Transportation

V1.0

Module name	Transport
Module category	Transformation
Methodology name	Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS)
Version	1.0
Methodology ID	RIV-BICRS-T-TPRT-V1.0
Release date	December 4th, 2024
Status	In use

Glossary

This is a Transformation Module and covers the upstream and downstream transportation throughout the project lifecycle. This module is part of the Riverse BiCRS methodology, which allows Project Developers to choose the relevant modules for their project, and shall be used with the necessary accompanying modules.

See more details on how modules are organized in the BiCRS home page.

How to use this module

BiCRS Methodology

Scope of the module

This module covers transportation steps throughout the project life cycle and over several modes of transportation.

Transportation steps covered include but are not necessarily limited to feedstock transportation to the processing site and product transportation to the permanent storage site.

Modes of transportation currently include road and sea transport. Other modes will be included in future versions of this module and may be proposed by Project Developers on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility criteria

There are no eligibility criteria requirements specific to this module. Eligibility criteria requirements shall be taken from the accompanying modules and methodologies:

BiCRS methodology

• Additionality

• No double counting

• Targets alignment

• ESDNH

Other modules

• Permanence

• Substitution

• Co-benefits

• No double counting

• ESDNH

• Leakage

Riverse Standard Rules

• Measurability

• Real

• TRL

• Minimum impact

GHG quantification

The GHG reduction quantification instructions from all other modules used by the project must be used in conjunction with the present module in order to obtain full life-cycle GHG reduction quantifications.

System Boundaries

This module covers the life cycle GHG emissions from all transportation of feedstock and transportation of carbon storage solutions by road and sea.

Two main life cycle stages are considered:

1. Energy use emissions

2. Embodied emissions

There are three approaches for modeling energy use emissions:

1. Fuel-amount approach: based on the type and amounts of fuel used for each . This approach is more precise but the required data are more difficult to obtain.
2. Fuel-efficiency approach: based on the fuel efficiency (e.g. liters diesel/km) of transport units and type of fuel used for each , plus the distance traveled, to calculate the amount of fuel used.
3. Distance-based approach: based on the mass of goods transported, distance traveled, and generic transportation emission factors for shipping by road or water.

The distance-based approach relies on more assumptions compared to the other two approach, and these assumptions are always conservative. To avoid the application of such conservative assumptions, it is in the project’s best interest to provide directly measured fuel amounts, or if that data is unavailable, fuel efficiency. While obtaining this data is more challenging than simply recording distances and load weights, it allows for more accurate and less conservative calculations.

Data sources

The required primary data from projects are presented in Table 1 and vary depending on the approach chosen (fuel or distance-based).

Data shall be reported from Project Developers for each and then converted to the abovementioned functional unit upon annual verification.

Table 1 Summary of primary data needed from projects and their source. One asterisk (*) indicates which data are required to be updated annually during verification (see Monitoring Plan section). Two asterisks (**) indicate which data are optional, where a conservative default choice will be applied.

Fuel amount approach

Parameter	Unit	Source proof examples
Fuel quantity consumed per transport segment*	Kg or kWh	Measurements from the transport unit (e.g. vehicle flow sensors) Measurements from tracking systems Values reported by on-board transport unit diagnostic systems (OBD) Purchase receipts of fuel plus local fuel cost per unit
Fuel type* and geography**	Category (see Appendix 1)	Data from tracking systems Fuel purchase receipts, showing the fuel type and location of purchase. Photographic evidence
Number of trips per transport segment*	Unit	Number of trips each transport segment is repeated during the reporting period (e.g. 10 trips from A to B and 8 trips from C to D)
Transport unit category**	Trucks: Light (<7.5t) Medium (7.5t-32t) Heavy (>32t) Ships: ferry (short distance sea transport) container ship bulk carrier for dry goods tanker for	Transport unit documents Transport unit photo (showing the car license plate) Transport unit certificates or other official documents containing the transport unit weight with maximum load capacity (proven with the parameter "weight of the loaded and unloaded vehicle")
Next step after transport segment **	Description	Detail of the next step after completing a transport segment (e.g. whether the truck returns to the original location empty, carries goods for another client on the return trip, or will be involved in a subsequent transport segment).

