Environmental impacts of biofuelsImpacts on:

-water-soil

-wildlife -climate

genetically modified rapeseed

global perspectivesustainability

Impact on water

About 860l of water are needed to produce1l of ethanol.The water is used for:•The irrigation of the crops•The production in refineries boiling and cooling

The ready biofuel is lightly dangerous forthe water, but less than fossil fuels

Soil• Through the monocultures the soil is

exploited

• Much more fertilizer is neededbad for the environment

• „BIO- fuel“ if the fuel is really „BIO“ the production should also be „bio“

Tropicalrainforest

A palm-oil plant

Wildlife & biodiversity

• But arent palmoil-plants a kind of forests?NO• The biodiversity is lost• The animals loose their living space

•Tropical- and rainforests are burned inorder to create fertile farming land

Biofuels aim to be carbon neutral/negative.But: Calculating of amount of producedgreenhouse gasses is difficult.

Most of the LCA studies show that biofuelscan save 60-80% carbon emissionas opposed to fossil fuels.

Impact on climate

But these studies do not take into accountnitrogen fixation, deforestation, land use orany indirect emissions.

•nitrogen fertilizers are used high nitrous oxide emissions•Which is 296 times more harmful than CO2 •Original vegetation is removed

Advantages:•resistant against herbicides

Disadvantages:•cross pollinating process•EU does not allow genetically modified rapeseed in food

Genetically modified rapeseed

Global perspective

800 mio.People are starving world wide

3.6 bilion people are living below the poverty level

The grain needed for one tankful can feed a humanbeing for about one year

But we want to feed our cars with grain!

Food vs. Fuel

Food vs. Fuel Why are people starting to grow „fuel“ instead of

„food“? the EU is supporting farmers of fuel plantsCompanies see this as a opportunity for big profitsThey buy for little money the field of local farmersthey create industrial MONOCULTURES• Leads to :increasing foodprices• cheap labour (nearly slavery) reintegration (bloddy conflicts)• it‘s produced in 3rd world countries where

especially food would be needed

•Made of waste biomass•Growing only on degraded or abandoned agricultural lands•No using of fertilizers

Sustainable biofuel production