BOOK
Food versus Fuel
Frank Rosillo-Calle | Francis Johnson | David Pimentel | Richard Hess | Rocio Diaz-Chavez | R. H. Ravindranath | Luis B. Cortez
(2010)
Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Food versus Fuel presents a high-level introduction to the science and economics behind a well-worn debate, that will debunk myths and provide quality facts and figures for academics and practitioners in development studies, environment studies, and agricultural studies.
Compiled by an internationally renowned scientist and authority, and to include perspectives from 'pro' and 'anti' biofuels experts and activists, from the North and South, the aim of this book is to bring a balanced approach to the current debate on the major issues affecting the development of biofuels in a concise and clear manner in order to provide an informed, nuanced but accessible introduction, grounded in science and economics rather than conjecture and controversy.
Frank Rosillo-Calle is an Honorary Research Fellow in Biomass Energy at Imperial College London. He has more than 30 years' experience in bioenergy research, and has been involved in many international research projects.
Francis X. Johnson is Senior Research Fellow in Climate and Energy at the Stockholm Environment Institute. He has been an expert adviser and/or evaluator for several international organizations, including the European Commission, UNIDO, Eurostat, FAO and the European Parliament.
'While the food versus fuel debate still rages, this book fulfills an important role in introducing the pros and cons of biofuels in a rigorous, well-informed and accessible way that will surely improve the understanding of the issues by the general public. It will therefore help the debate move in a constructive way.'
Olivier Dubois, FAO
'The book’s competent organizers were very fortunate in bringing positive and negative views from well known global experts and, in the end, providing guidance for the reader to make his/her own conclusion.'
Jose Roberto Moreira, University of São Paulo and Biomass Users Network-Brazil
'This is a fundamental book for everyone interested in our future.'
Luiz Horta Nogueira, Itajubá Federal University, Brazil
'Presenting balanced evidence and including authors that represent a full range of views on the subject, Food vs Fuel – an informed introduction discusses some of the key issues related to feeding the world population while simultaneously providing energy for their comfort using biofuels.'
Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, São Paulo Research Foundation
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| About the editors | i | ||
| List of tables | vi | ||
| 1.1 Land requirements for biofuel production | 18 | ||
| 2.1 Total amount of above ground biomass | 32 | ||
| 2.2 Energy inputs and costs of corn production per hectare in the United States | 36 | ||
| 2.3 Inputs per 1,000 litres of 99.5% ethanol produced from corn | 37 | ||
| 2.4 Average inputs and energy inputs per hectare per year for switchgrass production | 40 | ||
| 2.5 Inputs per 1,000 litres of 99.5% ethanol produced from US switchgrass | 41 | ||
| 2.6 Energy inputs and costs in soybean production per hectare in the US | 43 | ||
| 2.7 Inputs per 1,000 kg of biodiesel oil from soybeans | 44 | ||
| 3.1 Ethanol and biodiesel GHG emission reduction for selected paths | 61 | ||
| 3.2 Energy balance in ethanol production | 64 | ||
| 3.3 Land use for agriculture in selected countries | 65 | ||
| 3.4 Displacement of 10 percent of world gasoline and diesel consumption | 66 | ||
| 3.5 Biofuels production costs | 73 | ||
| 3.6 Potential of sugarcane production in Brazil | 75 | ||
| 3.7 Productivity in 2005 and expected gains for 2015 and 2025 | 76 | ||
| 3.8 The value of the jatropha industry to a household economy | 82 | ||
| 4.1 Variation in required residue retention for continuous corn on select soils subject to rainfall and wind forces and two different field management practices | 96 | ||
| 4.2 Cropping practice, yield assignment, and residue production | 99 | ||
| 5.1 Population and access to electricity | 124 | ||
| 6.1 Projections for biofuel production and petroleum/biofuel demand in transport sector | 143 | ||
| 6.2 Total land area required for meeting total projected biofuel demand, where each biofuel crop is assumed to meet 10 percent of the biodiesel or ethanol demand, for 2030 | 145 | ||
| 6.3 Biofuel carbon debt, and the number of years required to repay it in nine scenarios of biofuel production | 148 | ||
| 6.4 Mean annual CO2 emission averaged over a 30-year period from land conversion, under different scenarios where each biofuel crop is assumed to meet 10 percent of the biodiesel or ethanol demand in 2030 | 152 | ||
