Frank Rosillo-Calle

Global market for bioethanol: historical trends and future prospects

Since the mid-1990s there has been a growing worldwide interest in alternative transport fuels, of which ethanol is among the most promising options. This interest has in recent years gathered pace, stimulated by high oil prices and the generally perceived view that this trend is likely to accentuate in the future. The need to reduce GHG emissions is also a fundamental reason for this interest. The focus of this paper is on fuel ethanol production from sugar and starches with emphasis on short-term issues and implications for the global market. Replacing 10-20 % of petrol with ethanol is a feasible and desired option. The international market in fuel ethanol is in its initial stage and its full development will require the diversification of production, in terms of both feedstocks and number of producing countries. Sustainable production should become a requirement for which certification seems to be a necessity, but should be defined to assure sustainability in a broad sense so that it does not impose additional barriers to trade; policies should be defined to induce market competitiveness and sustainable development.

Biomass Energy: – lessons from case studies in developing countries

Abstract Biomass is the worlds fourth largest energy source and the first in developing countries representing 14% and 35%, respectively, of primary energy. The provision and use of biomass energy is a complex issue; it is an integral part of the problems associated with sustainability of all types of vegetation which in turn is a key to ensuring stable socioeconomic development. The financial costs of producing biomass are also very complex since they depend upon many different factors and tend to be quite site specific, eg agricultural and forestry costs, type of feedstock and its productivity, equipment requirements, etc. The last two decades have witnessed numerous proclamations of failure and success of biomass schemes. There is no short cut to trying to understand the factors required for success except by extensive investigation. We consider the socioeconomic and technological implications of four case studies where we have had long-term direct experience of evaluation at the local, national and international levels. These case studies are: ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil and Zimbabwe; community biogas in an Indian village; and, land rehabilitation for fuel and fodder in Baringo, Kenya.

Prospects for green cane harvesting and cane residue use in Brazil

Abstract Mechanisation of sugarcane harvesting is growing rapidly in Southern Brazil where nearly 80% of Brazil’s crop is cultivated. Currently a maximum of 20% of the cane is mechanically harvested and the proportion is expected to rise to about 50% by 2005. However, most of the cane is burned prior to harvesting and less than 2% is harvested green. Issues such as topography, crop cultivation and management methods, labour costs, machine performance, environmental legislation and markets for sugarcane residues will influence the increase in mechanical harvesting of burned or green cane. This paper discusses the prospects for green cane harvesting technology, with emphasis on Southern Brazil, and compares harvesting technologies which are being commercialised today. The paper also addresses the recovery of cane residues (dry and green tops and leaves) and comments on their possible use and commercialisation, particularly for electricity generation.

Total costs and benefits of biomass in selected regions of the European Union

The paper describes results of the BioCosts project in which a comprehensive analysis of the economic and environmental performance of the energy use of biomass was carried out for selected existing facilities throughout the European Union. It is demonstrated that the appropriately organized use of biofuels has significant environmental advantages compared to the use of fossil fuels. Mitigation of global warming is the largest single incentive to use biofuels. However, only a few technologies are economically competitive under prevailing conditions, while others lead to up to 100% higher energy production costs than fossil fuels. Employment effects of using biofuels are small but positive.

Biomass utilization in households & industry: Energy use and development

Abstract The historical importance of biomass energy use and biomass-related carbon releases through anthropogenic activities are increasingly recognized. Unfortunately there is as yet insufficient data to substantiate many assumptions made concerning both its importance as a primary energy source and its long-term role as a souce/sink of greenhouse gases. However, given the fundamental role that biomass has played throughout human history, biomass-related activities are bound to have caused important environmental effects, at both micro and macro levels. The extent of such effects presently remains unclear. We re-examine the role of biomass energy use (past and present) including its relationship to population and environment, and potential carbon releases from biomass due to anthropogenic activities with particular attention to land use changes, biomass burning, and industrial uses.

Biomass energy, forests and global warming

Abstract Biomass in all its form currently provides about 14% of the worlds energy, equivalent to 25 million bbl oil/day; in developing countries where it is the major energy source, biomass supplies 35% of total energy use. Although biomass energy use affects the flux of carbon to the atmosphere, the main carbon emission problem is caused by fossil fuels and land clearance for agriculture. Biomass fuels make no net contribution to atmospheric CO2 if used sustainably. A major global revegetation and reforestation effort is a possible strategy to reduce CO2 emissions and to slow the pace of climatic change. However, a more attractive alternative strategy might be to substitute fossil fuels, especially coal, with biomass grown specifically for this purpose producing modern fuels such as electricity, liquids and gases. This paper examines biomass energy use, devegetation, biomass burning, the implications for global warming and the ability of biomass to sequester CO2 and substitute for fossil fuels. It also discusses some socioeconomic and political issues.