Fuel efficiency approach

Parameter	Unit	Source proof examples
Fuel consumption efficiency*	kg/km or kWh/km	Telematics Data OBD Data: Real-time vehicle diagnostics. Reports from fleet management tools.
Fuel type* and geography**	Category (see Appendix 1)	Data from tracking systems Fuel purchase receipts, showing the fuel type and location of purchase. Photographic evidence
Number of trips per transport segment*	Unit	Number of trips each transport segment is repeated during the reporting period (e.g. 10 trips from A to B and 8 trips from C to D)
Transport unit category**	Trucks: Light (<7.5t) Medium (7.5t-32t) Heavy (>32t) Ships: ferry (short distance sea transport) container ship bulk carrier for dry goods tanker for	Transport unit documents Transport unit photo (showing the car license plate) Transport unit certificates or other official documents containing the transport unit weight with maximum load capacity
Next step after transport segment **	Description	Detail of the next step after completing a transport segment (e.g. whether the truck returns to the original location empty, carries goods for another client on the return trip, or will be involved in a subsequent transport segment).

Distance based approach

Parameter	Unit	Source proof examples
Distance traveled per transport segment*	km	Documenting transport unit odometer readings at the start and end of a trip, containing at least reading year Records of traveled distances from tracking systems Mapping of the traveled route online with common platforms such as Google Maps, including start and end locations of the trip per segment
Weight of transported material per segment*	tonnes	Difference between loaded and unloaded vehicle weight Bills of lading or delivery notes with weight details Official reports from quality control or inspection services documenting the weight
Transport unit category**	Trucks: Light (<7.5t) Medium (7.5t-32t) Heavy (>32t) Ships: ferry (short distance sea transport) container ship bulk carrier for dry goods tanker for	Transport unit documents Transport unit photo (showing the car license plate) Transport unit certificates or other official documents containing the transport unit weight with maximum load capacity
Next step after transport segment **	Description	Detail of the next step after completing a transport segment (e.g. whether the truck returns to the original location empty, carries goods for another client on the return trip, or will be involved in a subsequent transport segment).

Return trip and subsequent transport segments

Note that providing data on the transport unit's next trip after the transport segment is optional (see Table 1).

• Loaded Return Trips: If the transport unit is loaded for its subsequent transport segment (e.g., returning to point A or proceeding to a new point C), the emissions from these following transport segments may be excluded from the project's GHG emissions calculations. In such cases, the emissions are attributed to the client responsible for the goods transported during the subsequent trip.

• Empty Return Trips: If the transport unit is empty for its subsequent transport segment, the emissions from that segment must be included in the project's GHG emissions calculations. Project Developers have the option to provide the actual fuel consumption data for the empty trip. If this data is unavailable, it will be assumed that the fuel consumption matches that of the initial trip. This assumption is conservative, as an empty vehicle typically exhibits improved fuel efficiency.

• Unknown Next Transport Step: If Project Developers cannot verify the transport unit's next step after the project’s transport segment, it shall be assumed that the vehicle returns empty to point A. In this case, the emissions from the empty return trip are included in the project’s transport segment calculations.

• Distance-Based Approach: When using the distance-based approach, an empty return trip is always modeled. To provide more specific details on the return trip, Project Developers must use either Approach 1: Fuel Amount or Approach 2: Fuel Efficiency.

The version 3.10 (hereafter referred to as ecoinvent) shall be the main source of emission factors unless otherwise specified. Ecoinvent is preferred because it is traceable, reliable, and well-recognized. The ecoinvent processes selected are detailed in the Appendix 1.

