Carbon Dioxide Life Cycle Assessment of the Energy Industry Sector in Libya: A Case Study

Abstract

In this study, the carbon dioxide CO₂ emission factor for the energy industry sector, which includes the oil and refining industry sector, was estimated by tracing the energy path in its primary form from the AlSharara and Hamada fields to AlZawia Refinery Company to the south of Tripoli power station for generating the electrical power until it reaches the final consumer through the transmission and distribution networks of electric power (electricity consuming sectors). The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology adopted in this research, which can also apply in all sectors that consume thermal energy such as sectors of transportation and industrial, due to their similarity to all sectors in the first and second stages, and they differ only in the final stage. The research also aims to estimate and collect the quantities of carbon dioxide emitted from the primary energy flow path, from the oil field (upstream) that feeds the oil refinery (downstream), which feeds the power station (infrastructure). The results of the mathematical analysis of data for the energy industry sector showed that to generate 1 megawatt-hour of electricity, 291 kg of diesel oil must be burned, and to obtain this amount of diesel, 1,141 kg of crude oil must be refined. The emitted CO₂ chart for this entire pathway was drawn up, where it was found that the total CO₂ emitted was around 1253 kg CO₂ per MWh. The share of the oil sector from the emitted CO₂ was 6.4%, whereas the share of the electricity sector was 93.6%.