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Analysis of biofuel production in Ecuador from the perspective of the water-food-energy nexus

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  • Terneus Páez, Carlos Francisco
  • Viteri Salazar, Oswaldo

Abstract

Biofuels in Ecuador were born with the purpose of achieving an effective substitution of imports of petroleum derivatives. The objective of this research is to analyze the impact that biofuel production has on water, food, and energy, and its contribution to reducing the growing dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation sector in Ecuador. The analysis focuses on ethanol produced from sugar cane, which is used to produce Ecopaís gasoline. The methodology is composed of three parts. For the first part, Geographic Information Systems were used; for the second, the FAO Penman-Monteith method; and, finally, in the third, the energy consumption was obtained through secondary information. As a result, taking the year 2019 as a reference, ethanol became the ninth product with the largest amount of land suitable for agriculture, and the seventh with the most irrigated areas in a country that suffers from malnutrition. Countries with a tropical climate and highly dependent on imports of petroleum derivatives are tempted to implement policies to promote biofuels. However, due to the risks that this renewable fuel represents on food security, other options for reducing its energy dependence should be exhausted.

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  • Terneus Páez, Carlos Francisco & Viteri Salazar, Oswaldo, 2021. "Analysis of biofuel production in Ecuador from the perspective of the water-food-energy nexus," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:157:y:2021:i:c:s0301421521003669
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112496
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    1. Lucía Toledo & Gloria Salmoral & Oswaldo Viteri-Salazar, 2023. "Rethinking Agricultural Policy in Ecuador (1960–2020): Analysis Based on the Water–Energy–Food Security Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Hassan El-Ramady & Gréta Törős & Khandsuren Badgar & Xhensila Llanaj & Peter Hajdú & Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk & Neama Abdalla & József Prokisch, 2022. "A Comparative Photographic Review on Higher Plants and Macro-Fungi: A Soil Restoration for Sustainable Production of Food and Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-33, June.
    3. Quetzalcoatl Hernandez-Escobedo & David Muñoz-Rodríguez & Alejandro Vargas-Casillas & José Manuel Juárez Lopez & Pilar Aparicio-Martínez & María Pilar Martínez-Jiménez & Alberto-Jesus Perea-Moreno, 2022. "Renewable Energies in the Agricultural Sector: A Perspective Analysis of the Last Three Years," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-17, December.

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