Secondary data is used for the fuel combustion emission factor and is presented in Table 2 and 3 below.

Assumptions

1. After analyzing the impacts of four different truck categories, the emissions for medium truck transport are averaged across two truck sizes: 7.5-16 tons and 16-32 tons.

2. If proof about the following transport segment (e.g. B back to A, or B onwards to C) cannot be provided, it is assumed that the transport unit returns empty with the same GHG emissions as the initial transport segment.

3. In the Distance-based approach, transport unit emissions from ecoinvent are used, where the emission factor includes emissions from an empty return trip (i.e. a load factor of 0%). The average load factors for the outbound journey assumed in the emission factor are detailed in Table 2 for truck transport and Table 3 for ship transport.
4. Embodied emissions from road transport include upstream emissions from truck manufacturing, road construction, and ongoing maintenance. For ship transport, embodied emissions cover at least the emissions associated with the ship itself, its maintenance, and the port facilities.

Table 2 Summary of outbound journey average load factor per truck category. Calculated based on ecoinvent assumptions.

Truck category	Outbound journey average load factor (%)
Light	28
Medium	30
Heavy	89

Table 3 Summary of outbound journey average load factor per ship category. Calculated based on ecoinvent assumptions.

Truck category	Outbound journey average load factor (%)
Ferry	50
Container ship	70
Bulk carrier for dry goods	53
Tanker for	54

Energy use emissions

The three approaches to model energy use emissions from transport are detailed below.

Energy amount approach

This approach accounts for emissions from:

1. upstream energy production and processing

2. direct GHG emissions from combustion (if fuel is the energy source rather than electricity)

Emissions for upstream energy production and processing shall be taken from ecoinvent. Options of energy types are presented in Appendix 1.

If an electric vehicle charging station is directly connected to a renewable energy source (e.g., solar), emission factors for renewable energy production may be taken from ecoinvent, as detailed in Appendix 1. Otherwise, emission factors based on the regional grid will be applied.

The shall be taken from Table 4. Project Developers may suggest emission factors for other fuel types not included here if they:

• are based on reputable, transparent sources

• consider at least CO$_2$, N$_2$,O and CH$_4$, emissions

• are geographically accurate for the project's context

• are approved by the VVB and the Riverse Certification team.

Project Developers may declare a mix of fuels used (e.g. mostly diesel with a fraction of bioethanol). Default country-specific values shall be used for the ratio of diesel to biofuel (see Appendix 2), unless Project Developers provide proof of a different ratio.

Table 4 Direct GHG emissions from combustion for several fuel types, relevant for a European context. The first three columns represent emissions in kilograms of gaseous pollutants per kilogram of fuel combusted. The final column presents the total emission factor for fuel combustion, expressed as kg CO$_2$eq, after converting N$_2$O and CH$_4$ emissions using their respective Global Warming Potentials (GWPs).

Fuel	CO2	CH4	N2O	kgCO2eq/kg
Diesel - 100% mineral	3.16	0.00001167	0.000148	3.20
Biodiesel	NA	-	-	0.19
Bioethanol	NA	-	-	0.0114
Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)	3.11	0.0000473	0.000148	3.15

Calculations - Energy amount approach

$\textbf{(Eq.1)}\ E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use} = E_{\ upstream\ fuel} + E_{\ direct\ fuel}$

where,

• $E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use}$ represents the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the energy use involved in transporting all input and output materials in kgCO$_2$eq during the entire reporting period.

• $E_{\ upstream\ fuel}$ represent the sum of GHG emissions resulting from upstream fuel emissions, in kgCO$_2$eq.

• $E_{\ direct\ fuel}$ represent the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the fuel combustion, in kgCO$_2$eq.

$\textbf{(Eq.2)}\ E_{\ upstream\ fuel}\ = \sum(Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ EF_{fuel,\ s}*N)$

where,

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ represents the quantity of fuel (kg, liters or m³) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material i throughout the segment s.

