Abstract

The paper presents a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of production of ammonia using wind power. The ammonia is intended to substitute for nitrogen fertilizer produced from fossil resources. The studied system is designed to supply a rural community with fertilizer based on renewable energy and is, therefore, smaller than industrial fossil ammonia production systems. Two contrasting cases examine the impact of the location of the system, investigating the dependence on the regional energy system (background system) to balance demand and supply of energy in the ammonia production system (foreground system). The results show that wind-based ammonia production can significantly decrease fossil energy inputs and greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional production, but that the use of energy from the background system severely impacts the environmental performance, especially in regions where fossil fuels dominate the energy system. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Life cycle assessment; GHG; Renewable energy; Wind; Fertilizer; Ammonia

Published in

Journal of Cleaner Production
2015, Volume: 107, pages: 626-635
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Ahlgren, Serina

  • Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Chemical Process Engineering
Energy Systems
Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.130

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/73767