Determining the most sustainable lignocellulosic bioenergy system following a case study approach

Following the LCA approach, 37 plausible lignocellulosic bioenergy systems were assessed against five financial-economic, three socio-economic and five environmental criteria. On translating the quantitative performance data into a standardised 'common language' of relative performance, an expert group attached weights to the considered criteria, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Assuming the prerequisite of financial-economic viability, the preferred option comprises a feller-buncher for harvesting, a forwarder for biomass extraction, mobile comminution at the roadside, secondary transport in truck-container-trailer combinations and an integrated gasification system for the conversion into electricity. This approach illustrates how to internalise externalities as typical market failures, aiding decision makers to choose the most sustainable bioenergy system.