CO2 Footprint of the Seeds of Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) as a Biodiesel Feedstock Source

Publikations-Art

Zeitschriftenbeitrag (peer-reviewed)

Autoren

Wagner, M., Lippe, M., Lewandowski, I., Salzer, M., Cadisch, G.

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Veröffentlicht in

Forests

Band/Volume

9/548

DOI

10.3390/f9090548

Schlagworte

Biofuel, CO2-Bilanz / Carbon Footprint, greenhouse gas emission, Ökobilanz, Treibhausgas (THG) / greenhouse gas (GHG)

Crude rubber seed oil (CRSO) is a promising but currently underutilized biodiesel feedstock
alternative, extracted by pressing the seeds of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Rubber trees are
cultivated across more than 11.4 million hectares worldwide, mainly in Southeast Asia. Despite
their suitability as a biodiesel feedstock source, rubber seeds are currently treated as waste in the
monocultural plantation system. To date, no assessments have been performed to examine the
potential impact of rubber seed-based biodiesel production on GHG emissions. This study analyses
the global warming potential of rubber seed methyl ester (RSME) production in Southeast Asia.
The functional unit used is 1 MJ of biodiesel. A sensitivity analysis assesses the influence of key
parameters (e.g., rubber seed yield) on the GHG mitigation potential. A scenario analysis evaluates
the effect of using RSME by-products for energy generation. In comparison to fossil diesel, RSME has
a carbon mitigation potential of 67 g CO₂ eq. MJ^-1, based on allocation by mass. On the condition of
compliance with international sustainability standards that call for deforestation-free value chains,
the generation of RSME biodiesel on rubber tree plantations in Southeast Asia would have a total
mitigation potential of around 2.8 million tonnes of CO₂ eq. per year.