Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop (2010) / Chapter Skim
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IV: Dimensions of Sustainability and Expanding Biofuel Production
IV: Dimensions of Sustainability and Expanding Biofuel Production
Pages 15-28
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From page 15... ...
is often used to evaluate the sustainability of biofuels from a systems perspective. However, as shown in Figure 2, "attributional" LCA analyses do not address economic or social impacts, and generally focus only on the directly attributed environmental impacts.
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The workshop presenter suggestedl that a more appropriate approach would sheehan attributiona be to consider a "consequential" LCA, which could consider both the immediate fixed image or direct impacts as well as the indirect impacts, although still not fully assessing the economic or social impacts (Figure 3)
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From page 17... ...
(These activities are described in the background paper in Appendix E.) ECONOMIC IMPACTS The workshop's discussion on the economics of biofuels focused both on the business side of the biofuel industry and on its economic impacts -- how the industry has changed local and regional job markets, prices, and government budgets.
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Source: Workshop Presentation by Doug Tiffany, University of Minnesota, June 24, 2009. Tiffany slide 10 Ethanol Capacity editable FIGURE 5 Misfortune: Collapsing margins.
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While this 7,000 figure clearly does not reflect all the jobs created by the industry, it is highly unlikely that the multiplier would be 100.3 Data from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IFRA) show that more than 83,000 jobs were created by the state's ethanol industry in 2008 -- almost 40,000 more than it claimed in 2007.
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From page 20... ...
Domestically, expanded biofuel production was linked to increases in corn prices, leading to higher feed costs and increasing prices for meat and dairy products. Many participants acknowledged that a number of other factors were linked to increasing food prices -- rising petroleum prices, increasing food demands driven by population growth, increasing per-capita consumption levels, the dollar devaluation, and general increases in production costs.
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From page 21... ...
Economics and Next-Generation Fuels EISA mandates dramatic increases in the use and production of renewable fuels. Overall levels are to increase production from 9 million gallons in 2008 to 36 million gallons in 2022, with the increase after 2016 in advanced biofuels -- primarily cellulosic ethanol.
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From page 22... ...
Investors are looking for consistent supplies and low-cost feedstocks. To some extent the provisions of EISA and EPACT and evolving federal and state renewable fuel standards provide some assurances that there will, in fact, be a demand for both corn-based ethanol and advanced biofuels and create a floor price.
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From page 23... ...
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The major environmental issues associated with expanding biofuel production are greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, air and water quality, biodiversity, and human health. Currently most biofuel production relies on corn or soybeans as feedstocks.
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From page 24... ...
Only limited data exists for the water resource requirements for cellulosic and algae feedstock production and fuel processing.11 While some of this water may be recovered, its negative impact on aquifers and other water resources remain a serious local issue. The increased use of nitrogen-based fertilizers to improve corn yields has led to large amounts of leaching, with only 40 percent of the nitrogen actually going 10 U.S.
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The health and safety impacts, both positive and negative, of biofuel production and use have received only limited attention with most studies on corn based ethanol or soybased biodiesel not advanced biofuels. Understanding and mitigating potentially significant negative impacts are critical to evaluating future renewable fuel options.
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From page 26... ...
high levels of volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, methanol, and other hazardous pollutants significantly affect communities with ethanol refineries; and (2) the use of dried distillers grains -- a byproduct of cornbased ethanol refineries used as cattle feed -- may result in microbial protein contamination, which could be harmful to human health (Figure 7)
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From page 27... ...
Participants also noted issues of community versus individual perceptions associated with the expansion of ethanol production, as well as unintended consequences for human health and well-being associated with negative environmental impacts. Panel discussions highlighted the most effective ways to move forward with advanced biofuel production, while mitigating negative social impacts.
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From page 28... ...
However, often the jobs created by ethanol production plants are not significant (e.g., fewer than 20 jobs for a smaller plant)
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