CO2-tool: Determining greenhouse gas emissions from the production of transport fuels, electricity and heat from biomass
The CO2 bioenergy tool allows you to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from the production of electricity, heat and transport fuels made from biomass.
This web page answers the following questions about the CO2 tool:
1. What is the CO2 bioenergy tool? The CO2 tool allows you to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from the production of electricity, heat and transport fuels made from biomass. The name CO2 tool is an abbreviation for a calculation tool for determining greenhouse gas emissions from the production of electricity, heat and transport fuels made from biomass.
This tool is not only concerned with CO2, but also includes emissions from the greenhouse gases such as CH4 (methane) and N2O (laughing gas). Emissions over the entire bioenergy chain (production, transport and conversion from biomass) are included in the calculation.
The CO2 bioenergy tool consists of two sections: a technical specification and software. The technical specification consists of a description of methodological choices and of production chains considered, including default values for the related parameters. The software enables users to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions based on this information.
2. Why was the CO2 bioenergy tool developed? The increasing use of biomass for energy purposes raised the question of whether the amounts required could be produced in a sustainable manner. In 2006 and 2007 the project group 'Sustainable biomass production' developed a set of sustainability criteria for biomass production. The project group has made a number of recommendations [pdf, 1Mb, Dutch] to the government.
One of the criteria concerns the greenhouse gas balance when using biomass. The aforementioned project group has thus developed a methodology [pdf, 735 Kb, Dutch] to calculate biogas emissions from bioenergy chains. This methodology forms the basis for the CO2 tool. The Dutch Ministries of VROM and EZ aim to support policies that promote lower greenhouse gas emissions from bioenergy options. In order to achieve this it is essential to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of the various bioenergy options in an objective manner.
3. How was the CO2 bioenergy tool developed? Two projects were set up to develop the CO2 bioenergy tool. CML (Leiden University) developed the CO2 tool for bioelectricity and heat, while Ecofys and CE developed the CO2 tool for transport biofuels.
SenterNovem supervised the daily tasks, and the final decisions were taken by the project steering group, which consisted of representatives from the Ministries of VROM, EZ and LNV, plus representatives from SenterNovem. Stakeholders were involved in the project via an advisory board, which made recommendations to the advisors of the steering group.
4. How were the stakeholders involved in the development of the CO2 bioenergy tool? Stakeholders were involved in this project via an advisory board, which included parties from the various sections of the biomass and fossil chains: agricultural companies, waste-processing companies, biomass suppliers, electricity producers, biofuel producers, oil companies, food producers and environmental organisations. This advisory board gave feedback to the advisors and helped to gain broad support for the decisions made.
During the development of the CO bioenergy tool detailed discussions took place between specific groups of stakeholders, the so-called advisory boards. These consultations focused on detailing the various chains and determining the associated default values. Advisory boards were organised according to the following subjects: agriculture in Europe and the USA, tropical agriculture, biodiesel and PPO production, ethanol and ETBE production, conversion processes for electricity and heat, fermentation chains, wood and cogeneration (heat/power) coupling, and the fossil chains.
5. Who uses the CO2 bioenergy tool? The CO2 bioenergy tool is used by parties who are interested in calculating the greenhouse gas emissions of the bioenergy they produce or use. These include: - companies that generate electricity and heat using a biomass plant, and that hope to receive SDE subsidy for this, as well as
- parties that are required by the Besluit Biobrandstoffen Wegverkeer 2007 (Traffic Biofuels Act) to supply a certain percentage of biofuels (2% in 2007, increasing to 4% in 2010),
- other parties that want to determine greenhouse gas emissions, such as biofuel producers, consultants and researchers.
When using the CO2 bioenergy tool it is important to realise that it was developed as a policy instrument. This means that the tool may not provide sufficient detail for parties wishing to implement a detailed LCA analysis into the greenhouse gas emissions of a specific biofuel. On the other hand, the tool may be fairly complex for parties requiring a quick and simple answer.The biofuel section of the CO2 bioenergy tool has been developed with the long-term intention of coupling this to Dutch biofuel obligations, so that greenhouse gas performance can be better controlled. This will be harmonised with European directives.
6. How does this fit in with other activities within the EU? The UK and Germany are currently also working on sustainability criteria and instruments to determine greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel chains. Since 2006 the Netherlands has been actively working with the UK to harmonise the methodology and default values. Germany has also been involved since the spring of 2007.
