Session: Life Cycle Analysis of Bio-Based Fuels, Energy, and Chemicals

This session features presentations on environmental life cycle assessments (LCAs) of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels, power production, and chemicals derived from biomass. Studies with complete system boundaries are welcome (cradle-to-grave), but limited scope studies (cradle-to-gate and gate-to-gate) are also invited if they provide a deeper analysis of environmental "hot spots" within the relevant processes. A variety of biomass feedstocks are also welcome; purpose-grown crops, agricultural/forest residues, algae, and fractions from municipal solid waste. Results from studies of biochemical and thermochemical platforms are appropriate. Integration of LCA into broader system analyses such as feedstock logistics modeling, ecosystem process modeling (e.g. soils C and N modeling), and process simulation and optimization are also of interest.