Policy implications and recommendations for sustainable bioenergy development in Ethiopia
Elias W. Gabisa, Shabbir H. Gheewala
Sustainable Futures · 2025
Ethiopia, with its abundant biomass resources, has significant potential to develop a sustainable bioenergy sector. However, current bioenergy policies face challenges that hinder the sector's development, including inefficient resource utilization, lack of technological innovation, and inadequate regulatory frameworks. This study evaluates the existing bioenergy policy landscape in Ethiopia, with a focus on identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. The research benchmarks Ethiopia's bioenergy policies against the experiences of relatively successful countries, such as Brazil, Germany, and Sweden, to derive actionable insights. Through a comparative policy analysis, this study identifies key drivers of success in bioenergy sectors elsewhere, including supportive regulatory frameworks, public-private partnerships, and incentives for technological innovation and investment. The findings highlight the importance of aligning bioenergy policies with broader sustainability goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy security, and promoting rural development. The study also underscores the need for Ethiopia to adopt a more integrated approach, balancing social, environmental, and economic considerations. The study provides a set of policy recommendations aimed at fostering a sustainable bioenergy industry in Ethiopia. These include enhancing stakeholder engagement, improving financial incentives for bioenergy investments, strengthening institutional capacity, and adopting innovative technologies. By implementing these recommendations, Ethiopia can accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable energy future while addressing pressing developmental challenges such as energy access and environmental degradation.
Life Cycle Assessment of Microalgae-Based Products for Carbon Dioxide Utilization in Thailand: Biofertilizer, Fish Feed, and Biodiesel
Adeel Rafiq, Cameron W. Morris, Abigail Schudel, Shabbir H. Gheewala
F1000Research · 2025
<ns3:p> Background Microalgae-based products offer a sustainable solution for food, fuel, and agricultural inputs, presenting environmental benefits and economic opportunities. A comprehensive assessment is needed to understand their potential in supporting sustainability goals, considering the complex interplay between production methods, energy sources, and environmental impacts. Methods This study evaluated the environmental impacts of three microalgae-derived products – biodiesel, fish feed, and biofertilizer – through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. Nine scenarios were explored comparing three electricity profiles (current Thai mix, 50% renewable/50% current mix hybrid, 100% renewable) across the three products. The assessment evaluated environmental impacts and potential economic benefits of transitioning to these microalgae-based alternatives. Results and discussion All products demonstrated potential for significant environmental benefits under increased renewable energy scenarios. Fish feed consistently exhibited the lowest environmental impacts across all categories examined, showing substantial improvements with increased renewable energy use. With an annual demand of 0.4 million tonnes, fish feed could generate USD 560 million in revenue and reduce CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 1.1 million tonnes. Fulfilling the projected biodiesel demand of 4,015 million liters per year through microalgae production could yield approximately USD 3.5 billion in revenue and reduce CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 30 million tonnes compared to conventional fossil-based diesel. Additionally, algal biofertilizer production could meet a 5 million tonnes annual demand, offering USD 2 billion in revenue while reducing CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 6 million tonnes yearly. Collectively, these products could offset 37 million tonnes of CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> , representing about 14% of Thailand’s total CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions, contributing significantly to the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of 20-30% greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Conclusion Transitioning to microalgae-based products could transform the aquaculture, energy, and agricultural sectors, potentially supporting the national climate change mitigation goals, if implemented. </ns3:p>
Life Cycle Assessment of Microalgae-Based Products for Carbon Dioxide Utilization in Thailand: Biofertilizer, Fish Feed, and Biodiesel
Adeel Rafiq, Cameron W. Morris, Abigail Schudel, Shabbir H. Gheewala
F1000Research · 2025
<ns3:p> Background Microalgae-based products offer a sustainable solution for food, fuel, and agricultural inputs, presenting environmental benefits and economic opportunities. A comprehensive assessment is needed to understand their potential in supporting sustainability goals, considering the complex interplay between production methods, energy sources, and environmental impacts. Methods This study evaluated the environmental impacts of three microalgae-derived products – biodiesel, fish feed, and biofertilizer – through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. Nine scenarios were explored comparing three electricity profiles (current Thai mix, 50% renewable/50% current mix hybrid, 100% renewable) across the three products. The assessment evaluated environmental impacts and potential economic benefits of transitioning to these microalgae-based alternatives. Results and discussion All products demonstrated potential for significant environmental benefits under increased renewable energy scenarios. Fish feed consistently exhibited the lowest environmental impacts across all categories examined, showing substantial improvements with increased renewable energy use. With an annual demand of 0.4 million tonnes, fish feed could generate USD 560 million in revenue and reduce CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 1.1 million tonnes. Fulfilling the projected biodiesel demand of 4,015 million liters per year through microalgae production could yield approximately USD 3.5 billion in revenue and reduce CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 30 million tonnes compared to conventional fossil-based diesel. Additionally, algal biofertilizer production could meet a 5 million tonnes annual demand, offering USD 2 billion in revenue while reducing CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions by 6 million tonnes yearly. Collectively, these products could offset 37 million tonnes of CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> , representing about 14% of Thailand’s total CO <ns3:sub>2</ns3:sub> emissions, contributing significantly to the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of 20-30% greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Conclusion Transitioning to microalgae-based products could transform the aquaculture, energy, and agricultural sectors, potentially supporting the national climate change mitigation goals, if implemented. </ns3:p>
Spatially differentiated life cycle assessment of Thailand's transport: The implications from country-specific factors and alternative technologies
Vitoon Chotanapund, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Vladimir Strezov, Nazmul Huda, Jitti Mungkalasiri, Trakarn Prapaspongsa
Sustainable Production and Consumption · 2025
This study proposed country-specific characterisation factors (CFs) for Thailand by modifying the Thai Spatially Differentiated Life Cycle Impact Assessment (ThaiSD) method and introducing monetary conversion factors to express environmental impacts in Thai Baht. Five impact categories were fully parameterised, including fine particulate matter formation (PMF), human toxicity (both cancer and non-cancer) (HT c and HT nc ), freshwater ecotoxicity (FET), and water scarcity (WS). Other spatialised CFs were selected from regionalisation models in ReCiPe2016 and IMPACT World+. When comparing the use of country-specific CFs with global average, the impact scores for PMF, HT c , HT nc , FET, photochemical ozone formation and terrestrial acidification demonstrated notably different levels, ranging from ±25 to ±50 %. The developed method was then applied to assess environmental impacts and costs of Thailand's transport sector, encompassing freight and passenger transport across roadway, railway, waterway, and aviation. Climate change (CC) was significantly attributed to human health and ecosystem quality impacts, while the major contributor to resource scarcity impact was fossil resource scarcity (FS). In some scenarios, non-exhaust emissions, particularly from freight trucks, accounted for 40–60 % of the total PMF impacts. Environmental costs of freight and passenger transport in Thailand were 0.08–3.64 Thai Baht per tonne-kilometre and 0.01–0.81 Thai Baht per passenger-kilometre, respectively. Among transport modes, trains were found to be the most environmentally favourable option for both passenger and freight transport, while aviation had the highest environmental impact for freight transport. In contrast, passenger aviation had a comparable environmental burden to passenger cars due to optimised occupancy rates. Despite the efficiency of modern internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), particularly Euro 5 and 6, employing blended biodiesel was less effective in comparison to conventional diesel. Battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles offered advantages in mitigating CC, PMF, and FS compared to ICEVs, although trade-offs remained across other impact categories.
Implications of technological improvement and circular agriculture on environmental sustainability of sugarcane production
Aakriti Deuja, Min Hein Khant, Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Trakarn Prapaspongsa
Cleaner Environmental Systems · 2025
The spatially differentiated environmental impacts and associated costs of technological improvement and circular agricultural practices in sugarcane production were assessed. Analysis of the cause-effect relationship between the key processes and substances each helped develop alternative scenarios for impact reduction. PM 2.5 emissions contributed to 92% of the total human health impacts from open burning of field residues. Freshwater ecotoxicity, mainly due to ametryn emissions from pesticide application, contributed to 47% of the total damage to the ecosystem. The environmental costs were 116% higher than the value of sugarcane production, signifying the critical importance of adopting alternative pathways that provide economic benefits from environmental cost reduction compared to the production value. Scenarios considering green cane harvesting and waste management approaches demonstrated high potential for total impact reduction of 99% and 97%, respectively, and economic gains of 202 and 225 billion THB, respectively (5.76 and 6.42 billion USD, respectively). The economic benefits of waste utilization were 137% higher than the value of sugarcane production, demonstrating the potential benefits of product substitution to help mitigate impacts. The core findings highlight the significance of the PM 2.5 impact-related external costs and underscore the benefits of adopting green cane harvesting in conjunction with on-field waste utilization to mitigate the impact of open burning and produce value-added products. Technological improvement and circular agricultural practices coupled with valuation of spatially differentiated impacts can provide useful and more accurate information to policymakers, to prioritize the implementation of mitigation strategies for enhancing the environmental sustainability of sugarcane production. • Improvement technologies for harvesting extend economic benefit of 5.76 billion USD • Circular agriculture yields economic gain of 6.42 billion USD by utilizing waste • Environmental cost of sugarcane production was 116% higher than production value • Economic benefits of waste utilization were 137% higher than production value