IMPACT OF LARGE SCALE BIOFUEL USE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Presented By: Afsar Gandhi (1051)

Ajay Kumar(1052) Shashi Yadav (1037)

Vijaybharthi A (1044)

Definitions (MNRE, GOI)

• Biofuels’ are liquid or gaseous fuels produced from biomass resources and used in place of, or in addition to, diesel, petrol or other fossil fuels for transport, stationary, portable and other applications;

• Biomass’ resources are the biodegradable fraction of products, wastes and residues from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal wastes

Biofuels an Imperative

• Energy security fears,• Rising oil prices, • Low barriers to entry • and government support• Strategic advantage to promote sustainable

development

Biofuels an Imperative

• Energy security fears,• Rising oil prices, • Low barriers to entry • and government support• Strategic advantage to promote sustainable

development

Some pressing problems

• Will Biofuels help to mitigate climate change?• How big is the climate change of Biofuel

production• How will land use pattern change?

Climate Change and Biofuel

• Biofuels can potentially reduce the emission of GHG• Production methods determine carbon saving• Carbon Debt (Carbon debt results from carbon dioxide

and other greenhouse gases released when land is converted from natural vegetation to agriculture.)

• Converting forests, peat lands, grasslands to produce first generation of biofuels creates a carbon debt, which can be 17 to 420 times more than annual reductions in GHG that biofuels provide by displacing fossils fuels

Biofuel Policy Context Around the World

• Governments around the world have offered a wide variety of subsidies to biofuels.

• Governments around the world have virtually guaranteed a market for biofuels by mandating biofuels usage to be blended with renewable fuels.

• The 2005 Energy Policy Act in the U.S. • Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007-4.7

billion gallons per year to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022 - 21 billion gallons per year.

• Demand for biofuels were expected to grow by 20% annually, to 92 million metric tons per year in 2011.

• Energy Information Administration in December 2008- industry will not be able to meet these levels of production in time.

• Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would support higher biofuels production levels under the condition that producers cut greenhouse gas emissions of their refineries - including the emissions that are created during farming, transportation, blending, and consumption.

• The fact that biofuel production – Removes food stock from the food chain for human and animal

consumption requirements, – Increases demands upon soil, atmosphere and water and has a

higher incidence of cost that any petroleum based fuel source. – It is estimated that 100 million more people around the world

have been forced into starvation status.

• Biofuels are far less efficient than any petroleum based fuel source.

• The total cost of seed supply, irrigation requirements (water, pesticide, waste and runoff), manufacturing processes and distribution.

• Takes 34% more energy to produce a comparable BTU from food stock than from petroleum and 61% more than from natural gas.

Rural Development

Biofuel Policy Context in India

• India- Bio-fuel is a sustainable program.• India’s Bio-fuel program is dependent on non-edible

feedstock.• Non-edible feed stocks are cultivated in waste land.• Planning Commission’s ‘Vision 2020’-Plantation of non-

edible oil yielding plants on large areas of waste and degraded lands in the country .

• The Indian government decided to blend 5% ethanol in petrol in selected states and announced a biodiesel purchase policy.

Market Scenario of Biofuel

• > 23.6 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel production-2009

• global production and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel

$44.9 billion-2009 $112.5 billion-2019.

Global Clean energy Projected growth

• > 23.6 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel production-2009

• global production and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel

• $44.9 billion-2009 • $112.5 billion-2019.

Distribution of combustible bioenergy resources

Opportunities

• 2011-Study conducted to identify land available to grow biofuel crops

• enough available land to meet half of the world's fuel consumption without affecting food crops or pastureland.

• available land area - 2.7 million acres globally • produce 26 to 56 percent of global current

liquid fuel consumption.

Opportunities

• the global distribution of combustible biomass favors developing countries

• provide potential for increasing farm income and aiding economic development

• receiving a higher price for their output• Corn prices increased by 50%• $5-6 per bushel-2008• $3.40 per bushel -2007

Opportunities

• Farm income in the US increased by 4.1 % $92.3 billion in 2008 $88.7 billion in 2007 and up 51 percent from its ten year average. • Average farm household income is forecast at

$89,434, nearly 20 percent above the five year average from 2001-2006 (US Department of Agriculture).

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

• Reduce GHGs emission from the transportation sector

• India’s biomass resource base - 200 million dry tons of various waste feedstock are available annually.

• Supply the equivalent of 350,000 barrels of oil in 2010, or 3.6% of the projected light-duty vehicle energy demand.

• Increasing biomass use would accelerate the displacement of fossil fuels and the reduction of transportation GHGs emissions

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Contd…

• Biofuel reduce atmospheric CO2 in three ways:(1) By avoiding the emissions associated with gasoline(2) By allowing the CO2 content of the fossil fuels to remain in storage; and(3) By providing a mechanism for CO2 absorption by growing new biomass for fuels.

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Contd…

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Contd…

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Contd…

• Farrell et al. (2006) estimated greenhouse gas savings of 13% relative to fossil fuels on an energy equivalent basis.

• Tilman et al (2006) report greenhouse gas savings relative to traditional diesel fuel of 41%.

Biofuel May Increase Greenhouse Gases

• Searchinger et al. (2008) accounted complete life cycle analysis of biofuels

• GHG emissions from land use change to the carbon sequestration natural forest and grassland would have produced over their lifetimes.

• 56 billion litre expansion US corn ethanol production • additional 10.8 million hectares of land under cultivation and

actually double carbon emissions over a thirty-year period relative to fossil fuels.

• It would take 167 years for corn ethanol to overcome the carbon debt it incurs from land use change and start providing carbon savings (relative to fossil fuels)

Biofuel May Increase Greenhouse Gases

Increasing car travel:• biofuels reduce the price of transportation

fuel (by increasing supply)• increase vehicle miles travelled• increases carbon emissions,• worsens traffic congestion on roadways and

can lead to additional traffic accidents

Other negative impacts of biofuel

Biodiversity Loss:• 10.8 million hectares of land• additional 30 million hectares of cropland will

be needed to meet biofuel demand in 2030• Convert natural habitat to cropland• Reduction in natural land will lead to

biodiversity loss

Other negative impacts of biofuel

Reduction in Water Availability:• Evapotranspiration accounts for 99% of the

water embedded in biofuels• 925 to 1,527 gallons of water per gallon of

ethanol

Other negative impacts of biofuel

Reduction in Water Quality:• Biofuels cause an increase in cropland and an

increase in the value of marginal product of inputs in production, including fertilizers and pesticides

• reduce water quality by increasing water pollution

Conclusion

• Biofuels reduce GHG emission but at the cost of

• Increase car travel• Reduce biodiversity• Reduce water availability and• worsen water quality

References• Biofuel policy process in India: Context, Actors and Discourses by

Shailesh Nagar• http://woods.stanford.edu/docs/biofuels/Biofuels4a.pdf• http://www.wri.org/stories/2009/06/rules-fuels-biofuels-and-climate-

change-impacts• http://sgp.undp.org/downloads/Zimbabwe_Biofuel.pdf• http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/biofuels/• http://www.mnre.gov.in/policy/biofuel-policy.pdf• http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-

warming/biofuel-profile/• http://www.wikinvest.com/industry/Biofuels• http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy99osti/24052.pdf• http://ecnr.berkeley.edu/vfs/PPs/Sexton-Ste/web/RFA.pdf