• $EF_{fuel,\ s}$ is the upstream emission factor for the considered fuel used during transport in the segment s. Units vary depending on the fuel's units in ecoinvent (e.g. in kgCO$_2$eq/kWh or kgCO$_2$eq/kg). Refer to Appendix 1 for fuel options.
• $N$ represents the number times segment s is repeated during the reporting period.

$\textbf{(Eq.3)}\ E_{\ direct\ fuel}\ = \sum(Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ \lbrack R_{gas,\ g}*GWP_{gas,\ g}\ \rbrack*F*N)$

where,

• $R_{gas,\ g}$ represents the rate of direct emissions for gas g (CO$_2$, N$_2$O and CH$_4$) for the combustion of the fuel type used in the transport segment s, presented in Table 4.

• $GWP_{gas,\ g}$ represents the global warming potential of gas g, taken from presented in the Riverse Standard Rules.
• F represents the percentage of diesel in the fuel mix (as opposed to biofuel), which should be based on the country's fuel blend as detailed in Appendix 2. For example, if the diesel blend consists of 93% diesel and 7% biodiesel, then the emission of 100% mineral diesel from Table 4 should be multiplied by $F$, which in this case would be 93%.

Energy efficiency approach

The amount of energy used can be calculated by Project Developers using the distance traveled, and the energy efficiency (e.g. fuel consumption efficiency) of the vehicle. Then, the description and equations from the Energy Amount Approach section apply.

Calculations - Energy efficiency approach

$\textbf{(Eq.4)}\ Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s} = \sum (D_{i,\ s}*\ \eta_{s})$

where,

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ represents the quantity of fuel (kg, liters or m³) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material $i$ throughout the segment $s$.

• $D_{i,\ s}$ represents the distance traveled in the transport section $s$ to transport the material $i$, in km.

• $\eta_{s}$ represents the fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle used in transport section $s$, in kg/km or kWh/km.

After calculating the amount of energy consumed, $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$, is used in Equations 2 and 3 from the Calculations - Energy amount approach section instead of directly measured energy amounts.

Distance-based approach

When details about the total energy consumption or vehicle energy efficiency are unavailable, GHG emissions from transport shall be modeled using:

• default ecoinvent emission factors,

• the weight of the product i transported through the segment s, in tonnes, and

• the distance traveled.

Calculations- Distance-based approach

$\textbf{(Eq.5)}\ E_{\ transport\, total}\ = \ \sum (D_{i,\ s}*W_{i,\ s}*EF_{\ transport})$

Where

• $E_{\ transport}$ represents the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the energy use and embodied emissions involved in transporting all input and output materials in kgCO$_2$eq during the entire reporting period.
• $D_{i,\ s}$ represents the distance traveled in the transport section $s$ to transport the material $i$, in km.

• $W_{i,\ s}$ represents the weight of the product i transported through the segment $s$, in tonnes.

• $EF_{\ transport}$ represents the emission factor of the transport unit (truck or ship) in kgCO$_2$eq/t.km. This emission factor includes both upstream fuel production, direct emissions from fuel combustion, and embodied emissions from e.g. trucks, ships, roads... The ecoinvent options are presented in Appendix 1.

Embodied Transport Emissions

Embodied transport emissions include GHG emissions from production and maintenance of major materials used in transport, such as trucks, ships and roads. These need to be added separately if the Energy amount approach or Energy efficiency approach are used to calculate energy use emissions. Emission factors from ecoinvent are used, and Project Developers shall choose between the following truck/ship categories:

Road transport

For road transport, Project Developers shall select one of the following truck category sizes:

1. Light category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of less than 7.5 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size classes of 3.5-7.5 tonnes

2. Medium category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of more than 7.5 tonnes and less than 32 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size classes of 7.5-16 tonnes and 16-32 tonnes. The average values from these two truck sizes are used.

3. Heavy category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of more than 32 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size class >32t.

