An Integrated Approach to Determining the Capacity of Ecosystems to Supply Ecosystem Services into Life Cycle Assessment for a Carbon Capture System
Source abstract
Abstract
In the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, it is not possible to carry out an integrated sustainability analysis because the quantification of the biophysical capacity of the ecosystems to supply ecosystem services is not taken into account. This paper considers a methodological proposal connecting the flow demand of a process or system product from the technosphere and the feasibility of the ecosystem to supply based on the sink capacity. The ecosystem metabolism as an analytical framework and data from a case study of an LCA of combined heat and power (CHP) plant with and without post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) technology in Mexico were applied. Three scenarios, including water and energy depletion and climate change impact, are presented to show the types of results obtained when the process effect of operation is scaled to one year. The impact of the water–energy–carbon nexus over the natural infrastructure or ecological fund in LCA is analyzed. Further, the feasibility of the biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) from this result for Mexico is discussed. On the supply side, in the three different scenarios, the CHP plant requires between 323.4 and 516 ha to supply the required oil as stock flow and 46–134 ha to supply the required freshwater. On the sink side, 52–5,096,511 ha is necessary to sequester the total CO2 emissions. Overall, the CHP plant generates 1.9–28.8 MW/ha of electricity to fulfill its function. The CHP with PCC is the option with fewer ecosystem services required.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Academic Department, College of Puebla., Av. 41, Gabriel Pastor First Section, Puebla 72420, Pue., Mexico
Bioenergy Laboratory, Institute for Ecosystem and Sustainability Research, UNAM, Campus Morelia Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701 Col. Ex Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, Morelia 58190, Michoacán, Mexico
The Nature Conservancy-Mexico, Ricardo Palmerín 110, Colonia Guadalupe Inn, Alcaldía Álvaro Obregón 01020, CDMX, Mexico
Basic Science Department, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, Azcapotzalco 02200, CDMX, Mexico
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