Transport sector is the first greenhouse gas emission source in Quebec with more than 37 % of atmospheric emissions. The present research intends to compare different sources of energy including the recovery of organic waste (OW) as an energy option. Methanisation turns OW into energy producing biogas.
Life cycle assessment evaluates the scenarios based on a Honda Civic coupé, driven on a distance of 100 km to identify the least damaging for environment. The five scenarios are compared using impacts indicators and damages indicators. Fuel vehicles cause more damages in these categories: human health, ecosystem quality and resources. Comparing these damages with those obtained using a second method, a similar hierarchy of the scenarios is observed despite different problem categories. First, according to problem categories, it is established that the battery is responsible of 60 % of the impact of electric vehicles. Then, operation function cause more environmental damages than manufacturing and maintenance in each scenario except electric car. If applied on the entire motor vehicle fleet of the province of Quebec, the scenarios allow concluding that the entire OW created by all sectors of economic activities can produce enough renewable energy to feed 8,5 % of these vehicles at the most.
Moreover, it’s necessary to avoid the transfer of emissions to another environment space, thus shifting the problematic. Aside from improving the efficiency of the source of energy, it is important to free the motor vehicle fleet from its dependency on fossil sources of energy.
| Date | 14 Jul 2017 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Mathias Glaus (Supervisor) |
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Lagacé, É. (Author),
Glaus (Supervisor),
14 Jul 2017Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Environmental Engineering