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The potential of emerging bio-based products to reduce environmental impacts

Environmental Studies and Forestry

The potential of emerging bio-based products to reduce environmental impacts

E. A. R. Zuiderveen, K. J. J. Kuipers, et al.

Discover the groundbreaking findings of this study, which dives into the environmental trade-offs of 98 emerging bio-based materials versus their fossil counterparts. While bio-based products show a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on average, significant trade-offs, such as a dramatic increase in eutrophication, raise important questions about sustainability. This critical analysis by Emma A. R. Zuiderveen and colleagues emphasizes the need for individual evaluation and innovative solutions for true climate neutrality.

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Playback language: English
Introduction
The global push towards a bio-based economy aims to mitigate climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The European Bio-Economy Strategy and the European Green Deal exemplify this commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. While bio-based products offer potential environmental advantages over their fossil counterparts, a comprehensive meta-analysis comparing their environmental impacts has been lacking. Existing reviews, focused on specific areas like bioplastics, biochemicals, and bioadhesives, indicate considerable variation in climate change impacts and trade-offs related to land use and nutrient emissions. This research addresses this gap by conducting a comprehensive assessment, considering the entire value chain from feedstock to disposal, using prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate emerging bio-based products with technological readiness levels (TRLs) below 9, modeling their performance at a more mature stage. The variability in existing prospective LCA studies necessitates a harmonized approach to accurately assess the true environmental benefits of bio-based alternatives.
Literature Review
Previous research on bio-based products has largely focused on specific product categories, such as bioplastics, biochemicals, and bioadhesives. These studies, often conducted as individual LCAs, have revealed considerable variation in environmental performance, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and harmonized approach. While some studies have shown reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for certain bio-based products, others have pointed to potential trade-offs, such as increased eutrophication or land-use change. The lack of a standardized methodology and the challenges associated with prospective LCA have contributed to this variability. This study aimed to address these limitations by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing prospective LCA studies on bio-based products.
Methodology
This study systematically compared the environmental footprints of 98 emerging bio-based products against their fossil-based counterparts, drawing data from 130 prospective LCA studies. The analysis encompassed greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints and other environmental impacts (non-renewable energy use, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, and photochemical ozone formation). To ensure comparability, system boundaries and biogenic carbon accounting were harmonized across studies. Environmental footprints were analyzed using response ratios (RRs), calculated as the natural logarithm of the bio-based product's impact divided by its fossil counterpart's impact. Random effects models were used to determine average RRs for each environmental impact, accounting for data non-independence. The analysis was further broken down to examine systematic differences based on product category, feedstock category, and TRL. Statistical analyses, including linear mixed-effects models, were employed to identify significant differences and environmental trade-offs among different groups and parameters.
Key Findings
The meta-analysis revealed that the prospective GHG footprints of bio-based products were, on average, 45% lower than their fossil counterparts (95% CI: -52% to -37%). However, there was substantial variability among individual products, ranging from a 294% increase to a 94% decrease in GHG footprint. While 80 out of 98 bio-based products exhibited lower average GHG footprints, none achieved net-zero emissions. Significant GHG emission reductions were possible in specific areas: replacing butadiene and ethylene (key petrochemicals) with bio-based alternatives could reduce global GHG emissions from primary chemical production by up to 19%. Replacing plastics could save 1.3% of total global GHG emissions annually. Analysis by product category revealed that biorefinery products showed the largest reduction potential (73% reduction), while bioadhesives showed the least reduction, with some products having substantially higher GHG footprints than their fossil counterparts. Feedstock type and TRL did not significantly influence the GHG footprint response ratios. Importantly, the study found a substantial increase in eutrophication (369%, 95% CI: 163% to 737%) for bio-based products, highlighting significant environmental trade-offs. Non-renewable energy use was reduced by 37%, while the impacts on acidification, ozone depletion, and photochemical ozone formation were not significantly different from their fossil counterparts.
Discussion
The findings highlight the significant potential of bio-based products to reduce GHG emissions, particularly in specific sectors like biorefineries. However, the substantial variability in environmental performance necessitates a careful, product-specific approach to sustainability evaluation. The observed increase in eutrophication underscores the importance of considering environmental trade-offs beyond GHG emissions. Harmonizing system boundaries and biogenic carbon accounting in LCA studies is crucial for accurate comparison. While the study did not find a significant influence of TRL on GHG footprints, the need for clear upscaling guidelines, especially considering process synergies, remains. The lack of data on land-use change and other relevant environmental impacts in many studies represents a significant knowledge gap. Achieving net-zero emissions in the chemical and plastic industry will require a combination of mitigation strategies, including biomass utilization, increased recycling rates, low-carbon electrification, and reduced product demand.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates the potential of bio-based products to reduce GHG emissions, but also highlights the need for careful consideration of other environmental impacts and the limitations of current assessment methodologies. Future research should focus on improving the standardization of prospective LCA, incorporating land-use change and other key environmental impacts, and developing more sophisticated upscaling frameworks for emerging bio-based technologies. A combination of strategies, including bio-based alternatives, increased recycling rates, and reduced overall consumption, will be essential to achieve net-zero targets in the chemical and plastics industry.
Limitations
The study's findings are based on a meta-analysis of existing prospective LCA studies, which may suffer from methodological inconsistencies and data limitations. The harmonization of system boundaries and biogenic carbon accounting, while necessary, involved assumptions that could influence the results. Furthermore, the limited number of studies including certain environmental impacts (e.g., land-use change, ecotoxicity) prevents a complete assessment of the full environmental profile of bio-based products. The reliance on existing data may not reflect the most recent technological advancements, which could lead to under or over estimations of the true environmental impact of these products.
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