Biofuels: The Grassroots Solution

Meeting Half the World’s Fuel Demands Without Affecting Farmland Joan Melcher, ChinaDialogue

Biofuels: The Grassroots Solution

May 24, 2011 By Wilson Center Staff

The original version of this article, by Joan Melcher, appeared on ChinaDialogue.

The cultivation of biofuels – fuels derived from animal or plant matter – on marginal lands could meet up to half of the world’s current fuel consumption needs without affecting food crops or pastureland, environmental engineering researchers from America’s University of Illinois have concluded following a three-year study. The findings, according to lead author Ximing Cai, have significant implications not only for the production of biofuels but also the environmental quality of degraded lands.
The study, the final report of which was published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology late last year, comes at a time of increasing global interest in biomass. The International Energy Agency predicts that biomass energy’s share of global energy supply will treble by 2050, to 30 percent. In March, the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development called on national governments to take a “more sophisticated” approach to the energy source, putting it at the heart of energy strategies and ramping up investment in new technologies and research programs.

The University of Illinois project used cutting-edge land-use data collection methods to try to determine the potential for second-generation biofuels and perennial grasses, which do not compete with food crops and can be grown with less fertilizer and pesticide than conventional biofuels. They are considered to be an alternative to corn ethanol – a “first generation” biofuel – which has been criticized for the high amount of energy required to grow and harvest it, its intensive irrigation needs and the fact that corn used for biofuel now accounts for about 40 percent of the United States entire corn crop.

A critical concept of the study was that it only considered marginal land, defined as abandoned or degraded or of low quality for agricultural uses, Cai, who is civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Illinois in the mid-western United States, told ChinaDialogue.

The team considered cultivation of three crops: switchgrass, miscanthus, and a class of perennial grasses referred to as low-impact high-diversity (LIHD).

Continue reading on ChinaDialogue.

Sources: Sources: International Energy Agency, Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Reuters, University of Illinois.

Photo Credit: Adapted from “Biofuels,” courtesy jurvetson.

Topics: biofuels, China, economics, energy, environment, food security, land
- Kate
  
  Thanks, New Security Beat, for continuing to highlight these complex and tricky issues, and Ms. Melcher, for bringing attention to the recent study.
  
  Although it's encouraging to think about alternatives to fossil fuels, and the possible role of biofuels, a couple of the study's caveats, mentioned in Ms. Melcher's full article (thanks for the link!), should give us pause:
  
  First,
  "One is that biofuel production could aggravate water stress in some regions because of the water needs of refineries."
  
  While the study models rain-fed, not irrigated agriculture, the water implications for large-scale crop production and for processing biofuels remains concerning. Solving for carbon emissions while exacerbating water stress seems like a troubling strategy.
  
  And second,
  "A critical concept of the study was that it only considered marginal land, defined as abandoned or degraded or of low quality for agricultural uses…" and
  "In China, it is a different story because the majority of marginal lands are currently under cultivation…"
  
  The categorization of land as marginal and idle remains political and contested, especially in the global South — there are possible impacts on people and ecosystems that are obscured by such classifications. The proliferation of concerns over "land grabs" reveals some of the possible problems, especially for shifting agriculture and pastoralist communities' uses of seasonal grazing lands.
  
  Biofuels might have a role in energy supplies, but the full range of implications need to be carefully considered, so that we don't cause more problems in our enthusiasm for new solutions.
- http://www.blogger.com/profile/10648727700659999180 Schuyler Null
  
  Thanks for your comment Kate. These are good points, and the concept of causing more problems with our enthusiasm for new solutions is something we’ve tried to explore at ECSP. We had an event last fall on the conflict potential of climate mitigation and adaptation techniques, an accompanying “Backdraft” video series on the same topic, and it’s something we'd like to continue to do more on.
  
  You might also be interested in some of Circle of Blue’s “Choke Point” reporting, including on China’s energy vs. water challenges and the associated water costs of different biofuels.
- Corey
  
  I also have high
  hopes for biodiesel production from algae. Algae can also be grown not only on
  marginal lands, but also in deserts because it is grown in large, clear containers.
  Many researchers are working hard to find the right breed of algae that yields
  the highest amount of vegetable oil per volume. Hopefully their work won’t be
  in vain, and they can contribute to our future fuel production in conjunction
  with ethanol and switch grass.

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Meeting Half the World’s Fuel Demands Without Affecting Farmland Joan Melcher, ChinaDialogue

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