Sustainable Biofuel Production: Considering Various feedstocks And Other Environmental Related Factors

S. P. Singh
Uttarakhand Planning Commission

E-mail : surps@yahoo.com # +91-97587 65300

Biofuels Production
y Derived from biological materials, such as plants, vegetable

oils, forest products or waste stuffs (e.g. Municipal wastes), new biofuels are liquid fuels.
y Its production is being promoted to replace fossil fuels and

reduce greenhouse gas emissions but would warrant a doubling of human share of NPP to replace current use of petroleum; but land is also required to produce food, feed, fibre, wood, wildlife and biodiversity (Jungingu et al. 2006).

Biofuels
y Provided 1.8% of the worlds transport fuel in 2008, by 2016 the

hectarage under maize for ethanol in the USA would be 12 million ha i.e., 8% of entire agriculture.
y Investment > $4 billion in 2007. y Potential to meet more than a quarter of world demand for

transportation fuels by 2050.

y Land purchase going on in developing countries e.g., Saudi Arabia

in Tanzania, S. Korea in Sudan, and UAE in Pakistan.

Objectives
y To analyze sustainability by considering potential land-use changes and other environmental factors associated with biofuel production from different feedstocks y Landscape approach would need to take into account:

- Where to grow plant species for biofuel feedstocks; - Farming and harvesting systems; - Transportation of foodstocks to refineries; and - Transportation of fuel to market.

Bioalcohols

y Bioalcohols, mostly ethanol (but also propanol and butanol)

produced by action of microbes and enzymes through fermentation of sugars or starches or cellulose (more difficult).

y Brazil and the USA are greatest producers.

Feed stocks having Enzyme Sugars Fermentation Fermentation Stored starches digestion (microbes) Products

Distillation and Drying Ethano (heating using fossil Fuels/bagasse in the Case of sugarcane

Lignin and cellulose Treating with Rich feed stocks lignocellulase Enzymes or heating

Vinasse (12 l for each l of ethanol, rich in K And micronutrients

A schematic representation of ethanol production from biomass

Biodiesel

y Biodiesel produced from biodegradable oils or fats

using transesterification. Feed stocks, Jatropha, mahua, Pongamia pinnata rapeseed, animal fats etc. common in Europe.

Ethanol Feedstock Types

y Annual Soybean, sorghum, maize. y Perennial Switch grass (little inputs), Saccharum spontaneoum fast

growing trees like poplars (municipal wastewater can be used).

y Residues or leftovers From industrial processing and agricultural crops

maize stover (stalks, leaves and empty cobs), wheat straw left after grain procuring (crop residue can meet one-quarter of current energy demand, Junginger et al. 2006). But it is also used in crop fields, and in India is fed to livestock, and used as thatching material.

y Forest thinings (trees thinned for prevention), wood residues from

logging and wood processing lignin cellulosic materials need first to be processed to sugar by using cellulose enzymes extracted from fungi only heating with acid.

Ethanol Feedstock Types (contd.)

y Municipal wastes such as grass clippings, tree trimmings,

paper and cardboards; used lumber and construction materials for building renovations. cane leaves and fibres.

y Processed stalks from sugarcane (bagasse) along with y Lignocellulosic feedstocks. y Dedicated bioenergy crops.

Algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Botrycoccus braunii)

y In experiments it yields 30 times more energy than landcrops like

soybeans.

y Growing algae in 38859 Km2 (less than one-seventh of corn area

in the US) can replace all the petroleum fuel in the USA.

y Some living algae produce ethanol, which evaporates, can be

condensed and collected.

In India some additional materials could be used as feedstocks

y Stems of Cajanus cajan (chickpea) can be a suitable crop which

is a pulse with large semi-woody stems, grown in rain-fed condition, is a nitrogen fixer and source of protein.
y Since crop is already in cultivation and is a source of precious

nutrition, there is no conflict with regard to land for food production.

y Saccharum spontaneum growing along river banks.

In India some additional materials could be used as feedstocks (contd.)

y Biomass of invasive alien species, forest litter, particularly

of pine and other such materials could be used.

y Wheat straw, rice residues could also be used as feedstocks,

but are also fed to livestock or ploughed back to soil.

Estimated feed stock efficiencies, environmental impacts and land requirements to produce biofuels
Feedstock Energy output/fossil energy input kg CO2 emission / MJ Fuel yield (l/ha) Land area needed to meet 50% of transportation demand of India (million ha) % of India s cropland

Ethanol from grass family

Corn in the USA Sugar cane Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) Native prairie grasses Poplar & willow 1.1 - 1.25 8 - 10.2 1.8 - 4.4 81-85 4 - 12 -24 1135-1900 5300 6500 2750 5000 26-44 8 19 * 3 6 times of present area 18 - 31 5.6 13.4

5.44 10

-88 -24 to 11

940 500 - 9000

All except corn-based ethanol release less pollutants and cut CO2 output (Tarrell et al. 2006)

Estimated feed stock efficiencies, cont.

