Sustainability issues around bioenergy (Biofuels)

Question 1

What is biomass?

Answer 1

“Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms.
In the context of biomass for energy, this is often used to mean plant based material, but biomass can equally apply
to both animal and vegetable derived material.”

Question 2

4 types of biomass feedstocks

Answer 2

• Biomass from primary production
• Primary residues
• Secondary residues
• Tertiary residues

Question 3

What is Biomass from primary production?

Answer 3

Agri crops
Energy crops
Forest wood

Question 4

What is primary residue

Answer 4

Agri crops (stalks, etc.)
forestry (fallen tree branches?)
lifestock

Question 5

What is secondary residue

Answer 5

processing of crops and wood

rice husks, wood chips

Question 6

What is tertiary residues

Answer 6

after end-use waste

Question 7

How many generations of biofuel exist

Answer 7

3, exluding 1,2 or 3 icm ccs

otherwise 4

Question 8

What is the first generation of biofuel?

Answer 8

Food crops are used for production

sugar, oil and starch crops

Question 9

what is the second generation of biofuel?

Answer 9

non-food crops and residues are used for production

wood, agricultural waste, waste oil/fats, non edible feedstock

Question 10

What is third generation biofuel

Answer 10

algea based

Question 11

Downside of first generation biofuel

Answer 11

• Reliance on food crops for fuel
• limited cost reductions possible
• GHG emissions

(We already excel at food production, no very large improvements can be made there to reduce price or limit ghg (fertilizer))

Question 12

Advantages of second generation biofuel

Answer 12

• no direct competition with food
• use of residues
• expectations for high cost reductions
• lower GHG emissions (trough carbon sequestration.)

(there will be more biomass on a second generation field than with food crop production.)

Question 13

Delays in 2nd generation biofuel

Answer 13

Why would companies invest in a product that is not being promoted by clear policy.

Question 14

Reasons for bioenergy

Answer 14

• Renewable energy
• energy security
• alternative market outlet for farmers
• response to oil crisis

Question 15

Land use and biofuels

Answer 15

energy crops only use a very small amount of land

Question 16

Bio energy use in the future

Answer 16

differs greatly per projection.

Birka things it is necessary to meet future energy demand

Question 17

Do we have enough biomass?

Answer 17

Technically we could make enough biomass to meet the demand, but not sure if it could be done sustainable?

Question 18

2 forms of land use change

Answer 18

direct

indirect

Question 19

direct land use change

Answer 19

changing the use of land from it’s original form to a different form

(e.g. foodcrop to energy crop.)

Question 20

issues related to land use change

Answer 20

• biodiversity loss from habitat loss
• displacement of local population (leading to land tenure conflicts) => (Canadian natives and tarsand?)
• GHG emissions from deforestation and conversion of other carbon rich land
• High food prices because land used for biofuels production instead of food

Question 21

Food vs. fuel

Answer 21

• is an emotional debate

- science tells us that biofuel is a factor in price increase, but other factors have been more important

Question 22

ILUC

Answer 22

indirect land use change

Question 23

What is ILUC

Answer 23

the land use change (on the other side of the world) caused by local land use change.

Example, food crops in europe become energy crops. Some other location therefore has to produce food crops. The luc in that other location is the ILUC

Question 24

Differences in LUC related ghg emissions models

Answer 24

can be explained by model inputs.

e.g. only counting conversion of forest to energy crop, not pastures to energy crop.

Question 25

What lead to ghg reduction in luc models?

Answer 25

• Inclusion of pastureland conversion
• Treatment of animal feed co-products
• Crop yields (both for agricultural crops and
bioenergy crops) on existing agricultural land
and newly converted land,
• The fraction of carbon that is stored in wood
products

Question 26

ILUC mitigation/prevention

Answer 26

• only support/use low risk ILUC biofuels (2nd generation?)
• above baseline yield development
• biofuel feedstock production on under-utilized lands
• land zoning