Biodiesel, has a good energy return because of the simplicity of its manufacturing process, and has significant benefits in emissions as well. Request pdf sustainability and environmental impacts of sugarcane biofuels the production of ethanol from sugarcane in brazil has reached 27 billion liters 27% of the worlds total. The level of pollution and habitat destruction directly resulting from biofuel production is alarmingly high. Recent research has proposed integrating wastewater treatment with algae cultivation as a way of producing algal biofuels at a commercial scale more sustainably. Environmental impact of biofuels 2 considered as offering many priorities, including sustainability, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, regional developments, social structure and agriculture, security of supply 9. Biofuels in the uk hgca newsletter 2408 so far, uk biofuel production is much less than the amount required to fulfil the rtfo target 5% by 2010 currently biofuels only account for a small percentage of the uk fuel market, a mere 0. Global social and economic impact on the use of biofuels.
Due to concerns about environmental and human health, climate change, and energy security, unprecedented levels of resources are being devoted, on a global scale, to the development of transportation fuels from biomass. Bioenergyinduced environmental impact using residues and wastes. Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of biofuels edited. Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that is produced from agricultural feedstocks sugarcane, wheat, sorghum, corn, maize etc through fermentation process which uses yeast as catalyst. There is rising skepticism about the potential positive environmental impacts of first generation biofuels.
Enhancing financiers accountability for the social and. For example, nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with a globalwarming potential around 300 times greater. Aug 11, 2016 within the framework of sustainable development, a quadruple transition demographic, food, energetic and environmental is necessary. This report reflects the current scientific understanding of the section 204 impacts as presented in the published literature about biofuel.
Environmental impacts of biofuels depending on the methods used to produce the feedstock and process the fuel, some crops can even generate more greenhouse gases than do fossil fuels. When compared to coal, one unit of biofuel upon combustion releases high. The environmental impacts included are ghg emissions, impacts on water, soil and biodiversity. Imperial centre for energy policy and technology, centre for environmental policy. Political, economic and environmental impacts of biofuels. Nyserda report 0807 the environmental impacts of biofuels in. Environmental impacts of biofuels 28 november 2008 the growth of biofuel production from crops will have a direct impact on the land and the environment writes thebioenergysite senior editor, chris harris. This shall benefit society, the economy and the environment as a whole. Jan 22, 2010 growing algae for use in biofuels has a greater environmental impact than sources such as corn, switch grass and canola, researchers found in the first lifecycle assessment of algae growth. Especially when considering the fact that few people take these problems into account when touting how ecofriendly biofuels really are. The environmental impacts of growing crops for use as biofuels are varied and widespread.
Effective action to limit climate change is a high priority for europe, as for other parts of the world, and is largely focussed on the reduction of the agents of global. The fossil energy balance of a biofuel depends on factors such as feedstock characteristics, production location, agricultural practices and the source of energy used for the conversion process. Production pathways examined include different nutrient sources municipal wastewater influent to. The country strategy on biofuels should be based on a. The literature on the impacts of biofuels on food prices is characterized by contradictory findings and a wide range of estimates. One significant effect of biofuel production and use is the potential release of. What are the environmental impacts of biofuel production. A number of studies with comparisons of diesel, natural gas and dieselbiodiesel blends bus emissions have been published previously. The major factors that will determine the impacts of biofuels are. As discussed in chapter 3, a sufficient quantity of cellulosic biomass could be produced in the united states to meet the renewable fuel standard, as amended in the energy independence and security act eisa of 2007 rfs2 mandate. Environmental impacts of jatropha curcas biodiesel in india. Economic and environmental aspects of biofuels springerlink.
Impact of biofuel use in different transport modes on euun goals for ghg emission. Modeling the global trade and environmental impacts of. Aug 29, 2008 the renewable fuels standard rfs in the energy independence and security act of 2007 mandates a dramatic increase in the use of biofuels in transportation. Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of biofuels evidence from developing nations biofuels are currently in the middle of a heated academic and public policy debate. The environmental impacts of production and use of biodiesel. But also, costbenefit analysis, eia, social impact assessment. The united nations environment programme world conservation monitoring. Environmental impacts of renewable electricity generation technologies.
As in the hydrocarbon sector, the processing of biofuel feedstocks can affect local air quality with carbon monoxide, particulates, nitrogen oxide, sulphates and volatile organic. Life cycle environmental impacts of wastewaterbased algal biofuels. Since landuse changes have a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to know whether increased biofuels production will be met through improved land productivity or through expansion of cultivated area. Pdf the social and environmental impacts of biofuels in. Keywordsbiofuelsafricaenvironmental impactslife cyclegreenhouse gas balances. The use of biodiesel as a fuel for a usual diesel engine ensures a significant reduction of tailpipe emissions including unburned hydrocarbons, sulfates, nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide co, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons us department of energy, n. In addition to findings about the role of biofuels in the recent food price crisis headey and fan 2008, roberts and schlenker 2009, doubts have been raised about biofuels real contribution to climate change mitigation. To understand the environmental impacts of increasing biofuels production, we must consider marginal.
