Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1942/16091
Title: | Advantages and limitations of exergy indicators to assess sustainability of bioenergy and biobased materials | Authors: | MAES, Dries VAN PASSEL, Steven |
Issue Date: | 2014 | Source: | ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW, 45, p. 19-29 | Abstract: | Innovative bioenergy projects show a growing diversity in biomass pathways, transformation technologies and end-products, leading to complex new processes. Existing energy-based indicators are not designed to include multiple impacts and are too constrained to assess the sustainability of these processes. Alternatively, indicators based on exergy, a measure of “qualitative energy”, could allow a more holistic view. Exergy is increasingly applied in analyses of both technical and biological processes. But sustainability assessments including exergy calculations, are not very common and are not generally applicable to all types of impact. Hence it is important to frame the use of exergy for inclusion in a sustainability assessment. This paper reviews the potentials and the limitations of exergy calculations, and presents solutions for coherent aggregation with other metrics. The resulting approach is illustrated in a case study. Within the context of sustainability assessment of bioenergy, exergy is a suitable metric for the impacts that require an ecocentric interpretation, and it allows aggregation on a physical basis. The use of exergy is limited to a measurement of material and energy exchanges with the sun, biosphere and lithosphere. Exchanges involving services or human choices are to be measured in different metrics. This combination provides a more inclusive and objective sustainability assessment, especially compared to standard energy- or carbon-based indicators. Future applications of this approach in different situations are required to clarify the potential of exergy-based indicators in a sustainability context. | Notes: | Maes, D (reprint author), Hasselt Univ, Ctr Environm Sci, Agoralaan, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium, Dries.Maes@uhasselt.be; Steven.Vanpassel@uhasselt.be | Keywords: | Cumulative exergy content; Bioenergy; Biobased materials; Sustainability assessment; Composite indicators | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/16091 | ISSN: | 0195-9255 | e-ISSN: | 1873-6432 | DOI: | 10.1016/j.eiar.2013.11.002 | ISI #: | 000331924600003 | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2015 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maes 2014.pdf | Published version | 696.42 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
SCOPUSTM
Citations
21
checked on Sep 2, 2020
WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations
27
checked on Oct 10, 2024
Page view(s)
70
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Download(s)
212
checked on Sep 7, 2022
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.