Carbon emissions accounting and techno-economic evaluation of biochar and organic fertilizer production from distillers’ grains

HAO Jinyu; PENG Xin; WANG Chun; XU Ke; YAO Xiaolong; SUN Yingxue

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017

Volume 44 Issue 7

Jul. 2026

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HAO Jinyu, PENG Xin, WANG Chun, XU Ke, YAO Xiaolong, SUN Yingxue. Carbon emissions accounting and techno-economic evaluation of biochar and organic fertilizer production from distillers’ grains[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(7): 167-178. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017

Citation:

HAO Jinyu, PENG Xin, WANG Chun, XU Ke, YAO Xiaolong, SUN Yingxue. Carbon emissions accounting and techno-economic evaluation of biochar and organic fertilizer production from distillers’ grains[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(7): 167-178. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017

Citation:

HAO Jinyu, PENG Xin, WANG Chun, XU Ke, YAO Xiaolong, SUN Yingxue. Carbon emissions accounting and techno-economic evaluation of biochar and organic fertilizer production from distillers’ grains[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(7): 167-178. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017

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Carbon emissions accounting and techno-economic evaluation of biochar and organic fertilizer production from distillers’ grains

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017

School of Light Industry Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China

Received Date: 2026-05-22
Available Online: 2026-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

Distillers’ grains are a predominant type of organic solid waste with the largest output in the brewing industry. Their efficient and low-carbon resource utilization serves as a core approach to advance the green transformation of the brewing sector and achieve the Dual Carbon Goals. This study took two mainstream resource utilization routes of distillers’ grains， namely biochar preparation and organic fertilizer production， as the research objects. Based on publicly available parameters of each process unit in existing literature， the life cycle assessment （LCA） method was adopted to systematically calculate the carbon dioxide emissions and carbon reduction benefits of the two approaches throughout their full life cycles. Meanwhile， a techno-economic evaluation model was established from the perspectives of raw material supply， equipment investment and operational consumption， so as to comprehensively evaluate the cost， economic benefit and investment feasibility of the two processes. The results showed that theoretically， the total life-cycle CO₂emission of biochar production via pyrolysis of 1 t of distillers’ grains was 250.02 kg， with a carbon sequestration reduction of 120.29 kg， presenting distinct advantages of low carbon emission and long-term carbon fixation. By contrast， the total CO₂emission of organic fertilizer produced by 1 t of distillers’ grains fermentation reached 536.14 kg with a carbon emission reduction of 86.22 kg， whose carbon mitigation performance was inferior to the biochar pathway. Techno-economic analysis indicated that the net profit of distillers’ grain-derived biochar was 471.97 yuan per ton， while that of distillers’ grain organic fertilizer was 822.27 yuan per ton， demonstrating that the organic fertilizer production process delivers superior economic profitability. In conclusion， both resource utilization processes can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The biochar preparation process features low carbon output and environmental sustainability， whereas the organic fertilizer production process delivers superior economic benefits. This study can provide solid theoretical references and reliable data support for the selection of organic solid waste recycling strategies， the promotion of low-carbon technologies， and the establishment of circular economy models in brewing industry.
- distillers’ grains resource utilization,
- biochar,
- organic fertilizer,
- carbon dioxide emissions,
- techno-economics

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References(40)

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