1 / 36

6.1. Introduction to biofuels

6.1. Introduction to biofuels. Brent Swallow, ICRAF. Objectives. To provide an introduction to biofuels and main points of contact with tropical forestry To identify some of the implications for investments in the forestry sector. Outline. Terminology and typology of biofuels

rogan-franco
Download Presentation

6.1. Introduction to biofuels

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 6.1. Introduction to biofuels Brent Swallow, ICRAF

  2. Objectives • To provide an introduction to biofuels and main points of contact with tropical forestry • To identify some of the implications for investments in the forestry sector

  3. Outline • Terminology and typology of biofuels • Examples of tree-based biofuels • Markets and market trends for biofuels • Interaction with global commodity markets • Biofuel policies in some countries

  4. Definition Biofuels defined: • solid, liquid, or gas fuel based on biological material Definitions from Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.com.

  5. Types First generation biofuels: • made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology. Second generation biofuels: • use a variety of non food crops, including waste biomass, • use biomass to liquid technology. Third generation biofuels: • biofuel from algae. Definitions from Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.com.

  6. Biodiesel • Most common biofuel in Europe • Produced from oils or fats (i.e., animal fats, soy, etc) using transesterification • Liquid similar in composition to petro-diesel. • a.k.a. fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) ester (FAME). • Oils + sodium hydroxide + methanol (or ethanol) = biodiesel (FAME) and glycerol.

  7. Bioalcohols • ethanol, propanol and butanol • Produced by fermentation of sugars and/or starches (wheat, corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, molasses, potato and fruit waste etc) • Cellulosic ethanol production uses non food crops or inedible waste products, sometimes products that have disposal problems (i.e. orange peels or sawdust)

  8. Biogas • Produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of organic material by anaerobes. • from biodegradable waste materials or energy crops • solid by-product can be also be used as fuel or fertilizer • Contains methane • Can be recovered from industrial anaerobic digesters and mechanical biological treatment systems.

  9. Typology of Biofuels Sectors Biofuel sources Fuel types Uses Source: IPCC Working Group Report 3.

  10. Source: Eubia, 2005 cited in Slingerland and Geuns, 2005.

  11. Key characteristics of biofuels • Agronomy of production – what land use is it replacing • Iodine values as a measure of melting points • Yields per hectare • Examples: oil palm, jatropha curcas

  12. Examples of tree-based biofuels:palm oil • High production: 5000 litres / hectare • High melting point • Edible oil with huge international market • Grown in humid tropics • Concern about the conversion of tropical forests • The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil established • Unilever using sustainable oil from the year 2010

  13. Examples of tree-based biofuels: jatropha curcas • Non-edible oil • Grows in drier areas • Grown in India • Relatively high oil production possible • Only competitive with other crops under high international oil prices coupled with lower food

  14. Jatropha 1/3 Research: • Agronomy • Improved genetics • Production • Optimization of the transesterification process • Modification to engines

  15. Jatropha 2/3 Development: • Variation between states in their approach to meeting development targets • Village success stories (e.g. Winner of 2007 Alcan Prize for Sustainability to the Utthan Centre for Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation for the work that Utthan did with rural communities to rehabilitate degraded lands with Jatrophacurcas. ICRAF provided technical support to Utthan.

  16. Jatropha 3/3 Key concerns: • Exclusion of landless and poor landowners from ‘wastelands’ • Invasive • Low yield without intervention • Best yield on best land • Lack of management systems • Water and fertilizer requirements

  17. Biofuel market trends 1/4 • Top 10 ethanol producers • In 2005: • United States • Brazil • China • India • France • Russia • South Africa • Spain • Germany • Thailand Source: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update55_data.htm#fig1. Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from F.O. Licht data, cited in Suzanne Hunt and Peter Stair, "Biofuels Hit a Gusher," Vital Signs 2006-2007 (Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute, 2006), pp. 40-41, and from F.O. Licht, "Ethanol: World Production, by Country," table, World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, vol. 4, no. 17 (9 May 2006), p. 395.

  18. Biofuel market trends 2/4 • Top 10 biodiesel producers • In 2005: • Germany • France • United States • Italy • Czech Republic • Spain • Denmark • Poland • United Kingdom • Brazil Source: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update55_data.htm#fig1. Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from F.O. Licht data, cited in Suzanne Hunt and Peter Stair, "Biofuels Hit a Gusher," Vital Signs 2006-2007 (Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute, 2006), pp. 40-41, and from F.O. Licht, "Ethanol: World Production, by Country," table, World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, vol. 4, no. 17 (9 May 2006), p. 395.

  19. Biofuel market trends 3/4

  20. Biofuel market trends 4/4

  21. Interaction with Global Commodity Markets

  22. Biofuel policy in Europe The European Union in its biofuels directive (established in 2003 and updated in 2006) has set the goal that for 2010 that each member state should achieve at least 5.75% biofuel usage of all used traffic fuel. By 2020 the figure should be 10%.

  23. Source: Climate for a transport change. TERM 2007: indicators tracking transport and environment in the European Union http://dataservice.eea.europa.eu/atlas/viewdata/viewpub.asp?id=3507

  24. Biofuel policy in the United States • 2006: USA “should replace 75% of imported oil by 2025 by alternative sources of energy including biofuels.” (George Bush) • Legislation to use at least E10 fuel by 2012 in all cars in the USA. • The 2007-12-19 U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

  25. Source: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update55_data.htm#fig1. Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from F.O. Licht data, cited in Suzanne Hunt and Peter Stair, "Biofuels Hit a Gusher," Vital Signs 2006-2007 (Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute, 2006), pp. 40-41, and from F.O. Licht, "Ethanol: World Production, by Country," table, World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, vol. 4, no. 17 (9 May 2006), p. 395.

  26. Biofuel policy in Brazil • 30-year-old ethanol fuel program • sugar cane, mainly bagasse (cane-waste) • ~22% ethanol blend used nationwide • 100% anhydrous ethanol for four million cars. • 700,000 jobs in 2003 • cut 1975–2002 oil imports by a cumulative undiscounted total of US$50 billion.

  27. Thank you for your attention

More Related