For production and use of one Functional Unit (FU) of Pongamia biodiesel an average 45 kJ of non-renewable
energy is required, which is twenty eight times less
compared to reference system (fossil fuel system) i.e.
approximately 1,250 kJ/FU (Wouter et.al 2010). The oil
extraction (43%) and transesterification (53%) steps are
the biggest contributors to the energy requirement. The
major contribution of the transformation (oil extraction &
esterification) process to the overall energy balance of the
system confirms findings of Jatropha and Palm oil LCA
studies (Krishan et al., 2011; Wouter et al., 2010; Kian et
al., 2009). The cultivation phase represents only 4% of
the non renewable energy requirement of the life cycle
(203.21 MJ), which is very low compared to other
biodiesel production systems, due to very little fertilizer
inputs. In the oil extraction phase, electrical energy
produced with fossil fuel to operate expeller and filter
press is found to be the largest contributor (67% i.e.
57.74 MJ) followed by oil press production.
In the esterification phase methanol production and
use contributes to highest energy consumption (47% i.e.
50.25MJ) followed by transesterification (32% i.e. 21.09
MJ) and manufacturing of esterification unit (20% i.e.
21.09 MJ).
Over the whole life cycle, construction and
maintenance of machinery accounts for 25% of the total
NRER, while transportation contributes 3%. This
contribution is low compared to Palm oil LCA (Kian et
al., 2009) since it has low levels of inputs and aims at
local use of the products. This results in low
transportation distances, both for bringing inputs to the
system and for distributing outputs to the market. The
data for calculating NRER has been compiled from “The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” database
(Table 3).