A life cycle assessment comparison of rapeseed biodiesel and conventional diesel

Biodiesel is often considered to improve energy security and reduce the impact of fuel on climate change. However there are concerns about the impact of biodiesel when its life cycle is considered. The potential impact of using biodiesel rather than conventional diesel was investigated using a life cycle assessment (LCA) of rapeseed biodiesel. Biodiesel leads to reduced fossil fuel use and is likely to reduce the impact of transport on climate change. However it was found that the impact of biodiesel towards other categories, i.e. land use and respiratory inorganics, was greater than petroleum diesel. Therefore biodiesel production should be carefully managed to mitigate its impact on the environment.