Evaluating Environmental Impacts: A Comprehensive Investigation of Sugarcane-Based Bioethanol Production in Northwest Region of India

Biofuels have gained significant attention as an alternative energy source for transportation worldwide due to concerns about oil depletion, energy security, and global warming. However, the biofuel sector is also acknowledged as a significant contributor to environmental impacts, resulting in various forms of pollution that harm water, soil, air quality, and human health. To address and minimize these environmental consequences, evaluating the impact of the entire biofuel supply chain becomes crucial. This study conducts a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of ethanol production from sugarcane in northern India. The analysis encompasses the entire process from sugarcane farming, sugarcane transportation, and biorefinery processing, with 1 ton of ethanol as the functional unit. The environmental correlations of all inputs and outputs in the LCA research were assessed using SimaPro version 9.0 and the ReCiPe Midpoint and Endpoint methods to estimate their potential environmental impact. The findings highlight the substantial contributions of molasses and electricity to all impact categories, accounting for an average of 73.01 percent for the former and 23.02 percent for the latter respectively. For each ton of ethanol produced, the GWP is 585.95 kg CO-eq, with 392.93 kg CO-eq from molasses practices and an additional 186.05 kg CO-eq from coal-based electricity. Further, the study proposes an alternative scenario to emphasize the importance of adopting a multi-perspective approach for mitigating the environmental impact of biofuel production.