Promise vs. Performance: What 14 LCA Case Studies Reveal About Emerging Bioeconomy Technologies

Main Presenter:    Vanessa Zeller 

Co-Authors:   Almut Güldemund                                               

The transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy requires robust assessment approaches for technologies at early development stages. At the same time, limited biomass availability and competing uses create trade-offs, increasing the importance of evaluating residue-based pathways within a circular bioeconomy.

In this context, the TransRegBio project developed and applied methods for the prospective environmental assessment of bio-based technologies. The focus lies on an advanced LCA framework tailored to early-stage bioeconomy technologies. Key methodological elements include the modelling of future near-industrial conditions and the consideration of alternative residue use. The analysis is based on 14 case studies of residue-based technologies, covering three main target sectors: food, beverages, and animal feed as well as chemicals and bio-based materials.

Results reveal distinct environmental impact patterns with two hotspots in human health impacts and resource use, pointing to either material- and chemical-intensive processes or RDI projects with energy-intensive processes. With increasing technological maturity, environmental impacts decrease substantially. On average, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by approximately 77%, with reduction potentials exceeding 80% when renewable energy is considered. Overall, the assessed technologies exhibit significant improvement potential, although they are often not yet competitive with conventional reference systems. Furthermore, the results highlight that the use of residues is not inherently beneficial, as the diversion of existing residue streams from existing use pathways may induce additional environmental burdens.

The findings underline the importance of integrated, prospective assessment approaches to guide technological development and to identify environmentally sound pathways for a circular bioeconomy at an early stage.

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