Life cycle assessment of corn straw pellet fuel

To quantitatively explain the potential of energy saving and greenhouse gas emissions reduction of straw-based pellet fuel, system of corn straw to pellet fuel was taken as research object from the view of energy consumption and environmental emission. The unit processes of corn straw growth, transportation, compression, corn straw pellet fuel transportation and combustion were analyzed. The analysis model was built about life cycle energy consumption and environmental emission of corn straw pellet fuel. Energy consumption and environmental emission were evaluated for a 5 000 t/a corn straw pellet fuel plant. The results showed that energy was consumed in corn straw transportation, compression, pellet fuel transportation, et al. Energy consumption using in corn straw compression was the most of it. The CO2 amount settled by corn straw growing was about 96.6% of CO2 emission from the life cycle assessment, it made a great greenhouse emission reduction. According to life cycle assessment of corn straw pellet fuel, straw pellet fuel had a bigger advantage as compare with fossil fuel. Those results provided foundational data for utilization of straw pellet fuel. It is important to reduce electricity consumption of straw compression for improving utilization level of straw pellet fuel.