Title:
Enhancing Life Cycle Modelling of Waste-based Biodiesel: Integration of Beef Tallow Rendering Emissions into Brazil's National Biofuel Policy (RENOVABIO)
Author(s):
Ciribelli Santos Pompêu, G., Cruz Lamas, G., Pereira, L.G., Cardoso Rodirigues, M., Seixas Sabaini, P., Ieda Da S Folegatti, M., Silveira, E.A.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Global biodiesel production is projected to reach 80.9 billion liters by 2034, driven by the growing demand for low-carbon fuel alternatives. In this context, animal fats, particularly beef tallow, have emerged as strategic feedstocks because they do not compete directly with food production, can present lower carbon intensity than conventional vegetable oils, and contribute to the valorization of slaughterhouse by-products. However, the carbon intensity of beef tallow-based biodiesel is highly sensitive to methodological choices regarding feedstock classification, system boundaries, and intermediate processing stages. This study updates and adapts the RenovaCalc framework, the official calculator of Brazil’s National Biofuel Policy, RenovaBio, by incorporating a specific beef tallow rendering flow upstream of biodiesel production. The rendering inventory resulted in 57,913.27 g CO2eq per ton of processed tallow, equivalent to 88.86 g CO2eq kg–1 of rendered tallow after allocation. Its inclusion increased the estimated emissions of the biodiesel route from 137,505.8 to 137,594.7 g CO2eq kg–1 biodiesel, corresponding to an increase of approximately 0.065% compared with the previous RenovaCalc setup. Although numerically limited, this variation is methodologically relevant because it improves inventory completeness, transparency, and the robustness of decarbonization estimates. In the blending analysis, increasing the beef tallow share from 6% to 80% reduced total emissions from 1,354,580.3 to 422,146.2 g CO2eq kg–1 biodiesel, confirming its role as a decarbonizing feedstock. Overall, the proposed refinement strengthens the technical basis for carbon intensity accounting in waste- and by-product-based biodiesel pathways in Brazil.
Keywords:
biofuel, decarbonization, carbon intensity, RenovaCalc, tallow biodiesel
Topic:
Sustainability, Impacts, Policies and Systems Analysis
Subtopic:
Environmental impacts
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
2AV.5.3
Pages:
291 - 297
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-2AV.5.3
Price:
FREE
