Energy production from biomass represents a strategic solution for the achievement of global sustainability goals. In addition, the use of biofuels offers both significant environmental advantages and several socio-economic benefits. In this study, the environmental life cycle impacts associated with the use of woodchips from forest residues for combined heat and power generation in Italy were analyzed. Moreover, the use of woodchips was compared to the use of conventional fossil fuels in similar applications, and different biomass supply scenarios were evaluated to understand their effect on the overall impact related to 1 kWh of electricity. The impacts on “Climate Change” (2.94 × 10⁻² kgCO₂eq/kWh) and “Resources” (4.28 × 10⁻¹ MJ primary) were revealed to be minimal compared to fossil fuels (reduction of about 95–97%) and forest woodchips emerged as a sustainable alternative for electricity generation. Moreover, impacts regarding “Human health” (3.04 × 10⁻⁷ DALY) and “Ecosystem quality” (3.58 × 10⁻¹ PDF·m²·yr) were revealed to be relevant and identified as a research area to be further explored. The findings of this study also highlighted the key role played by the supply mode/distance of the woodchips on the overall life cycle impacts, with the use of “local” biomass representing the best reduction option. Lastly, another aspect to be further investigated is the optimization of the biomass supply.

The transition towards energy efficiency measures and green energy sources is strongly fostered by the European Union. Italy is among the EU countries that have heavily invested in renewable energy sources, more than doubling their share in gross final energy consumption. In particular, biogas has a pivotal role in the generation of electricity and can also be upgraded into biomethane, with a higher and more stable energy content. In this study, the sustainability of the supply chain of electricity from biogas in Italy has been thoroughly analyzed in the broader framework of the ARCADIA (Life Cycle Approach in Public Procurement and Italian LCA Database for Resource Efficiency) project. The environmental assessment, carried out by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), provides a two-fold perspective. Firstly, it allows us to identify the main hotspots of the investigated system, such as the cultivation of dedicated crops, and to provide useful insights for improving environmental performance. Furthermore, a focus on the modeling of the dataset related to the production of electricity from biogas within the Italian electricity mix represents a step ahead in the LCA research, filling the lack of site-specific databases for reliable LCA results.

The European Union is targeting climate neutrality by 2050, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy sources, and reducing emissions. Within Italy’s electricity mix, bioenergy sources, namely biogas, solid biomass, and bioliquids, play a crucial territorial role. A comparative analysis was conducted through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), utilizing national data from the ARCADIA project, to assess the environmental sustainability of the investigated bioenergy chains and identify the most convenient ones. The study revealed that, among the bioenergy sources, solid biomass emerges as the most environmentally friendly option since it does not rely on dedicated crops. Conversely, biogas shows the highest environmental impact, demonstrating less favorable performance across nine out of the sixteen evaluated impact categories. The LCA underscores that the cultivation of dedicated energy crops significantly contributes to environmental burdens associated with electricity generation, affecting both biogas and bioliquids performance. The cultivation process needs water and chemical fertilizers, leading to adverse environmental effects. These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing residual biomass for energy generation over dedicated crops. Utilizing forestry and agro-industrial residues, municipal solid waste, and used cooking oils presents numerous advantages, including environmental preservation, resource conservation and recovery, as well as waste reduction.