Biofuels are produced from biomass that can be shortly renewed contrarily to fossil fuels. Emphasis has been put on biofuels for transportation as this sector represents a major fast growing source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG). Compared to fossil fuels, biofuels emit less GHG, if CO2 savings through photosynthesis are not overwhelmed by other GHG emissions throughout the biofuel life cycle. Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are therefore necessary to check for all polluting emissions and potential environmental impacts. This book first reviews the literature on biofuels, their GHG impact, and the reasons why results of biofuel LCA vary critically among published studies. It then presents the results of research works on how to improve the modelling of GHG emissions in agricultural fields and how to increase the relevance of biofuel LCA from agricultural feedstock by taking into account the local production factors. From a broader overview on bioenergy to a specific scientific insight into the determinism of GHG emissions, this book should help shed some light on biofuels for a large public and should be especially useful to professionals in Bioenergy and Environment fields.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on life cycle assessment (LCA) of crops. The first chapter discusses the application of LCA to agricultural systems and highlights key issues associated with its implementation, including delimitation of systems boundaries, defining the functional unit, handling coproduction, and the choosing of impact assessment methods. The second chapter explores the concepts of LCA and the coffee value chain. The chapter discusses how carbon footprint performances can be used to upgrade coffee value chains. The third chapter assesses the environmental impact of oil palm production during cultivation and as a result of land use change for new plantations. The chapter describes the principles and modelling steps of LCA, as well as the challenges ahead regarding further development and application. The fourth chapter reviews the core principles of LCA methodology, the state of the art of LCA for fruits and associated key challenges. The first complete LCA case study for export mango is also discussed. The final chapter assesses the environmental impact of banana production and highlights the importance of LCA in influencing the adoption of practices that can reduce or offset the carbon footprint of the banana value chain.