The environmental impacts of different types of biofuels used in Switzerland have been compared in a detailed life cycle assessment. Different reports of this project are published  on thehomepage of the Swiss authority of energy. This study forms an important scientific input for the political decission on tax regulations for biofuels.

Within the project "Ökobilanz von Energieprodukten" several bioenergy products are analysed and investigated in an LCA. The project is split into three parts. The first part investigated basic life cycle inventory data for Swiss bioenergy products. An additional project aims to investigate basic data for imported biofuels. In the last step the data are assessed in an LCA. The full project was lead by ESU-services Ltd..

The project was financed by the following institutions:

• Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Bundesamt für Energie), BfE, CH
• Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, (Bundesamt für Umwelt) BAFU, CH 
• Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, BLW, CH

Additional contributions are provided by

• alcosuisse, Das Profitcenter der Eidg. Alkoholverwaltung, CH 
• Erdöl-Vereinigung, CH
• ERZ Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich, CH

The Swiss Mineral Oil Tax Act and the relevant ordinances set thresholod limits for the emission of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts (proof of the positive aggregate environmental impact) for fuels from renewable feedstocks. Calculation rules and threshold have been based on this project.

Biofuels Life Cycle Assessment Ordinance (BLCAO) English translation (not binding)

Dr. Niels Jungbluth was the project leader of the project: „Ökobilanz von Energieprodukten"

Niels Jungbluth, "Life Cycle Assessment of Agrofuels: Summary of different case studies and conclusions for mobility". ETH Zürich, December 2008.

Niels Jungbluth, Biomass production: Raw materials for biofuels. 2nd international ecoinvent meeting, 14.3.2008, ETH Lausanne

Niels Jungbluth, Bioenergy and biomaterials: Biofuels. 2nd international ecoinvent meeting, 14.3.2008, ETH Lausanne

The presentation and article at the LCA in foods conference of Niels focuses on the approach used in the project on biofuels for the calculation of environmental impacts from deforestation and clear cutting of primary forests.

The project has been presented with a poster at the SETAC conference 2006 in Den Haag.