Biofuels: environment, technology and food security

Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry

This article reports an overview of waste utilization and the biofuel production as a means for sustainable energy supply. The energy crisis that most developed and developing countries are experincing resulted in severe shortages, and a sharp increase in the prices of high demand oil-based products, notably petrol/gasoline. These have also increased interest from governments and academics in energy issues and biofuels. The drivers for biofuel research and development in any nation include rising oil prices, concerns over the potential oil peak, greenhouse gas emissions which causes global warming and climate change, rural development interests, and instability in the Middle East. Sustainable biofuel production practices would not hamper food and fibre production, nor cause water or environmental problems, and would actually enhance soil fertitlity. Therefore, using biofuels to replace a proportion of the fossil fuels that are burned for transportation can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. The effect of future biofuel market expansions on agriculture should also be monitored. Responsible poliCies and economic instruments would help to ensure that biofuel commercialization, including the development of new cellulosic technologies, is sustainable. Responsible commercialization of biofuels represents an opportunity to enhance sustainable economic prospects in Africa, Latin America and impoverished Asia.

2000

This paper assesses the global and sectoral implications of the growing demand for bio-based inputs for energy and fuel production. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to assess the global and sectoral implications of policy initiatives in different countries or regions (e.g. the U.S., the EU, Canada, South Africa or Japan) to enhance bioenergy demand and production in

Review of Agricultural Economics, 2008

In recent years, bioenergy has drawn attention as a sustainable energy source that may help cope with rising energy prices, but also maybe provide income to poor farmers and rural communities around the globe. Rising fuel prices, growing energy demand, concerns over global warming from GHG emissions and increased openness to renewable energy resources, domestic energy security, and the push for expansion into new markets for crops in the face of world trade outlooks are all factors driving interest in expanding bioenergy use. Despite keen interest in this sector, there are currently few players in this field: In 2005, Brazil and the United States together accounted for 99 percent of global ethanol production, whereas Germany and France accounted for 69 percent of global biodiesel production. However, developing countries with tropical climates may have a comparative advantage in growing energyrich biomass; and second generation technologies could enable expansion of the range of feedstock used from the traditional sugarcane, maize, and rapeseed to grasses and trees that can thrive in less fertile and more droughtprone regions. Potentially adverse impacts from a rapid bioenergy expansion include upward pressure on international food prices, making staple crops less affordable for poor consumers; potentially significant adverse impacts on both land (soil quality and fertility) and water resources; and on biodiversity and ecosystems, in general. Given the numerous and high level of uncertainties regarding future biofuel supply, demand, and technologies, the paper examines three alternative scenarios: a conventional scenario, which focuses on rapid global growth in biofuel production under conventional conversion technologies; a second generation scenario, which incorporates a 'softening' of demand on food crops due to 2nd generation, lignocellulosic technologies coming online; and a 'second generation plus scenario', which adds crop productivity improvements to the second generation scenario, which essentially further reduce potentially adverse impacts from expansion of biofuels. Results from the analysis show a potential food and waterversusfuel tradeoff if innovations and technology investments in crop productivity are slow, and if reliance is placed solely on conventional feedstock conversion technologies to meet future blending requirements of fossil fuels with biofuels. This situation changes considerably with increased investments in biofuel conversion and crop productivity improvements. To mitigate potentially adverse impacts from aggressive increases in biofuel production therefore requires a renewed focus of crop breeding for productivity improvement in wheat, maize and even sugar crops. While some crops may be more favorable from the perspective of profitability, they may encounter binding environmental constraints, in particular water, for example, for sugarcane in India, and wheat or maize in Northern China. And even where water might be available, other natural resource constraints, such as land availability can constrain expansion, such as in Southern China. Impacts of global biofuel development and growth on rural poor can be both positive and negative. Biofuel crops do not necessarily crowd out food crops, at least not under the alternative scenarios examined here. Instead there is room for complementarities and synergy and rural agricultural development and socioeconomic growth can go handinhand with enhancement of bioenergy production capacity.

Annals of Tropical Research, 2009

Producing liquid biofuel for cars to address the declining oil supply requires the same resources or inputs (land, water, initial energy or oil, fertilizer and machineries) as in producing food for humans. As early as the 1980s, all the prime lands in the world are already used for agri-and-aquaculture (1970s for the Philippines. Biofuel production consumed water (up to 10,000L of water/L ethanol). At present, 74% of water is used to irrigate food crops. Only 1% water is now used for biofuel but this water consumption will increase to 80% if the biofuel production plan materializes. One out of three individuals in the world is now suffering from water scarcity. Global warming/ global climate change, droughts, more forest fires and high evaporation triggered by high temperature will further magnify the diminishing supply of fresh water both for agriculture and domestic use (household and industries). The simple linear thought is…..more crops for food or biofuel = more lands and water...

