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PtX Lab Lausitz has published its holistic approach to the sustainability of powerfuels in a new scientific book.
The authors of the Lusatian Lab, Anita Demuth, Nils Fuchs, Harry Lehmann and Jessica Nagamichi, published their expertise on sustainability in the article ‘A Holistic Approach to Sustainability of Powerfuels’, which forms a 35-page chapter in the new English-language book or e-book ‘Powerfuels. Status and Prospects’.
In it, they examine the scientific findings and concepts as well as international agreements from which sustainability criteria for electricity-based fuels, also known as powerfuels or PtX fuels, should be derived: from the concept of planetary boundaries – especially when it comes to the ecological dimension – as well as from the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations, the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.
A holistic view of sustainability is crucial
Past experiences, such as with biofuels, have shown how important it is to take a holistic perspective when addressing the impacts of a new sector in order to avoid adverse effects on people and the environment.
The existing sustainability definitions for ‘green’ power-to-x (PtX) fuels, as defined at the European level, are not sufficient to avoid negative impacts in the long term. Consequently, there is a need to further advance the sustainability discourse, particularly at the political level.
International expertise on powerfuels in one book
The book, edited by Nils Bullerdiek, Ulf Neuling and Martin Kaltschmitt, has been published by Springer Nature. It combines expert contributions from international experts and offers in-depth insights and the current state of knowledge in technical, economic, ecological and social aspects of powerfuels.
Scientists Martin Kaltschmitt and Ulf Neuling from the Technical University of Hamburg were already the editors of the predecessor book ‘Biokerosene. Status and Prospects’ from 2018.
