A Review on Potential Candidate Lignocellulosic Feedstocks for Bio-energy Supply Chain

In the context of an increased bio-based economy characterized by both reduced dependence upon imported fossil fuels and reduced greenhouse gases emissions, bio-fuels and the other bio-based supply chains have reached a worldwide expansion. Taking into account the high environmental impact of the agricultural production and the potential conflicts among food, energy and environment, this review provides an overview of the opportunities and constraints specifically related to the environmental performance of different candidate lignocellulosic feedstock in the Italian context. Peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies were analysed and compared on a mass basis. Several biomass-based supply chains from wood and herbaceous residues or dedicated crops on marginal and fertile lands (under different fertilization management) were considered. A cradle-to-farm gate attributional LCA approach was applied to assess the environmental profile and the linked major hotspots as useful information to evaluate the most promising feedstock for bio-energy or integrated biorefinery systems. The results have demonstrated that short rotation forestry and medium rotation forestry cultivation systems, characterized by restrained mineral fertilization, can have a better environmental performance than herbaceous crops under both standard and reduced fertilization management, offering substantial benefits for almost all investigated impact categories.