Evaluating energy benefit of Pistacia chinensis based biodiesel in China

To be an alternative to fossil fuel, biodiesel should provide a positive energy benefit and a sustainable energy income. Based on the principles of Life Cycle Analysis and using the energy benefits of exploiting Pistacia chinensis in China as a case study, this paper presents a quantitative evaluation of the energy consumed throughout the six-phase life cycle process, which includes planting, fruit transport, oil production, biodiesel production, biodiesel transport and biodiesel combustion. The results show that during the life cycle process, the total energy consumption of the biodiesel production and transformation phase is the greatest and that energy consumption during the plantation phase second greatest. The results indicated that the potential maximum gross annual production is approximately 162.19 billion MJ per year for suitable land and 117.20 billion MJ per year for lands classified as fairly suitable, which could produce 6.35 million t of biodiesel. Considering the net energy production and output potential for P. chinensis based biodiesel at the provincial level, Yunnan Province has the most amount of production potential, while Beijing City has the least amount of production potential. The annual output value created by P. chinensis based bio-fuel is 3007.83 million Yuan in China.