Depending on the methods used to produce the feedstock and process the fuel, some crops can even generate more. Thus, the environmental burden might be shifted from global warming to other environmental impacts if biofuels are used instead of fossil fuels. Evidence for the local environmental and social impacts of biofuels environmental impacts a key impetus behind the expansion of biofuel feedstocks is the potential to mitigate climate change. This study evaluates the environmental performance of wastewaterbased algal biofuels with a welltowheel life cycle assessment lca. The extent to which biofuel expansion is contributing to direct and indirect deforestation, and the implications of landuse change for the potential of. The environmental protection agency of the united states considers ethanol from sugarcane in brazil an advanced biofuel, since it reduces co 2 emissions by more than 89% compared to gasoline. Relative to fossil fuels, however, the impacts resulting from refining. In fact, more than 100 countries have adopted mandates for mixtures of biofuels in gasolinediesel. One of the major reasons for producing biofuels is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate the effects of global warming produced by fossil fuels. Cambridge core environmental policy, economics and law socioeconomic and environmental impacts of biofuels edited by alexandros gasparatos. In other words it is the effect that peoples actions have on the environment.
A conventional biofuel is ethanol derived from corn. The unintended environmental impacts of the renewable. The biodiversity impact of biofuels will depend on the biofuel crop and the. Calculation of carbon intensity of soy biodiesel grown in the us and burnt in the uk, using figures calculated by the uk government for the purposes of the renewable transport fuel obligation. Environmental and health impacts of emissions from petroleum combustion 6. To assess the potential impacts and sustainability of biofuels production and use in. Environmental impacts of renewable electricity generation. The contribution of different biofuels to reducing fossilfuel consumption varies widely when the fossil energy used as an input in their production is also taken into account. Pdf environmental impacts of biofuel production in africa. Graph of uk figures for the carbon intensity of biodiesels and fossil fuels. To encourage the production and consumption of biofuels in the united states, the u.
The social and environmental impacts of biofuel feedstock. The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of the social and environmental costs and benefits of biofuels in asia. Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of biofuels. In addition to the impacts of feedstock production on greenhouse gas emissions, biofuel processing and distribution can also have other environmental impacts. The biggest difference between biofuels and petroleum feedstocks is oxygen content. View the article pdf and any associated supplements and figures for a period of 48 hours. Advanced biofuels are renewable fuels derived from feedstocks other. Environmental impacts of biofuel projects, how to analyzeevaluate. Total environmental impacts of biofuels from corn stover. The rfs mandates significant increases in biofuels corn, advanced, cellulosic and biodiesel. Evidence from developing nations edited by alexandros gasparatos and per stromberg frontmatter. The new triennial report validates the concerns about biofuels negative environmental impacts. The impacts of biofuel production on biodiversity convention. Total environmental impacts of biofuels from corn stover using a hybrid life cycle assessment model combining process life cycle assessment and economic inputoutput life cycle assessment.
Impact of ignition technique on pollutants emission during. In this study, the effect of adding 3%, 5%, 8%, and 10% in volume nbutanol to diesel fuel on the exhaust emission. The social and environmental impacts of biofuel feedstock cultivation. There are various social, economic, environmental and technical issues with biofuel production and use, which have been discussed in the popular media and scientific journals. Scope the papers in this special issue seek to gather evidence on the local social and environmental impacts of biofuel feedstock production in select countries of africa, asia, and latin america, and the extent to which the growing biofuels industry is yielding benefits to local livelihoods and climate mitigation. The economics and economic effects of biofuel production.
The social and environmental impacts of biofuels in asia. Proposed 60 klpd juicesyrup based distillery, 6 tpd bio cng, 20 tpd fertilizer powder, 42 tpd co. An environmental impact is defined as any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, resulting from a facilitys activities, products, or services. Through the use of total cost assessment tca, this study looks at the costs and benefits of japanese investments in biofuels production in order to determine whether the projects are sustainable.
Cifor, bogor, indonesia this paper has been produced with the financial assistance of the european union, under a project. Department of energy, office of energy efficiency and. Except for lowpercentage biofuel blends such as e10, approximately 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline, biofuels. Alcohol, produced from biomass, is used in diesel engines to improve emission. Environmental impacts of algaederived biodiesel and. For example, when volatile organic compounds are released into the environment, the effect or impact is pollution in the form of smog, in this case. Biofuels that can be produced from renewable domestic resources offer an alternative to petroleumbased fuels. Epas report on the environmental impacts of biofuels. Congress enacted the renewable fuel standard rfs as part of the 2005 energy policy act and amended it in the 2007 energy independence and security act eisa. Life cycle environmental impacts of wastewaterbased algal. The economic, environmental and social impacts of biofuels are widely debated and needs to be carefully assessed before extending public support to programs of biofuels on a large scale. Us legislators called on the environmental protection agency this month to waive its ethanol mandate that stipulates 40% of the american corn crop is turned into biodiesel. Environmental impacts of biofuel same as like petroleum fuels, bio fuels can have environmental impacts at all stages of their production and use.
Environmental impacts of production of biodiesel and its. Life cycle air emission inventories for biofuels, comparative pv manufacture lca, importance of natural gas methane leakage. Economics of biofuels environmental economics us epa. Ethanol production has helped in reducing the depletion of the ozone layer through ethanol blended petrol in the ratio 85. Skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. It finds that evidence of biofuel productions negative impact on the environment has grown since 2011, when the agency issued its previous triennial report. The integrated biomass valorization, including the production of biofuels via the biorefinery concept lies at the cross section of these global challenges. Economics of biofuels replacing fossil fuels with biofuelsfuels produced from renewable organic materialhas the potential to reduce some undesirable aspects of fossil fuel production and use, including conventional and greenhouse gas ghg pollutant emissions, exhaustible resource depletion, and dependence on unstable foreign suppliers. This report updates the findings of the first report to congress, published in 2011, with respect to environmental and resource conservation impacts, which together are intended to address the section 204 statutory impacts since the passage of the eisa. Due to concerns about environmental and human health, climate change, and energy security. Section ii environmental dimension in the analytical steps of impact assess. Sustainability and environmental impacts of sugarcane biofuels.
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