Life Cycle Assessment of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

a New Zealand ‘Cradle to Farm Gate’ assessment of net energy yield, global warming potential and eutrophication impacts of biomass crop production for bioenergy

Summary

The production of biofuels from crop biomass is one means to address two key issues: finite fossil fuel supply and environmental impacts of fossil fuel use on climate change through global warming. This Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) report is one aspect of a New Zealand (NZ) biofuels research project at the University of Canterbury to advance biomass gasification and liquid fuel synthesis from the syngas. The aim is to characterise the three most promising non-woody biomass species for use as gasification feedstock. A protocol was developed for each species to act as a blueprint to grow the crop under NZ conditions. The species reported here is Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). It looks like the related species, sunflower, but is usually grown for its tubers. The plant tops are of interest in their own right, having high biomass production of up to 30 tonnes dry mass per hectare (tDM/ha).