Supply chain design of biocarbon production from Miscanthus through hydrothermal carbonization in southern Ontario: A life cycle assessment perspective

Abstract

Miscanthus has emerged as a promising energy crop, with the feasibility of successful plantations demonstrated in southern Ontario. Converting this low-value biomass into valuable biocarbon through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) presents new opportunities and markets for this feedstock. In this study, various supply chain scenarios were established within the region using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Then, an environmentally focused approach was adopted to evaluate the environmental impacts of each scenario and promote the scale-up of HTC for biocarbon production from Miscanthus in southern Ontario. This study also assesses the environmental impacts of two different conversion methods: HTC and HTC combined with Anaerobic Digestion (AD). Moreover, it examines the effects of biomass aggregation and densification within the supply chains. Through life cycle assessment (LCA), the research found that integrating AD with HTC yielded significantly greater environmental benefits compared to using HTC alone. Additionally, biomass densification on farms did not provide substantial environmental advantages in the defined scenarios. Based on the study's findings, the east side of southern Ontario, specifically Zone 6, emerged as the most suitable location for establishing a supply chain dedicated to biocarbon production from Miscanthus. It showed global warming effects of −5.80414E+02 and −5.75571E+02 kg CO₂ eq for scenarios Z6-ND-C and Z6-ND-B, respectively. The LCA results indicated that the conversion method has the most significant environmental impact among the supply chain elements.