shirley fagnen

MScA candidate
(Chemical Engineering Department - cole Polytechnique de Montral)
shirley.fagnen@polymtl.ca

Expertise :

• Environmental engineering
• Life cycle assessment

Start: January 2008
Director: Réjean Samson
Co-director: Louise Deschênes

Research project:

Consequential LCA of a 2nd generation biofuel made from willow : methodology development to take into consideration back-up systems

Project summary:

First generation biofuels have rapidly been demonstrated as unsuitable energy sources due to their impact on food resources (e.g. corn), water and land use, and their questionable CO2-balance. Research has turned to second generation biofuels, which do not compete directly with human food. One current topic are cellulosic fibres especially from fast-growing woods, that need few water and fertilisers and that grow on marginal lands, called short rotation crops. The idea of producing cellulosic ethanol from willows appeals. A consequential LCA could give a good evaluation of the new fuel. The consequential LCA (LCA-C) allows considering systemic consequences due to changes and thus completes the study with a more realistic view. This project consists in determining the functions of each system (water, land, wood) which are affected by the production of willow biofuel. The notion of back-up systems is then important. It consists in systems used to cover for the function which are missing due to the use of the resources by the crops. These systems need to be taken into consideration as well as the uncertainty. Thus, the project, in addition of an analysis of the impacts of a new source, is going to help developing consequential LCA methodology for biofuels studies.

Publications/presentations:

Career path:

Double Diploma, Ecole des Mines de Nantes- Environmental Engineering