CABI Reviews, 2012

The increase in prices of food commodities since 2001, culminating in the food crisis of 2007/08 gave birth to the food versus fuel debate. Several studies over the past few years have pointed to biofuels as one of the culprits of the food crisis; although the magnitudes of impact in these studies vary widely depending on the underlying assumptions and structure of the models used for the analysis. The food versus fuel debate will accelerate if the expansion of crop-based or first-generation biofuels continues without appropriate arrangements for food security given that the global food demand is projected to double by 2050. The existing literature, in general, does not favour a large-scale diversion of food commodities towards production of biofuels at the global scale because it does not help much to substitute a significant portion of fossil fuels: instead, it simply puts substantial pressure on the global food supply. However, in some countries and regions where land supply is n...

CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources, 2009

Growing reliance on food-based biofuels has created considerable controversy about its impact on food prices and the environment and led to scepticism about its sustainability. This review describes the concept of sustainability in the context of biofuels and then discusses the factors affecting the economic viability of current and next-generation biofuels and their environmental and social sustainability. Cellulosic biofuels from dedicated energy crops offer considerable promise for reducing the competition for land and avoiding many of the negative environmental impacts associated with corn-ethanol. But the production of any type of biofuel is likely to involve trade-offs among the multi-dimensional aspects of sustainability. Technological innovation and policy incentives are needed to develop more sustainable biofuels and to guide the mix of feedstocks, their methods and locations of production.

Revista e Agronegocios, 2021

The overall objective of the article is to characterize trends in biofuel production worldwide. The methodology is qualitative, and the method is of documentary review by matrices with an observation window of the last decade. The main results in reference to the lines of discussion around the production of agrofuel worldwide are from the legislation underpinning the legal environment of trade; secondly, prices; third trade; fourthly production and finally the impact of production on the environment. The main conclusion is that there is scientific evidence that establishes the advantages and disadvantages of biofuel production both economically, socially, politically, and environmentally. One way the agribusiness of biofuels has responded to is through the use of technologies to minimize the effects of production. An example of this is second-generation biofuels. However, there is still a long way to go to say that they are the best choice from the economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

This paper provides policy relevant information on the assessment of the environmental and social costs, benefits, the critical developments and the options for a more sustainable use of biomass and measures to increase resource productivity of biofuels. In the 21 st century biofuels are considered as economically efficient, socially equitable, and environmentally safe substitute of gasoline. The USA and Brazil produce major portion of the global biofuels. The expansion of biofuels conflicts arise around the food vs. fuel debate and the desirability, feasibility and sustainability of biofuels. At present more than two billion people in the world are suffering from hunger and more are suffering from nutritional deficits. If the production of biofuels be increased continually, more than half of the people of the world will starve around 2020 and most of them will suffer in poorer nations. The paper stresses not to violate human rights in producing biofules.

2012

Current Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) models indicate that crop-based biofuels generate greenhouse gas savings, compared with fossil fuels. We argue that they do so only because they ignore the emissions of CO 2 from vehicles burning the biofuels without determining if the biomass is "additional," and because they underestimate the ultimate emissions of N 2 O from nitrogen fertiliser use. Taking proper account of these factors would result in very different findings. It would be far better to derive biofuels from biomass, from waste feedstocks or highyielding bioenergy crops with low nitrogen demand, grown on currently unproductive land.

2008

Agricultural reform, climate change and energy security have been key drivers in renewed enthusiasm for biofuels. The production of biofuels has also been seen as providing stimulus for the economic revitalization of agriculturally unproductive rural areas both in developing and developed countries. Agriculture is heavily dependent on unsustainable non-renewable energy sources, especially petroleum. Abrupt abandonment of our reliance on these energy sources would be economically catastrophic and equally disruptive, hence the need for reduced reliance on non-renewable energy sources and a substitution of renewable sources to the extent that is economically feasible and sustainable. Sustainability rests on the principle that the needs of the present generation must be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewarding of both natural and human resources is of prime importance to sustainability. This review surveys many dimensions of biofuel production and its sustainability, which is critical in a growing economy.

The increase in the price of oil has had an important impact in the rise of food prices in several ways; one of them has been the rise of biofuels whose production has experienced exponential growth in the last decade. In this article we describe what are biofuels, what factors have driven their boom, how positive are their balance in economic, energy and environmental terms, and, especially, what is their impact on food security and what role have played in the food crisis.