ARE BIOFUELS RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES?

2000

Environmental concerns have emerged as new constraints for energy policymakers on decision-making processes. The development of technologies able to exploit the available energy in the environment (solar, geothermal, wind, hydro, biomass) can be considered so important as the creation of new tools capable to assess costs and benefits of such energy-producing activities regarding both economical and environmental impacts. Emergy analysis

Being one of the most primary inputs of everyday life and the industrial world, energy has been used in various ways since the first existence of human beings. When we look at the types of energy used today, we can see that the mainly used types of fuels are fossil based. CO2 is emitted as a result of the combustion of fossil-based fuels. The increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere create a greenhouse effect. Biofuels have been becoming prevalent rapidly because of constantly gaining economic value and concordantly having less negative effects on the environment. All plant and animal based substances with carbohydrate compounds as main components are biofuel resources. This study includes an examination of the different kinds of biofuels and their effects regarding environmental-related aspects.

2010

The paper presents an overview of the sustainability principles applied to biofuels analysis. Sustainable biofuel production is economically competitive, conserves the natural resource base, and ensures social well-being. There is a strong trend to look for fossil fuel substitutes; nowadays the leading option seems to be the biofuels. In terms of environmental sustainability, the most promising effects are related with emissions of particulate matter and GHG. The economic dimension of sustainability is positive to the agriculture sector, but at the same time biofuel production will mean raising prices of the food market. Moreover, biofuels do not constitute a path to avoid increasing in local fuel prices by international fluctuation of fossil fuel prices. Social sustainability is not clearly positive or negative as well. Depending on operational conditions such, agrochemical use, land rotation, source of energy to feed the process, and security measures for leakages, the sustainabil...

Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S, 2013

Nowadays world faces crisis caused by growing energy demand. Threat of climate change caused by the increased emission of CO2 from burning of fossil fuels exerts pressure on wider use of renewable energy resources. It is believed that one of important resources of renewable energy are biofuels. In the paper we present that in the most cases it is not true. Wide use of biofuel, especially in European Union, poses threat to sustainable development of today’s world. It is going to be presented that the production of biofuels from agricultural crops is, in many cases, unsustainable due to the fact that it reduces the access to food by devoting cultivatable land to crops designated for the production of biofuels. What is more, it has also negative influence on the environment, namely it reduces biodiversity, pollute water and, what is curious, not in all cases the use of biofuels leads to the reduction of CO2 emission.

Biofuels are promoted worldwide as an alternative to partially replace fossil fuels. After more than a decade of implementation, important questions have been raised concerning: i) the impacts generated by the change of use and land coverage; ii) the impacts on prices and food production, iii) the impacts on water and the related ecosystem services, and iv) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the changes of land use. This article discusses these issues in the current situation of biofuels with emphasis in the tropical countries. Available studies show that despite their small contribution to the world energy matrix, the large-scale expansion of biofuels can generate negative impacts such as increase in the competition for water and land, especially in the vulnerable ecosystem and social structures in tropical countries.

Applied Mathematical Sciences

Biofuels represent for the European Union an important energy source, and their production has been encouraged by a series of policies aimed at controlling oil prices, reaching the security of the energy supply and cutting the greenhouse gas emissions. This paper deals with the production of biofuels from the point of view of its economic sustainability and of the effects that the EU directives have had on the Italian productive context. Besides, this paper presents the outcome of an empiric study based on the economic sustainability of the production of rapeseed intended to fuel a new power plant. The study, conducted in the territory of the Viterbo Province (Italy), singles out the various types of rapeseed seeds that best adapt to the climatic-environmental features of the territory and, based on their yield and the production target of the new power plant, ascertains the land area to be reconverted or to be devoted to this type of crop.

Bioscience Biotechnology Research Communications, 2018

In order to fulfi l the energy demand of world, there is a need to adopt a new energy system which is based on use of renewable energies resources. Emphasis should be on integration of the various forms of renewable energy like solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy and biofuels energy. These energy resources have potential to replace the dependency of world on fossil fuels if proper policies for utilization of these resources have to be adopt. Change in climate and independency of energy are master stroke for bioenergy development. Many researcher have focused on the biofuels performance in reducing carbon emissions, with questions marks on their potential in this respect. Governments of many countries are setting targets to enhance the proportion of biofuels in their energy mix for the purposes of fulfi ll their energy security and rural development. There are lot of benefi ts of biofuels energies like job creation and diversifi cation of the economy in rural areas, reliable market for agricultural produce especially for energy crops especially in developing countries. In present review different biofuels sources with their impact on environment and amount of production biomass in world has been discussed

2017

Biofuel is an alternative, sustainable, environmental friendly and renewable source of energy.Biofuel has gained attention nowadays due to the potential of reduced environmental impacts as well as increased economic and social benefits. The purpose of this study is to examine the prospects of biofuel to the environment, economy and social.This study employs qualitative research method whereby the insight regarding biofuel was collected through interview with a practitioner in this sector.The findings show that biofuel causes less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and harmless to the environment.However, there are some biofuel which is made from crops can have negative environmental effects.There are serious impacts towards biodiversity conservation.This study found that it has positive impacts to the economy. By building the biofuel industries on the empty lands, this can generate economic benefits to the countries as the demand of biofuel is increasing. The new and existing biofuel in...