Analysis of Biofuel Policy and Efficiency Towards GHG Reduction

2015

The use of fossil fuels for transportation represents one of the largest anthropogenic contributions to greenhouse gases (GHGs), and the need for clean, renewable, alternative fuel sources has become a global priority. It is no wonder that biofuel production has grown exponentially over the past 30 years; biofuels essentially contribute no additional GHG in their carbon life cycle and can be grown in almost any farming region in the world. However, the rapid expansion of the biofuel market has generated considerable controversy in the practice: many scientific studies have revealed significant variability in the GHG reduction efficiency of different biofuel production methods in relation to fossil fuel displacement, some of which actually result in net increases of GHG emissions. To address this controversy, this paper reviews the policies behind past and current biofuel production and analyzes the relative efficiencies of different production methods around the world. By assembling and comparing such eclectic data one can identify the primary sources of GHG emissions within the different methods, as well as which general trends in biofuel production show the greatest potential efficiency. This information will be of great assistance to any future policies that plan for a self-sufficient biofuel market with fewer government subsidies. The results of this study showed that within the wide spectrum of variance for different methods, the greatest factors affecting GHG reduction efficiency were the type of crop grown, the subsequent amount of nitrogen fertilizer required for cultivation, and the amount and type of land converted to farmland for production. In most instances, second-generation biofuels showed clear superiority to first-generation biofuels, though current technological limitations prevent their production on a competitive scale. Based on these conclusions, any future policies promoting biofuel production in the U.S. must include provisions to diversify the domestic market based on the most efficient crops and methods practiced in similar regions, preferably offering incentives towards responsible land and fertilizer use. Such policies must also promote the development of second-generation biofuel technology to further expand their role in the market.

Biofuel production from energy crops is land-use intensive. Land-use change (LUC) associated with bioenergy cropping impacts on the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance, both directly and indirectly. Land-use conversion can also impact on biodiversity.

Biomass and Bioenergy, 2010

We compared the production-ecological sustainability of biofuel production from several major crops that are also commonly used for production of food or feed, based on current production practices in major production areas. The set of nine sustainability indicators focused on resource use efficiency, soil quality, net energy production and greenhouse gas emissions, disregarding socioeconomic or biodiversity aspects and land use change. Based on these nine production-ecological indicators and attributing equal importance to each indicator, biofuel produced from oil palm (South East Asia), sugarcane (Brazil) and sweet sorghum (China) appeared most sustainable: these crops make the most efficient use of land, water, nitrogen and energy resources, while pesticide applications are relatively low in relation to the net energy produced. Provided there is no land use change, greenhouse gas emissions of these three biofuels are substantially reduced compared with fossil fuels. Oil palm was most sustainable with respect to the maintenance of soil quality. Maize (USA) and wheat (Northwest Europe) as feedstock for ethanol perform poorly for nearly all indicators. Sugar beet (Northwest Europe), cassava (Thailand), rapeseed (Northwest Europe) and soybean (USA) take an intermediate position.

Journal of Rural Studies, 2012

Recent energy and climate policies, particularly in the developed world, have increased demand for bioenergy 2 as an alternative, which has led to both direct and indirect land-use changes and an array of environmental and socioeconomic concerns. A comprehensive understanding of the land-use dynamics of bioenergy crop production is essential for the development of sustainable bioenergy and land-use policies. In this paper, we review the patterns and dynamics of land-use change associated with bioenergy crops (hereafter referred to as 'bioenergy-driven land-use change'). The review focuses on four regions as the most prominent locations in which these patterns and changes occur: Brazil; Indonesia and Malaysia; the United States of America (U.S.A.); and the European Union (EU). The review confirms that bioenergy-driven land-use change has affected and will impact most severely on the 'landand resource-abundant' developing regions, such as Brazil, where economic development takes priority over sustainable land-use policies, and the enforcement capability is limited. Opportunities for more effective policy are available through the development of international climate change policy (e.g. REDD under the UNFCCC), and certification criteria for sustainable bioenergy products (e.g. EU RED). However, bioenergy produced from no and/or less land-using feedstocks (e.g. wastes and residues), and their associated technologies must be given higher priority to minimise bioenergy-driven land-use change and its negative impacts.