Feedstock Energy output/foss il energy input Kg CO2 emission / MJ Fuel yield (l/ha) Landarea needed to meet 50% of transportation demand of India (million ha)

% of India s cropland

Residues biodiesel / ethanol

Wood r sidu s or stov r Wheat straw . . l/kg

. . l/kg

Estimated feed stock efficiencies, cont.

Feedstock Energy output/foss il energy input Kg CO2 emission / MJ Fuel yield (l/ha) Landarea needed to meet 50% of transportation demand of India (million ha)

% of India s cropland

Oil crop biodiesel

Soybea Rapeseed Oil palm Microalgae* , . . . 7 7 7 ,7 ,

times as expensive to produce a petroleum - derived Fuels or biodiosel ( histi 7), still at a developmental stage

Energy balance (Mega Joules, MJ), an example

y Apple production in Germany

Cultivation 2.8 MJ/kg Transfer to packer and cooling 0.16 MJ/kg Packing 0.65 MJ/kg Storage 0.81 MJ/kg Transport 0.33 MJ/kg Consumer shopping 1.2 MJ/kg Total 5.95 MJ/kg of apple contain 1.97 MJ energy
For potato it is 4.5 MJ/kg of potato containing 3.14 MJ energy

What determines the Impact of biofuels?

y How and which crops are grown and managed will influence

their effect on carbon sequestration, native plant diversity, competition with food production, GHG emissions, conflict with regard to water use and water and water and air quality.

Impact of biofuels beyond feedstock productions

y Biofuel infrastructure

y Growers economy?
y Impact of refineries, processing plants, truck traffic

y Landuse changes in response to above

Crop selection and cultivation practices

y Crops should be region-specific e.g., sugarcane and

palm oil in tropics; eucalypts only in selected areas.

y Low-till or no-till cultivation, practices that minimize

use of fertilizers, pesticides and water.

y Perennial plants increase soil porosity, water infiltration

and soil carbon.

Land problem for biofuel feedstocks

y The production of cellulosic biofuel feedstocks would lead to a

dramatic change in landscape and adjustments.

y In India, cultivation is already very intensive and extensive, except in

mountains. 46% (compared to 11% globally) (141.2 million ha) is net sown area, leaving about 23 million ha which could be of some use for feedstock production. This contrasts with US where about 166 million ha are permanent pastures, rangelands, 15 million ha conservation land and 25 million ha include idle lands, land in cover crops for soil improvement and fallow rotations.

Biodiesel feedstocks (contd.)

y The drought tolerant shrub, Jatropha curcas of Euphorbiaceae (non-edible oil of

its seeds can be blended with diesel) is being promoted on marginal land in India, but some state governments are promoting its cultivation on regular agricultural fields. Indian government is aggresively promoting Jatropha (also Pongamia pinnata of Fabaceac native of India), with the target of 11 million ha of plantation nationwide. The yield can be up to 7.5 t ha-1 yr-1 in irrigated condition, but generally it is less than 1t ha-1 yr-1 in rain-fed condition (ATREE report).

Biodiversity and feedstock cultivation

y The high crop diversity which also has diversity of plant forms (e.g. annuals and perennials grasses

and woody plants) tend to have more species of birds, butterflies, beetles and spiders. These organisms mitigate crop pests and contribute to other ecosystem services.

y On the other hand monocultures are easy to manage and economically rewarding, but would require

more fertilizers and pesticides.

y Conservation Reserve Programme (CRP) under which US farmers are encouraged to convert highly

erodible cropland (113 million ha is under CRP in the USA) to vegetative cover. For this farmers set payments.

Carbon effect of biofuels depends on where they are grown

y Biofuels cultivation on wetlands, rainforests, savannas and grasslands would lead to

17 to 420 times more CO2 release than annual GHG reductions that these fuels would provide from displacing fossil fuels.

y Corn-based ethanol at a large scale can double the CO2 emission in 30 years through

indirect landuse changes.

y But more comprehensive and science-based cost-benefit accounting system will be

needed to adequately evaluate full effects of biofuels.

Sustainable and low-impact feed stocks

y Low-impact crops like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) can be

promoted.
y Less fertilizer use. y Sequesters a large amount of below ground carbon (negative

GHG balance).

Possible negative consequences of biofuel production

y Pollution, soil degradation, biodiversity loss and climate impacts

from cultivation, refining and burning.

y Would extend cultivation into habitats of other species e.g., palm

oil plantations at the expense of natural habitats.

y Hitherto only political and economic considerations were applied

to biofuel production, with large subsidies (e.g., corn in the USA).

THANKS