Energy relationship and carbon footprint of jatropha biodiesel: analysis from a dynamic perspective

Abstract

Considering the current conditions of fuel, the objective of this study was to evaluate the energy balance and Carbon Footprint of biodiesel from jatropha oil, considering the dynamism of the production chain. For this, after the creation of the dynamic outline, based on the linear idea, the system is divided into subsystems and the data were analyzed by means of Ecoinvent and PAS databases. Then, the activities of each subsystem were listed and had relevant information to obtain the search results. The results reinforce the potential of Jatropha biodiesel, illustrated by low emission compared to soy and castor bean biodiesel. As for the energy balance, Jatropha has a favorable relationship with respect to castor and rapeseed, with disadvantage compared to soybeans. Thus, the jatropha has shown interesting results compared with some alternative, and as it is an inevitable replacement, given the decline in oil supply, this oilseed prove increasingly promising.

Keywords

• sistemas dinâmicos
• viabilidade energética
• biodiesel
• cadeia produtiva