The European Commission is also currently working on implementing of sustainability criteria for bioenergy, and ways to determine the greenhouse gas balance from (bio)fuel chains. Over the next few years it is important to bring the EU calculation method and input values in line with the calculation method and input values used by the individual Member States, including the Netherlands.
7. What are the results of the CO2 bioenergy tool? The term CO2 bioenergy tool is the abbreviation for a calculation tool for determining greenhouse gas emissions from the production of electricity, heat, green gas and transport fuels made from biomass. This tool consists of two sections: a document containing the methodology used plus input data (technical specification), and a calculator for making the actual calculations. These sections have been developed separately for biofuels and for bioelectricity and heat.
On this website you will find the technical specification and calculator for biofuels. Interested parties can use these to implement greenhouse gas calculations for biofuel chains. For information on the technical specification and calculator for bioelectricity and heat visit http://www.senternovem.nl/duurzameenergie/publicaties/publicaties_bio-energie/co2_tool.asp. The results for the biofuel section of the CO2 bioenergy tool are shown in the following table. This shows the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the equivalent fossil-based petrol or diesel. An important aspect when determining these values is the question of whether there is any change in land use. If this is the case (e.g. where a fallow plot of land is reploughed in order to cultivate rapeseed for biodiesel), then this generally leads to larger, and sometimes considerably larger, greenhouse gas emissions. The following table shows the effects of changes in land use. A particular type of land-use change has been chosen, although the calculator can easily be used to show other forms of land-use change (for example, for biodiesel made from rapeseed, but also for grassland that changes to agricultural cropland, and forest in moderate climate zones that is changed into agricultural cropland).
The CO2 bioenergy tool only shows the direct effects of land-use change. There is currently no scientifically proven method for also calculating the indirect effects of land-use change in the greenhouse gas emission balance. This has been an important discussion point during the development of the CO2 tool, and further information on this subject can be found at the beginning of the Technical Specification, and when starting up the calculator.
| | Dutch CO2 tool
with or without changes in land use | |
|---|
| | without | with | Change in land use (1) | Ethanol: | - Sugar beet | 65% | 55% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Wheat | 54% | 28% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Corn (USA) | 29% | 11% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Sugar cane | 88% | -190% | Tropical rainforest changed to sugar cane plantation | - Wheat straw | 98% | 98% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | ETBE: | - Sugar beet | 65% | 55% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Wheat | 54% | 30% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Corn | 34% | 17% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Sugar cane | 87% | -171% | Tropical rainforest changed to sugar cane plantation | Biodiesel (FAME): | - Rapeseed (NL/D) | 39% | 16% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Rapeseed (EU) | 35% | 8% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Palm oil | 48% | -23% | Tropical rainforest changed to sugar cane plantation | - Used oils and fats | 88% | n.a. | None | - Soy (USA) | 71% | 27% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland (USA) | - Soy (ARG) | 70% | -568% | Tropical rainforest changed to sugar cane plantation | MTBE: | - Glycerine | 39% | 13% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | Pure plant oil (PPO): | - Rapeseed (NL/D) | 51% | 27% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Rapeseed (EU) | 47% | 19% | Set aside land to agricultural cropland | - Used oils and fats | 100% | n.a. | None | Biomethane (biogas): | - Fermentation of wet manure | 100% | n.a. | None |
(1) The CO2 bioenergy tool allows users to easily calculate other types of land-use change
8. How do the results compare to the default values defined in Annex V of the European guideline proposal for renewable energy?
In December 2008 the European Commission announced the "Renewable Energy Directive (RED)", [pdf, 403 Kb]. This directive will soon become final and published. Annex V of this proposal includes a methodology for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from the production of biofuels. The methodology used by the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool corresponds with the methodology described in Annex V.
Annex V describes the main points of the methodology, although there are no details showing precisely how the calculations should be implemented. In addition, Annex V does not mention the starting values used (e.g. crop harvests per hectare per year, or the use of gas, electricity or other energy carriers when producing biofuels from these raw materials). The Technical Specification used by the Netherlandsdoes include these details.
