Bioethanol Production from Cotton Stalks or Corn Stover? A Comparative Study of Their Sustainability Performance

摘要

The production of second generation biofuels, ones produced from lignocellulosic materials, has not yet been developed in a full commercial scale. However, a considerable number of pilot and demonstration plants have been announced or set up in recent years with research activities taking place mainly in North America, Europe, and a few other countries, while commercial plants are about to start operation at the same time their environmental and economic perform- ance are under examination. These performance issues are very sensitive on a variety of parameters such as feedstock material, production technology, logistics involved, etc. In this study, the sustainability performance of two alternative bioethanol production systems, namely, one using cotton stalks and a second using corn stover feedstock, are examined and compared using the analytic hierarchy process method. Life cycle impact assessment is used in order to evaluate each alternative’s environmental performance. For this purpose, a modern, powerful, state of the art software (SimaPro) is used. The systems’ economic performance is based on cost/benefit calculations.