2008

Biofuel Production and Land-use Issues Globally, there is a large interest in finding renewable fuels to substitute for petroleumbased fuels, with the dual purpose of enhancing energy security and mitigating climate change. Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are potential options for meeting these needs in the transportation sector (IPCC 2007). Volatile oil prices and uncertainty about sustained oil supplies have added a sense of immediacy to the search for fossil fuel substitutes. In response to these pressures, a number of countries have already set targets for substituting biofuels for diesel and gasoline, with proportions ranging from 5% to 20%, to be met at various times within the period 2010-2030. Production of first-generation biofuels requires cultivation, processing, and transportation of feedstocks, all of which lead to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Presently, biofuels are produced from conventional food and feed crops such as sugarcane, maize, soybean, sweet sorghum, and oil palm. Technologies for the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks, such as perennial grasses or short rotation woody crops, have yet to become commercially viable. The emissions from biofuel production and processing have been well studied with a classic life cycle approach (LCA), showing that, except for maize ethanol grown in energy intensive agrosystems in the U.S., most biofuels have net GHG savings between 20% and 90% (Thow and Warhurst 2007) relative to fossil fuels. However, these estimates do not include emissions from land use change, which may be significant, depending on how biofuels are produced. Increasing biofuel production to meet the political targets set requires crop expansion, leading to direct and, in many instances, indirect land-use change (LUC). Direct LUC occurs when additional cropland is made available through the conversion of native ecosystems such as peat lands, forests, and

2012

This research assesses the effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission constraints imposed in biofuel importing countries on the export potential of biofuel producing countries. Several countries are promoting the introduction of biofuels on their energy matrix through ambitious biofuel mandates but also specify a certain level of GHG emission reduction that biofuels should fulfil. Biofuel producing countries focused on the international market should comply with this criterion in order to supply biofuels to those countries. Biofuel producers should then report the GHG emission saving (GES) of the biofuel they supply. A critical issue in this assessment is the inclusion of GHG emissions from land-use change (LUC) induced by the production of feedstock for biofuels.

2010

Land

Bioenergy is an important and feasible option for mitigating global warming and climate change. However, large-scale land-use change (LUC) to expand bioenergy crops, such as sugarcane, raises concerns about the potential negative environmental and socioeconomic side effects. Such effects are context-specific, and depending on the LUC scenario and management practices, several co-benefits can be attained. We reviewed the literature and discussed how LUC and best management practices affect key components of sustainability (e.g., soil health, soil carbon (C) sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions, nutrient cycling, water quality, among others) of sugarcane-derived bioenergy production in Brazil. Sugarcane expansion has occurred predominantly over pasture areas, although converting croplands could be also an environmentally feasible option. The land transition from low-productivity pastures to sugarcane cultivation seems to be a sustainable pathway to increase bioenerg...

PloS one, 2014

Low-carbon biofuel sources are being developed and evaluated in the United States and Europe to partially offset petroleum transport fuels. Current and potential biofuel production systems were evaluated from a long-term continuous no-tillage corn (Zea mays L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) field trial under differing harvest strategies and nitrogen (N) fertilizer intensities to determine overall environmental sustainability. Corn and switchgrass grown for bioenergy resulted in near-term net greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of -29 to -396 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions per megajoule of ethanol per year as a result of direct soil carbon sequestration and from the adoption of integrated biofuel conversion pathways. Management practices in switchgrass and corn resulted in large variation in petroleum offset potential. Switchgrass, using best management practices produced 3919±117 liters of ethanol per hectare and had 74±2.2 gigajoules of petroleum offsets per hectare which wa...