Ship transport

For sea transport, Project Developers shall select one of the following ship categories.

1. Ferry: typically used on short to medium distances.

2. Container ship: large, ocean-going vessel used to transport cargo in standardized containers, known as TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).

3. Bulk carrier for dry goods: specifically designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ores, cement, and other dry commodities

4. Tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas: designed to transport bulk liquid cargoes other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Truck, ship and road production and maintenance have significant GHG emissions over their entire lifespan. However, for the purpose of issuing carbon credits, these emissions must be distributed proportionally across the specific transport segment under review ("amortized"), rather than being counted entirely upfront.

This amortization is done on the basis of the amount of travel done in the segment, compared to the total expected amount of travel for the lifetime of the transport unit. The general approach is described below.

For example, it can be extrapolated from Ecoinvent that Truck 1 has total lifetime embodied emissions from production and maintenance amounting to 20 tCO$_2$eq, along with an estimated total lifetime fuel consumption of 30,000 liters of diesel (note that actual values may vary).

If the project reports that Truck 1 consumed 300 liters of diesel during the reporting period, the truck's total emissions would be proportionally allocated to the project based on the ratio of fuel consumed during the reporting period to its total lifetime fuel consumption. The calculation would be as follows:

• Fuel Consumed in Project ÷ Total Lifetime Fuel Consumption = 300 liters ÷ 30,000 liters = 10% of lifetime use

Thus, the project is assigned 10% of Truck 1’s embodied emissions for that reporting period. This equates to:

• 10% * 20 tCO$_2$eq = 0.2 tCO$_2$eq

This allocation method ensures that emissions from Truck 1’s production and maintenance are appropriately amortized across its lifetime use.

In practice, this is implemented by taking an ecoinvent transport emission factor (in kgCO$_2$eq/tonne*km), isolating the embodied emissions, and multiplying by the fuel efficiency (in kg or kWh per tonne*km) to obtain an embodied emission factor in terms of kgCO$_2$eq/kg or kWh of energy.

Calculations - Transport embodied emissions

Energy amount approach

$\textbf{(Eq.6)}\ E_{transport,\ embodied} = \sum_{s} Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ EF_{transport,\ e}$

where,

• $E_{transport,\ embodied}$ represents the total project embodied emissions from transport, in kgCO$_2$eq.

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ is explained in Eq. 1 and represents the quantity of fuel (kg) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material i throughout the segment s.

• $EF_{transport,\ e}$ is the emission factor for transport embodied emissions $e$ in kgCO$_2$eq/kg or kWh of energy. The approach to obtain this emission factor is described above.

Energy efficiency approach

Fuel efficiency may be used to calculate the amount of fuel consumption ( $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ ) as presented in Equation 4. The, $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ is used in Equation 6 to calculate embodied emissions from transport.

Distance-based approach

The distance-based method uses emission factors from ecoinvent that already accounts for embodied emissions. No extra steps are necessary here.

Total project emissions

The calculations for total project transport emissions are as follows:

Energy amount approach and Energy efficiency approach:

$$\textbf{(Eq.7)}\ E_{\ transport\, total} = E_{transport,\ embodied} +E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use}$$

Distance based approach:

$E_{\ transport\, total}$ is already calculated in Equation 5.

Uncertainty assessment

See general instructions for uncertainty assessment in the Riverse Standard Rules. The outcome of the assessment shall be used to determine the percent of RCCs to eliminate with the .

The uncertainty of assumptions presented in the Assumptions section are assessed below:

1. Averaging truck sizes: this has low uncertainty since analyses showed that the emission profiles for the two medium truck sizes in ecoinvent were similar.

2. Empty returns: this has high uncertainty but the most conservative approach is taken in the quantifications.

3. Using the default ecoinvent load factor: this has high uncertainty, because in ecoinvent, it is assumed that all vehicles are not full. This load factor affects several aspects of the GHG emissions from road transport, and a project's load factor may be higher or lower.

