Many policies in developing countries may consider greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biomass as zero due to their ability to equally uptake and release the carbon dioxide from/to the air during the production and use phases. When GHG emissions from the whole life cycle from raw material extraction to end-of-life treatment are included, the emissions are not negligible and may exceed the benefits gained from fossil fuel replacement. There are plenty of existing studies assessing GHG emissions of biofuels (Borjessen and Tufvesson, 2011; €
Gnansounou et al., 2009; Searchinger et al., 2008). It was found
that the methodological choices (i.e. the method used for
handling co-products, the type of reference systems, the type of
land use changes, etc.) significantly affect GHG and energy balances of biofuels.