The European calculations are probably based on other starting values than those used by the Netherlands. The Commission has indicated that it will publish these details as soon as possible. In any case, the results of the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool will deviate slightly from those of the European 'default values' (Tables A and B in Annex V of the guideline). This is shown clearly in the following table, which depicts the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based petrol or diesel.
| | Netherlands
(all values: energetic allocation, no LUC) | European Commission
(guideline proposal, Annex VII, Tables A and B)
(all values: energetic allocation, no LUC) |
|---|
| Typical value | Typical value | Default value | Ethanol: | - Sugar beet | 65% | 61% | 52% | - Wheat (1) | 54% | 32 - 53% | 16 - 47% | - Corn (USA) | 29% | | | - Corn (EU) | | 56% | 49% | - Sugar cane | 88% | 71% | 71% | - Wheat straw | 98% | 87% | 85% | ETBE: | - Sugar beet | 65% | 61% | 52% | - Wheat (1) | 54% | 32 - 53% | 16 - 69% | - Corn (USA) | 34% | | | - Corn (EU) | | 56% | 49% | - Sugar cane | 88% | 71% | 71% | Biodiesel (FAME): | - Rapeseed (NL/D) | 39% | 45% | 38% | - Rapeseed (EU) | 35% | 45% | 38% | - Palm oil (1) | 48% | 36 - 62% | 19 - 56% | - Used oils and fats | 88% | 88% | 83% | - Soy (USA) | 71% | 40% | 31% | - Soy (ARG) | 70% | 40% | 31% | MTBE: | - Glycerine | 39% | - | - | Pure plant oil (PPO): | - Rapeseed (NL/D) | 51% | 58% | 57% | - Rapeseed (EU) | 47% | 58% | 57% | - Used oils and fats | 100% | | | Biomethane (biogas): | - Fermentation of wet manure | 100% | 84% | 81% |
(1) Range in EU values using various process configurations. For ethanol made from wheat, the cogeneration process using straw was not included in the range.
For most combinations of biofuel and raw materials, the differences between the Dutch values and the EC values are relatively small. However, for several combinations of biofuels and raw materials these differences are relatively large. These relatively large differences are attributed to differing starting values and/or various process configurations. For example, the values for ethanol and ETBE from sugar beet used in the Dutch situation are based on a process in which the by-products are sold in a wet state, whereas the European situation uses a process in which the by-products are dried. The energy required for the drying process results in a lower reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The values for ethanol and ETBE from corn used by the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool are based on typical input values and a process configuration used in the USA, with relatively high contributions to artificial fertilisers, and a process using a (reasonably inefficient) natural gas boiler. The values for ethanol and ETBE from corn that are used in the EC's guideline proposal are based on a European process chain. Compared to the process chain used in the USA, this assumes less artificial fertiliser to produce corn in Eastern Europe, and a higher energy efficiency level due to the use of a cogeneration plant.
Crop harvests, the use of artificial fertiliser, and the necessary process energy used vary per country or region, and per biofuel production plant. The definition of these default values depends on whether or not the starting values chosen are conservative, and the number of raw material regions and process configurations to which these default values apply. A conservative default value means that a value has been selected at the end of the range in which the values normally fluctuate, and at the end where relatively large greenhouse gas emissions will be calculated. A conservative value is selected so that parties do not automatically receive a low (thus beneficial) greenhouse gas emission via the default value. This builds in a motivation factor to calculate (and improve) the real values for a particular production chain. Real values can be input into the current CO2 tool, so that the outcomes match the actual situation. Actual existing production chains can be used in the calculations, rather than the average and hypothetical process chains that were used in the CO2 tool in order to determine the default values.
9. What are the next steps to be taken over the coming period?
The European Commission will soon publish the directive and all 27 Member States will need to adopt the methodology and standard values defined in the directive and thus the same methodology and values will be used throughout Europe.
Once the European Commission has published the details of its calculations, including the starting values used, then the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool will be brought into line with these details and starting values. This means that the results of the Dutch calculation tool will change into the results of the directive. A new version of the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool, which is harmonised with Annex V of the guideline proposal, is not expected before 2010. A more detailed planning can only be given after the European Commission has provided more details of its calculations. SenterNovem considers to develop a harmonised European CO2 tool. The Commission shall report by 31 December 2012at the latest, and every two years thereafter, on the estimated typical and default values in Annex V, and may, where necessary, decide to correct the values. (article 21 (5) of the directive)
10. Why is the CO2 bioenergy tool being publicised now? The current Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool is being publicised now so that interested parties can use it to make their necessary calculations. Over the past few months dozens of people have asked SenterNovem if they can start working with the CO2 tool.
The current version (2.1) of the Dutch CO2 bioenergy tool is primarily suitable for gaining insight into the opportunities for improving greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels. For the reasons mentioned above, this version does not provide the values that will be used in the future to implement the new European guideline for renewable energy, because complete European harmonisation needs to take place first.
11. Where can I find more information on the CO2 bioenergy tool? For further information on the CO2 tool please contact:
Most recent change | 05-03-2010
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