3.2. Global warming potential
GHG emissions are detailed for the WTP system boundary of the
industrial-scale systems for the two thermochemical conversion
technologies modeled and compared to conventional diesel, and
soybean based biodiesel, Fig. 6. The emissions are broken down
into process emissions for electrical, heating, and product consumption.
Emissions from product consumption are a result of
nutrient demands, material losses, and burning of process byproducts,
such as char and pyrolysis or HTL gasses. Extending the
boundary to well to wheel (WTW) requires the emissions from the combustion of the fuel assumed here to be 74.1 g-CO2-eq MJ1
based on 99% oxidation of the carbon in the fuel with renewable
diesel and diesel being equivalent in carbon composition [75].