Recommended fertilization practices improve the environmental performance of biodiesel from winter oilseed rape in France

Compared to the widely used methodology based on fixed emissions factors, ecosystem modelling led to 29-41% lower estimates for direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, depending on climate scenarios, which emphasizes the importance of taking local factors into account. The life cycle GHG emissions of biodiesel from winter oilseed rape varied starkly across the studied regions, from 20.6 to 25.7 g CO2 eq MJ−1 and from 22.9 to 32.4 g CO2 eq MJ−1 depending on climate scenarios. Overall, biodiesel deployment would abate GHG emissions by 65-78% compared to fossil diesel, not accounting for land use changes effects. Improved fertilization practices mitigated the LCA impact indicators by 3-14%.