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Jamaican bioethanol: an environmental and economic life cycle assessment

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Abstract

E10 is a blend of 10% bioethanol and 90% gasoline that can be used in the engines of most cars without causing damage. Currently for the E10 blend, Jamaica imports gasoline from Trinidad & Tobago and bioethanol from Brazil because the bioethanol production in Jamaica is at an early stage. However, the country has great potential for bioethanol production. In order to assess the environmental and economic feasibility of bioethanol in Jamaica, this paper presents an economic and environmental life cycle assessment for a case study in Jamaica in two different scenarios. The Baseline Scenario represents the use of E10 in the current conditions in which bioethanol comes from Brazil and gasoline from Trinidad & Tobago. Scenario I represents the use of E10 with bioethanol from Jamaica and gasoline from Trinidad & Tobago. The comparative environmental life cycle assessment revealed that the Baseline Scenario had better results than Scenario I in ten environmental categories. The economic assessment results in Scenario I were 7% higher than in the Baseline Scenario. Hence, the current context (Baseline Scenario) was identified as the scenario with the best economic performance. Therefore, the current situation in Jamaica (Baseline Scenario) scored better results than Scenario I from an environmental and an economical point of views. It is recommended to increase the bagasse cogeneration of Scenario I to lower the environmental impacts. To improve their productivity, it is necessary to improve the Jamaican sugar infrastructure by combining molasses and cane juice to produce bioethanol.

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Acknowledgements

Authors gratefully acknowledge Organization of American States (OAS) for funding this research work.

Funding

Organization of American States (OAS) funded this research work. This bioethanol study was conducted in Jamaica within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the USA and Brazil to promote cooperation in biofuels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thermal and Fluid Engineering Department, Carlos III University of Madrid, Av. de La Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain

    E. Batuecas

  2. Natural Resources and Energy Unit, United Nations Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Santiago de Chile, Vitacura, Chile

    R. Contreras-Lisperguer

  3. Surface Engineering and Nanostructured Materials Research Group, Complutense University of Madrid, Complutense Avenue s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    C. Mayo & F. J. Pérez

  4. Faculty of Technical Sciences and Engineering, UDIMA University, Collado Villalba, 28400, Madrid, Spain

    R. Díaz

  5. Department of Sustainable Development, Organization of American States, 1889 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C, 20006, USA

    C. Springer

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  1. E. Batuecas
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Correspondence to E. Batuecas.

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Batuecas, E., Contreras-Lisperguer, R., Mayo, C. et al. Jamaican bioethanol: an environmental and economic life cycle assessment. Clean Techn Environ Policy 23, 1415–1430 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02037-8

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