Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from jatropha

In this article, process design alternatives in biodiesel production process is investigated from an environment impacts point of view. Jatropha in Thailand was assumed as the raw material for the evaluated process. Process alternatives using two different catalysts, i.e. sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, were design and compared in terms of environmental impact and optimum operation. Estimation of process inventories was performed using Aspen Plus® simulation software, while the environmental impacts were evaluated by Eco-indicator 99 in SimaPro 7. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to estimate environmental impacts in three categories: human health, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion. The results show that the process using sodium hydroxide has greater environmental impacts on human health and the ecosystem; however, resource depletion is lower.