Life cycle assessment and economic evaluation of pellet fuel from corn straw in China: A case study in Jilin Province

The utilization scale of biomass solid densified fuel (BSDF) in China is still far from reaching the 2020 target of the national plan. Promoting the utilization of pellet fuel from corn straw (CSPF) is an effective way to increase the utilization of BSDF considering its resource potential and convenience for distributed use. To enhance scientific support for the corresponding policy research, this manuscript presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) and economic evaluation of CSPF through a case study in Jilin Province. The results indicate that the utilization of CSPF in this case study can eliminate 90.46% of the life cycle GHG emissions by replacing coal burning. A CSPF project designed with a production capacity of 50,000 tons/year based on corn straw resources of five neighboring villages can be economically viable, but a smaller project with a capacity of 10,000 tons/year based on corn straw resources of a single village will have a poor economic outcome. Further encouraging the use of CSPF among industrial and commercial users and applying carbon trading mechanism for CSPF projects can effectively improve the economy of smaller projects to further promote the deployment of CSPF technologies.