Food versus Fuel: Toward a New Paradigm—The Need for a Holistic Approach

A key objective of this paper is to provide an assessment of the current and future situation on the “food versus fuel” debate and to contribute to possible alternatives to minimise or avoid future conflict. The debate has centred on three main areas: (i) food versus biofuel production, (ii) their positive and negative effects (i.e., GHG, climate change, and the broader environment), and (iii) a socioeconomic impact. The debate has been controversial because it has largely been driven by politics, ethical/moral considerations, and vested interests rather than by science. The paper focuses on food prices, land competition, GHG, energy balance, and energy subsidies and concerns with the rapid expansion of bioenergy for electricity and heat, climatic changes, the role of agriculture as a key factor, the potential of biomass energy resources, and the various alternatives to minimize or avoid conflict between food and fuel production. Biomass for energy is both “part of the problem and part of the solution.” It proposes a holistic approach: a new paradigm that takes full account of the diverse and complex nature of biomass energy sources and states that the fundamental underlying causes are social injustice, inequality, waste, and so forth, rather than land competition for food and fuel.

Developments in International Liquid Biofuel Trade

This chapter describes the past developments, current status, and trends in global liquid biofuel production and trade. Apart from providing quantitative overviews, it also elaborates why markets developed as they did. By 2011, close to 2,500 PJ of liquid biofuels were produced globally; over two-third of which were fuel ethanol and the remaining biodiesel. The feedstock base is exclusively regionally specific oil, sugar, or starch crops. Global trade in biodiesel has been and will in the foreseeable future be primarily driven towards the European Union, where renewable energy policies stimulate the consumption of sustainable transport fuels – although the EU biofuels market growth is slowing down. Fuel ethanol is largely produced and consumed in the Americas, with the USA and Brazil dominating global production, trade and deployment. International trade is both supply and demand driven. National support policies increased the domestic market value of biofuels and shaped demand side developments. Trade flows emerged where such policies were not aligned with respective trade measures. Import duties had the strongest effect on trade volumes while trade routes were influenced by tariff preferences. Most trade regimes appear to have been designed and adapted unilaterally along national interests causing market disruptions, trade inefficiencies and disputes.

On the global limits of bioenergy and land use for climate change mitigation

Across energy, agricultural and forestry landscapes, the production of biomass for energy has emerged as a controversial driver of land‐use change. We present a novel, simple methodology, to probe the potential global sustainability limits of bioenergy over time for energy provision and climate change mitigation using a complex‐systems approach for assessing land‐use dynamics. Primary biomass that could provide between 70 EJ year−1 and 360 EJ year−1, globally, by 2050 was simulated in the context of different land‐use futures, food diet patterns and climate change mitigation efforts. Our simulations also show ranges of potential greenhouse gas emissions for agriculture, forestry and other land uses by 2050, including not only above‐ground biomass‐related emissions, but also from changes in soil carbon, from as high as 24 GtCO2eq year−1 to as low as minus 21 GtCO2eq year−1, which would represent a significant source of negative emissions. Based on the modelling simulations, the discussions offer novel insights about bioenergy as part of a broader integrated system. Whilst there are sustainability limits to the scale of bioenergy provision, they are dynamic over time, being responsive to land management options deployed worldwide.

Chapter 12 – Biomass Energy: – lessons from case studies in developing countries

Biomass is the worlds fourth largest energy source and the first in developing countries representing 14% and 35%, respectively, of primary energy. The provision and use of biomass energy is a complex issue; it is an integral part of the problems associated with sustainability of all types of vegetation which in turn is a key to ensuring stable socioeconomic development. The financial costs of producing biomass are also very complex since they depend upon many different factors and tend to be quite site specific, eg agricultural and forestry costs, type of feedstock and its productivity, equipment requirements, etc. The last two decades have witnessed numerous proclamations of failure and success of biomass schemes. There is no short cut to trying to understand the factors required for success except by extensive investigation. We consider the socioeconomic and technological implications of four case studies where we have had long-term direct experience of evaluation at the local, national and international levels. These case studies are: ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil and Zimbabwe; community biogas in an Indian village; and, land rehabilitation for fuel and fodder in Baringo, Kenya.