Life cycle assessment of rice straw-based power generation in Malaysia

Published Date
1 June 2014, Vol.70:401–410, doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.04.014

Title 
Life cycle assessment of rice straw-based power generation in Malaysia

• Author 

• S.M. Shafie ^a,b,,
• H.H. Masjuki ^a
• T.M.I. Mahlia ^c,d

• aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• bSchool of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Malaysia
• cDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
• dDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia

Received 2 June 2012. Revised 3 April 2014. Accepted 5 April 2014. Available online 5 May 2014.

Highlights

• •
  Overall rice straw preparations contribute 224.48 g CO₂-eq/kg rice straw.
• •
  The most constraints due to GHG (greenhouse gas) emission is from transportation.
• •
  Distance collection centre to plant less than 110 km to obtains minimum emissions.
• •
  Rice straw can save GHG emissions 1.79 kg CO₂-eq/kWh compared to coal power.
• •
  GHG saving 1.05 kg CO₂-eq/kWh compared to natural gas based power generation.

Abstract

This paper presents an application of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) with a view to analyzing the environment aspects of rice straw-based power generation in Malaysia. It also compares rice straw-based power generation with that of coal and natural gas. GHG (Greenhouse gas) emission savings were calculated. It finds that rice straw power generation can save GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions of about 1.79 kg CO₂-eq/kWh compared to coal-based and 1.05 kg CO₂-eq/kWh with natural gas based power generation. While the development of rice straw-based power generation in Malaysia is still in its early stage, these paddy residues offer a large potential to generate electricity because of their availability. Rice straw power plants not only could solve the problem of removing rice straw from fields without open burning, but also could reduce GHG emissions that contribute to climate change, acidification, and eutrophication, among other environmental problems.

Keywords

• LCA (life cycle assessment)
• Rice straw
• Power generation
• Malaysia

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Nomenclature

A

activity level

A_RS

rice straw availability (tonne)

AF

availability factor

BF_C

burning fraction of carbon

C_T

carbon content of diesel for transportation

CA_RS

rice straw catchment area (km²)

DC

diesel oil consumption (L/ha)

E_BRS

avoided GHG emission from burning rice straw in the fields

E_COAL

avoided GHG emission from displaced coal power production

E_P

emission pollutant (CH₄ or N₂O)

E_RS

GHG emission from rice straw-based power generation

power plant emission of CO₂

EC_RSC

energy consumption for rice straw collection (MJ/ha)

EO_RS

electricity output power from rice straw (MW)

EU_D

energy unit of diesel oil (MJ/L)

transportation emission of CO₂

EF_{P, S}

emission factor (CH₄ or N₂O)

F_VT

volume of diesel combusted for transportation

FF

farmland factor

FO_T

fraction oxidized of diesel for transportation

HC_T

heat content of diesel for transportation

HHV_RS

rice straw high heating value, MJ/kg

LHV_RS

rice straw low heating value, MJ/kg

MW_C

molecular weight of carbon

molecular weight of CO₂

Ŋ

overall efficiency of the plant

ŋ_C

collection efficiency

P_C

carbon content in rice straw

P_RR

rough rice production (k tonne/ha)

R_GHG

GHG emission reduction

RS_{avai, yr}

annual availability of rice straw, tonne/year

Q_RS

quantity of rice straw (k tonne/ha)

SGR

Straw-to-Grain Ratio

T

plant operating hours

Y_RS

straw yield (tonne/km²)

 Table 1

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Fig. 10.

• ∗ 
  Corresponding author. School of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Malaysia. Tel.: +60 49287038/+60 174994562; fax: +60 49287070.

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