The carbon footprint of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) production and consumption based on primary data

According to the European Green Deal proposed by the European Union, biofuels are seen as one of the potential solutions to reduce the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of the transport sector. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a biofuel with chemical properties similar to those of fossil diesel and can be used in existing diesel internal combustion engine vehicles, with commercially available examples such as HVOlution ®. Primary data-based LCA studies of large-scale HVO refineries are rare. Based on the primary data provided by Enilive, the current paper analyzes the carbon footprint of the HVO production in two Italian biorefineries, Venice and Gela, and its use in European territory. The analysis is conducted using the process-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Used cooking oil (UCO), palm oil mill effluent (POME), animal fat, and castor oil are the 4 different feedstocks for HVO production. The study considers the processing and transport of the feedstocks. The carbon footprint of HVO produced in Venice and Gela refineries is in the range of 10.6–17.9 and 15.2–22.2 g CO2 eq./MJ, respectively, with the lower and upper range for the POME and castor oil pathways. For an average scenario, the carbon footprint of the life cycle of HVO distributed in France, Italy, and the Netherlands is in the range of 20.2 to 21.9 g CO2 eq./MJ (34.4 to 37.3 g CO2 eq./km). This represents a 75% reduction compared to commercial diesel, highlighting the significant potential of HVO to contribute to the decarbonization of the transportation sector. With future developments and the use of low-carbon hydrogen, even higher carbon footprint mitigation can be obtained.