4. Embodied transport emissions: this has low to moderate uncertainty as the transport unit and road maintenance is the most impactful embodied emissions processes.

The equations have no uncertainty since they are basic conversions.

Direct GHG emissions from combustion are used as secondary data and have moderate uncertainty. These values are not expected to vary significantly within the European fuel mix.

The uncertainty at the module level is estimated to be low. This translates to an expected discount factor of at least 3% for projects that have significant GHG impacts from transport.

Monitoring plan

Monitoring Plans for this module shall include, but are not limited to, tracking of the following information for each production batch:

Energy amount approach

• Transport unit category used per segment

• Amount of fuel per transport segment

• Fuel type and fuel production geography per transport segment

• Number of trips per transport segment

Energy efficiency approach

• Transport unit category used per segment

• Fuel efficiency and distance traveled per transport segment

• Fuel type and fuel production geography per transport segment

• Number of trips per transport segment

Distance-based approach

• Truck category used per segment

• Distance per transport segment

• Weight of transported materials per segment

• Number of trips per transport segment

The Project Developer is the party responsible for adhering to the Monitoring Plan.

Appendix

The table below presents a non-exhaustive selection of ecoinvent activities that may be used in the GHG reduction calculations for this module. Additional activities may be used for any project, if the following selection does not cover all relevant activities.

Table A1 List of ecoinvent 3.10 processes used in the GHG reduction quantification model, all processes are from the cutoff database

Input	Ecoinvent activity name
Diesel upstream emissions	market group for diesel, low-sulfur | diesel, low-sulfur | Cutoff, U, RER
Ethanol upstream emissions	ethanol, from fermentation, to market for ethanol, vehicle grade | ethanol, from fermentation, to market for ethanol, vehicle grade | Cutoff, U, RoW
Natural gas upstream emissions	market for natural gas, high pressure | natural gas, high pressure | Cutoff, U, RoW
Heavy Fuel Oil upstream emissions	market for heavy fuel oil l market for heavy fuel oil l Cutoff, U, RoW
Grid electricity	market group for electricity, medium voltage | electricity, medium voltage | Cutoff, U, RER
Solar electricity*	market for electricity, low voltage, renewable energy products | electricity, low voltage, renewable | Cutoff, U, CH
Truck Transport - light	transport, freight, lorry 3.5-7.5 metric ton, EURO5 | transport, freight, lorry 3.5-7.5 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - medium	transport, freight, lorry 7.5-16 metric ton, EURO5 | transport, freight, lorry 7.5-16 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - medium	transport, freight, lorry 16-32 metric ton, EURO5 | transport, freight, lorry 16-32 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - heavy	transport, freight, lorry >32 metric ton, EURO5 | transport, freight, lorry >32 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Ship Transport - ferry	transport, freight, sea, ferry | transport, freight, sea, ferry | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - container ship	transport, freight, sea, container ship | transport, freight, sea, container ship | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - bulk carrier for dry goods	transport, freight, sea, bulk carrier for dry goods | transport, freight, sea, bulk carrier for dry goods | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas	transport, freight, sea, tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas | transport, freight, sea, tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas | Cutoff, U, GLO

*If the solar plant is directly connected to the fuel station, emissions are assumed to be zero.

Appendix 2: Biofuel blends by country

Table A2 National biofuel policies in Europe per country from - Diesel blend.

Country	Biofuel in diesel fuel blend (%)
Europe average	5.9
Austria	6.3
Belgium	5.7
Bulgaria	6
France	9.2
Hungary	0.2
Latvia	6.5
Lithuania	6.2
Poland	5.2
Romania	6.5
Slovenia	6.9

Biofuel blends from other countries can be used if they come from reliable sources, and are approved by the Riverse Certification team and the VVB. If data for a specific European country is unavailable, the standard European biofuel percent may be used, which is conservatively estimated to be of the diesel fuel blend.