Achieving sustainable biofuels from plant feedstocks
1
Society for Experimental Biology Annual Main Meeting 6th – 10th July 2008, Marseille, France E2 — SCIENCE AND SOCIETY — BIOENERGY DEBATE Bioenergy technology — WHAT and WHO decides the way forward? E2.1 Achieving sustainable biofuels from plant feedstocks S. Long (Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, USA) Continued combustion of fossil fuels is causing a progressive change in climate which threatens our ecosystems and ability to feed ourselves. Liquid transportation fuels are the fastest growing use of fossil fuels. While use of electric/petroleum hybrids and more efficient engines will offset some demand, growth in vehicles in developing economies will likely more than offset this. Biofuels from plants provide a partial, but important solution. While there is a slight greenhouse benefit in making fuels from grain crops, such as corn ethanol, this leads to significant conflicts between animal feed, some foods and fuels. This has led to an anti-biofuel movement in danger of causing society to throw the baby out with the bathwater. While there has been much speculation on the environmental benefits and threats of biofuels, this is based on remarkably little scientific evidence and research. This weak scientific base must be addressed if sound policies are to be developed. Cellulosic biofuels may be made from a wide range of crop wastes and non-crop plants that may be grown where food crops cannot. A key property for any lignocellulosic bioenergy feedstock is maximum productivity for a minimum of inputs. This minimizes the land needed and environmental impacts. C4 perennials, are in many circumstances likely candidates, and may provide the added benefit of increased deposition of soil in the carbon. Systems based on these plants can have large greenhouse gas benefits. There is an urgent need to identify and explore candidate species that may be grown on non- crop land, including salt tolerant species. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.462 E2.2 Bioenergy technology — What are the implications for society? S. de Cheveigné (L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes Sciences Sociales, CNRS, Marseille) Bioenergy technologies may appear both familiar and strange to the population: are they simply new ways of using old resources, like wood and straw, or, on the contrary, a new case of humans illegitimately “tampering with Nature”? Bioenergy production may affect social organisation, for instance via land use. Quite fundamental questions are raised, opening space for debate with the citizens of all countries. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.463 E2.3 Bioenergy technology — balancing energy output with environmental benefits J. Clifton-Brown, A. Hastings, P. Smith, P. Stampfl, J. Valentine, M. Jones, I. Donnison (IGER, Aberystwyth, UK) The drivers for the development of the use of bio-energy are energy security and mitigating climate change. The question is which of these is the dominant driver as they both have different technology requirements and consequences that are generally mutually exclu- sive. If energy security is the main driver then technologies that maximize the energy output per unit input and maximize the energy yield per ha of land are important. On the other hand if mitigating climate change is the driver then maximizing the mitigation of GHG emissions both by sustainable crop management and replacement of the maximum amount of fossil fuel are key issues. They overlap in terms of energy use efficiency and maximizing yields but diverge in land use change, the varying management practices of different crops and competition with food and fibre production for available real estate. In our contribution to this debate on bio-energy we will address the issue of energy yield, GHG emissions, energy use efficiency and carbon intensity of bio-energy crops in general and for Miscanthus in particular. We will show the importance of species selection and breeding to maximise the energy balance and environmental benefits. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 150 (2008) S174–S175 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cbpa
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Transcript of Achieving sustainable biofuels from plant feedstocks
Society for Experimental Biology Annual Main Meeting6th – 10th July 2008, Marseille, France
E2 — SCIENCE AND SOCIETY — BIOENERGY DEBATE
Bioenergy technology — WHAT and WHO decides the way forward?
E2.1Achieving sustainable biofuels from plant feedstocks
S. Long (Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, USA)
Continued combustion of fossil fuels is causing a progressive change inclimate which threatens our ecosystems and ability to feed ourselves.Liquid transportation fuels are the fastest growinguse of fossil fuels.Whileuse of electric/petroleum hybrids and more efficient engines will offsetsome demand, growth in vehicles in developing economies will likelymore than offset this. Biofuels fromplants provide a partial, but importantsolution. While there is a slight greenhouse benefit in making fuels fromgrain crops, suchas cornethanol, this leads to significant conflictsbetweenanimal feed, some foods and fuels. This has led to an anti-biofuelmovement in danger of causing society to throw the baby out with thebathwater.While there has beenmuch speculation on the environmentalbenefits and threats of biofuels, this is based on remarkably little scientificevidence and research. This weak scientific base must be addressed ifsoundpolicies are tobedeveloped. Cellulosic biofuelsmaybemade fromawide range of cropwastes and non-crop plants thatmay be grownwherefood crops cannot. A key property for any lignocellulosic bioenergyfeedstock is maximum productivity for a minimum of inputs. Thisminimizes the landneededandenvironmental impacts. C4perennials, arein many circumstances likely candidates, and may provide the addedbenefit of increased deposition of soil in the carbon. Systems based onthese plants can have large greenhouse gas benefits. There is an urgentneed to identifyand explore candidate species thatmaybe grownonnon-crop land, including salt tolerant species.
doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.462
E2.2Bioenergy technology — What are the implications for society?
S. de Cheveigné (L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes Sciences Sociales, CNRS,Marseille)
Bioenergy technologiesmayappear both familiar and strange to thepopulation: are they simply newways of usingold resources, likewoodand straw, or, on the contrary, a new case of humans illegitimately“tampering with Nature”? Bioenergy production may affect socialorganisation, for instance via land use. Quite fundamental questionsare raised, opening space for debate with the citizens of all countries.
doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.463
E2.3Bioenergy technology — balancing energy output withenvironmental benefits
J. Clifton-Brown, A. Hastings, P. Smith, P. Stampfl, J. Valentine, M.Jones, I. Donnison (IGER, Aberystwyth, UK)
The drivers for the development of the use of bio-energy areenergy security and mitigating climate change. The question is whichof these is the dominant driver as they both have different technologyrequirements and consequences that are generally mutually exclu-sive. If energy security is the main driver then technologies thatmaximize the energy output per unit input and maximize the energyyield per ha of land are important. On the other hand if mitigatingclimate change is the driver then maximizing the mitigation of GHGemissions both by sustainable crop management and replacement ofthe maximum amount of fossil fuel are key issues. They overlap interms of energy use efficiency and maximizing yields but diverge inland use change, the varying management practices of different cropsand competition with food and fibre production for available realestate.
In our contribution to this debate on bio-energy we will addressthe issue of energy yield, GHG emissions, energy use efficiency andcarbon intensity of bio-energy crops in general and for Miscanthus inparticular. We will show the importance of species selection andbreeding tomaximise the energy balance and environmental benefits.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 150 (2008) S174–S175
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A
j ourna l homepage: www.e lsev ie r.com/ locate /cbpa
