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The Good, the bad and the ugly about biofuel

BiofuelsBiofuel is a generic term for a variety of fuel sources in solid, liquid or gaseous form which are derived in some manner from biomass. Owing to the growing need of fuel for energy security and the concerns over greenhouse gas emissions from non renewable conventional fuel sources like fossil fuel, biofuels are increasingly being considered as a viable alternative. Therefore, it is not surprising that biofuels are being encouraged by government subsidies and huge investments are flowing in to increase the production capacity of biofuels.

According to an analysis of 81 tracked investments reported in Biofuels Digest, a whopping $8.737 billion had been invested worldwide in biofuels processing technology and feedstock development alone in 2009. Brazil topped the list with an investment more than $3.4 billion. The International Energy Agency predicts that 25% of the world’s transportation fuel needs may be fulfilled by biofuels by the year 2050. Now, what are the pros and cons of such mega scale ventures? Lets take a look at some of the facts:

The Good:
1) Better fuel economy:

Automobiles that use biodiesel get 30 percent better fuel economy than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles thereby saving money. Preliminary results of a 3 year fuel study done in Ohio comparing fuel economy of B20 and diesel showed that there was a 5-8% increase in mpg when using biofuel in some buses.

2) Renewable:

The raw material for biodiesel is either vegetable oil or animal fat. As such, they can be regrown and are thereby renewable in contrast to the rapidly declining stock of fossil fuels.

3) Reduces health hazards:

More than 10,000 people die from pollution caused by burning of fossil fuels in gasoline engines in the US alone . Upon burning, gasoline produces nitrogen oxide and acetaldehyde which then react with sunlight producing noxious smog. In addition gasoline also releases sulphates and sulphur oxides which contribute to acid rain. Biodiesel (E85 blend) on the other hand produces 80% less sulphates or sulphur oxides, produces fewer toxins and burns more efficiently than gasoline producing 40% less CO2.

4) Easy to make at home:

Biodiesel can be made at home and it reduces petro-diesel expenses by half. This encourages many DIY enthusiasts to produce bio-diesel at their own convenience.

5) Reduces dependence on fossil fuel:

In many developing countries which do not have adequate crude oil stock or infrastructure for oil refineries, biofuels can help to reduce the dependence on foreign oil. This could potentially lead to economic development in poor rural areas provided food security is not an issue.

6) Production of biofuels are cleaner than conventional fuels:

Crude oil extracted from the earth needs to be refined before it can be used in vehicles. The oil refining process releases several toxic compounds into the atmosphere like benzene, butadiene and formaldehyde, nickel, lead, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that can lead to severe health hazards like cancer, asthma and heart disease. Biofuels production on the other hand converts soybean or corn into fuel and the process is far more environmentally friendly.

Can this be better?

Research is continually trying to improve the production and efficiency of bio-fuels and make it more and more sustainable. The Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced a big stimulus package of $786.5 million program for biofuels. While the 1st generation bio-fuels relied on food crops as their feedstock, the 2nd generation biofuels depended on lignocellulosic biomass e.g. corn stalk as feedstock. We have now moved on to 3rd generation biofuels which have improved feedstock owing to genetic engineering of the plant matter used in the production process.

The 4th generation biofuels currently under intense research are a combination of genetic engineering of the feedstock to sequester copious amounts of carbon with genetically modified microbes which make the fuels. Interestingly, a group of scientists in New Zealand have successfully devised a method to produce ethanol by using industrial waste gases produced by steel mills. Many scientists thereby see a great potential in biofuels in the nest decade.


The Bad:

1) Biofuels vs food:

The biggest criticism that biofuels face is the impact on food prices. Growing food crops for biofuel like corn or vegetable oils has led to the scarcity of such crops as food resources and recent price hikes in essential commodities. This is affecting the marginalized disproportionately as farmers divert more and more land for growing biofuels instead of less lucrative food crops.

2) The environmental issue:

Large tracts of rainforests are been cleared to make way for palm plantations for biofuels. This destructive process emits huge amounts green house gases to the atmosphere as carbon locked in pristine forests escapes when the trees are felled and burnt. Moreover the wildlife thriving in these rainforests are wiped out in the process. Thus biofuels have emerged as a serious threat to the environment in these tropical countries.

3) The land hunger:

The first generation biofuels required a vast area of land to produce a liter of fuel or a megawatt of electricity. In densely populated countries and with the growing human population worldwide there clearly is not enough land left to make this process sustainable for long. Biofuels are thereby competing with agricultural land and this has created land management problems in some countries where land use patterns have changed over the years due to biofuel production. Add to this the copious amount of water that goes into the production of cash crops for biofuel. In the near future, water will become a precious resource and will not be able to meet the demand for growing biofuel crops.

Can this be avoided?

Improved land management practices using a multi-pronged approach can resolve the land and water management issue to some extent. Second generation biofuels use only the lignocellulose part of biomass (e.g. corn stalk) rather than the crop itself. Thereby the risk of food crisis can be mitigated while having enough by-products from agriculture for biofuel production.

Third and fourth generation advanced biofuel technology goes a step further in reducing the dependence on crops for biofuel production. A combination of conventional fuel and biofuels eg. the E85 blend in hybrid vehicles can reduce the environmental impacts of using biofuels alone. One has to be able to merge economic and environmental concerns in the future in biofuel related issues. Equity and sustainable development are key issues to be considered in almost every major initiative and biofuels are no exceptions here.

The Ugly:

The unprecedented growth of plantations for biofuels in some countries is an issue of major environmental and social concern. The vast tracts of forests that have been cleared to make way for palm plantations may take decades or centuries to be restored if at all. The huge loss to biodiversity in the process is alarming. Add to this the green house gas emissions which took place when these forests were (or still are) being cleared and burnt to establish the plantations.

It may seen an irrecoverable damage and we might have to pay heavily for it. Given the impact of climate change that concerns us all in this planet, biofuels need to looked at with a different lens altogether. What seems apparently so ‘environmentally friendly’ need not be so green at all. This leads me to my next question:

Why are we so critical?

It will perhaps not be an exaggeration to state that in almost every developing country (particularly in the tropics), environmental concerns are of paramount importance today. This is due to the trajectory of economic development in many of these countries. Sadly enough, this trajectory may not often be environmentally friendly or socially sustainable. Biofuels are an excellent example of this. Forests are undervalued in contrast to the short term economic gain of growing crops or plantations for biofuel.

This has led to large scale deforestation in several tropical countries. Biofuels, thereby pose a risk to all the ecosystem services provided by these forests like clean air, water and medicinal plants to name just a few. This has been aptly pointed out in the statement made by the conservation director of the UK Charity RSPB(Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), Mark Avery. He stated that biofuels “threatens to accelerate the destruction of some of the world’s most precious habitats and wildlife. Without environmental standards, biofuels will be little more than a green con.”

Biofuels are currently a hotly debated, controversial issue. While it has several benefits, the negative impacts are also considerable and cannot be ignored. With the rise in funding for research and better technological advancements for cleaner and greener energy we might just be able to reach a middle ground with biofuels as well. International collaborations to effectively reduce the threats to biodiversity and food security can go a long way in ushering in a new future for biofuels.
Our demands for fuels is only expected to rise in the near future and the natural resources that we have at our disposal(land, water, fossil fuel) may be extremely limited to meet our growing needs based on the classical Malthusian philosophy. Let’s hope that improved technology in biofuels can help resolve the energy issues to a considerable extent in the future.


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