Environmental life cycle assessment for Jatropha biodiesel in Egypt

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the environmental performance for the system of Jatropha biodiesel production from cradle to wheel according to the unique Egyptian Jatropha biodiesel model because it depends on waste water which is sewage water and waste land which is desert. This evaluation is performed through a life cycle analysis study which is implemented according to the international standard organization guidelines ISO 14040 and the environmental impacts assessment is executed through SimaPro LCA. The main motivation behind this life cycle analysis is the absence of any environmental life cycle analysis studies for Jatropha biodiesel production in Egypt so such study would be helpful in future Jatropha biodiesel projects in Egypt. Results show that Jatropha biodiesel production in Egypt has many environmental benefits such as combating desertification and fewer impacts compared to fossil diesel which makes Jatropha more than an energy crop. However, there is a need for further social and economic life cycle analysis for Jatropha biodiesel production in Egypt on both small farmers and commercial projects levels. The targeted audiences concerning the results are scientists and stakeholders interested in Jatropha biodiesel production. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.