RSB Tool: A LCA Tool for the assessment of biofuels sustainability

Abstract

The paper focuses on the role of simulation within the RSB GHG Tool, which is a web-based decision support tool that assesses greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels according to the principles of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. Using a questionnaire, each operator can specify his individual data and calculate the GHG emission for his production step. To derive the environmental flows required for the impact assessment, the tool applies simulation, which allows generating a full inventory on the basis of the limited input data the operator can provide. This is the basis for the interactive assessment of the GHG emissions of individual steps of biofuels pathways, without the need of conducting a time and resource-intensive Life Cycle Assessment study. In this paper, we focus on the simulation for the emissions caused by land use change since such emissions can play a dominating role in the GHG balance of a biofuel.