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Bio-fuels production and the environmental indicators

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  • Gomes, Marcos Sebastião de Paula
  • Muylaert de Araújo, Maria Silvia

Abstract

The paper evaluates the role of the bio-fuels production in the transportation sector in the world, for programs of greenhouse gases emissions reductions and sustainable environmental performance. Depending on the methodology used to account for the local pollutant emissions and the global greenhouse gases emissions during the production and consumption of both the fossil and bio-fuels, the results can show huge differences. If it is taken into account a life cycle inventory approach to compare the different fuel sources, these results can present controversies. A comparison study involving the American oil diesel and soybean diesel developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory presents CO2 emissions for the bio-diesel which are almost 20% of the emissions for the oil diesel: 136Â g CO2/bhp-h for the bio-diesel from soybean and 633Â g CO2/bhp-h for the oil diesel [National Renewable Energy Laboratory--NREL/SR-580-24089]. Besides that, important local environmental impacts can also make a big difference. The water consumption in the soybean production is much larger in comparison with the water consumption for the diesel production [National Renewable Energy Laboratory--NREL/SR-580-24089]. Brazil has an important role to play in this scenario because of its large experience in bio-fuels production since the seventies, and the country has conditions to produce bio-fuels for attending great part of the world demand in a sustainable pathway.

Suggested Citation

  • Gomes, Marcos Sebastião de Paula & Muylaert de Araújo, Maria Silvia, 2009. "Bio-fuels production and the environmental indicators," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 2201-2204, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:13:y:2009:i:8:p:2201-2204
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Searchinger, Timothy & Heimlich, Ralph & Houghton, R. A. & Dong, Fengxia & Elobeid, Amani & Fabiosa, Jacinto F. & Tokgoz, Simla & Hayes, Dermot J. & Yu, Hun-Hsiang, 2008. "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12881, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
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    1. Lamas, Wendell de Queiroz & Giacaglia, Giorgio Eugenio Oscare, 2013. "The Brazilian energy matrix: Evolution analysis and its impact on farming," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 321-327.
    2. Xinhua Shen & Raghava R. Kommalapati & Ziaul Huque, 2015. "The Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Power Generation from Lignocellulosic Biomass," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Arbab, M.I. & Masjuki, H.H. & Varman, M. & Kalam, M.A. & Imtenan, S. & Sajjad, H., 2013. "Fuel properties, engine performance and emission characteristic of common biodiesels as a renewable and sustainable source of fuel," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 133-147.
    4. Azadi, Hossein & de Jong, Sanne & Derudder, Ben & De Maeyer, Philippe & Witlox, Frank, 2012. "Bitter sweet: How sustainable is bio-ethanol production in Brazil?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 3599-3603.

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