosic material from cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) through technique Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The system boundaries encompassed macro-phases crop production, transportation, and processes that were able produce 100 kW electricity, residual thermal energy recovery district heating cooling 270 heating, 140 cooling. LCA was performed using Cumulative Energy Demand ReCiPe Impact methods midpoint endpoint indicators. From 2000 h/year, 165.92 GJ electricity 667.23 primary consumed, 32.82 tCO2eq emitted. rates Greenhouse Gas (GHG) demand per MJ produced 0.08 MJSE/MJPD, 0.30 MJPE/MJPD, 0.01 kgCO2eq/MJPD. According method, impact categories highest loads Terrestrial ecotoxicity (2.44%), Freshwater (32.21%), Marine (50.10%), Human carcinogenic toxicity (8.75%), non-carcinogenic (4.76%). Comparing same outputs by Italian power gas grids, proposed reduce GHG emissions 80 81%, respectively, in addition reducing five main impacts between 25 73%.