Abstract
The Biofuels Industrial Strategy established by the
government of South Africa in 2007 has emphasised the need to
understand the potential benefits and consequences of developing
biofuels in the country. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a
preferred tool to measure energy and environmental
performances of biofuel production; however, LCA relies heavily
on data and developing a life cycle inventory (LCI) plays a
crucial role in any LCA studies. The lack of availability and
difficulty in obtaining data from reliable sources can provide a
great challenge during the process of developing biofuels LCI.
This study develops a LCI database for the production of ethanol
using sugarcane molasses in South Africa. The inventory includes
all the input and output data associated with various sub-system
of ethanol production. Relevant data are collected through
national statistics and various literatures. The LCI has been
developed as a first step towards the LCA studies which can
assist in measuring the performance of South African ethanol
development in the future.