| 6.5 Biofuel crops: rainfall and land/climate requirements, and cultivation practices | 156 | ||
| 7.1 Population development projections | 167 | ||
| 7.2 Expected demand for cereals by region for all uses, food, and feed | 167 | ||
| 7.3 Transportation fuel demand | 170 | ||
| 7.4 IEA second-generation biofuel cost assumptions for 2010, 2030, and 2050 | 180 | ||
| List of figures | vi | ||
| 3.1 Evolution of Brazilian sugarcane, sugar, and ethanol production | 68 | ||
| 3.2 Cost learning curve for sugarcane ethanol in Brazil | 74 | ||
| 4.1 Comparison of meat and milk consumption changes over the last 40 years and projected changes according to similar rates for the next 20 years | 89 | ||
| 4.2 Landscape management vision to more fully integrate economic, environmental, and social aspects of agriculture into integrated systems to produce food, feed, fibre, and fuel sustainably | 101 | ||
| 4.3. Typical sugar beet distribution system | 103 | ||
| 4.4 The Advanced Uniform-Format feedstock supply system | 106 | ||
| 4.5 Projected 2008 biomass resource availability at different price levels without a grower payment | 109 | ||
| 5.1 Twenty main commodities in 1997 | 128 | ||
| 5.2 Twenty main commodities in 2007 | 128 | ||
| 6.1 Biofuel crops, feedstocks, and fuels | 140 | ||
| 7.1 Various conversion routes for biomass to biofuels | 178 | ||
| List of abbreviations | viii | ||
| About the contributors | x | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Notes | 6 | ||
| References | 6 | ||
| 1 Food versus Fuel: Setting the Scene | 7 | ||
| The pro- and anti-biofuels arguments | 10 | ||
| Produce food or fuel? | 11 | ||
| Climate change and greenhouse gases | 12 | ||
| The role of biofuels in wealth creation and distribution | 13 | ||
| Food prices | 14 | ||
| Land use and intensification of production | 16 | ||
| Table 1.1 Land requirements for biofuel production | 18 | ||
| Subsidies | 19 | ||
| Energy balance | 20 | ||
| Sustainability and certification schemes for biofuels | 21 | ||
| Main conclusions | 23 | ||
| Notes | 25 | ||
| References | 26 | ||
| 2 Why We Should Not Be Using Biofuels | 29 | ||
| Food and malnourishment | 29 | ||
| World cropland and water resources | 30 | ||
| Energy resources and use | 31 | ||
| Table 2.1 Total amount of above ground biomass | 32 | ||
| Biomass resources | 33 | ||
| Corn ethanol | 35 | ||
| Table 2.2 Energy inputs and costs of corn production per hectare in the United States | 36 | ||
| Table 2.3 Inputs per 1,000 litres of 99.5 percent ethanol produced from corn | 37 | ||
| Grass and cellulosic ethanol | 39 | ||
| Table 2.4 Average inputs and energy inputs per hectare per year for switchgrass production | 40 | ||
| Table 2.5 Inputs per 1,000 litres of 99.5 percent ethanol produced from US switchgrass | 41 | ||
| Soybean biodiesel | 42 | ||
| Table 2.6 Energy inputs and costs in soybean production per hectare in the US | 43 | ||
| Table 2.7 Inputs per 1,000 kg of biodiesel oil from soybeans | 44 | ||
| Rapeseed and canola biodiesel | 45 | ||
| Oil palm | 46 | ||
| Algae for oil production | 47 | ||
| Conclusion | 48 | ||
| References | 49 | ||
| 3 Why Biofuels are Important | 58 | ||
| Overall benefits of biofuels | 58 | ||
| Table 3.1 Ethanol and biodiesel GHG emission reduction for selected paths | 61 | ||
| Table 3.2 Energy balance in ethanol production | 64 | ||
| Land use | 65 | ||
| Table 3.3 Land use for agriculture in selected countries | 65 | ||
| Table 3.4 Displacement of 10 percent of world gasoline and diesel consumption | 66 | ||
| Land-use policies and impacts on food prices | 67 | ||
| Figure 3.1 Evolution of Brazilian sugarcane, sugar, and ethanol production | 68 | ||
| Why biofuels are the most urgent alternative to fossil fuels | 70 | ||
| The complex nature of biofuels | 71 | ||
| Broad impacts on agriculture and rural development | 71 | ||
| The impact of subsidies | 72 | ||
| Case Study: The potential of ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil | 73 | ||
| Table 3.5 Biofuels production costs | 73 | ||
| Figure 3.2 Cost learning curve for sugarcane ethanol in Brazil | 74 | ||
| Table 3.6 Potential of sugarcane production in Brazil | 75 | ||
| Table 3.7 Productivity in 2005 and expected gains for 2015 and 2025 | 76 | ||
| Case Study: Jatropha cultivation in Zambia | 77 | ||
| Table 3.8 The value of the jatropha industry to a household economy | 82 | ||
| Main conclusions | 83 | ||
| Notes | 83 | ||
| References | 84 | ||
| 4 Agriculture and Land Use Issues | 86 | ||
| Assessing resource potential | 86 | ||
| Figure 4.1 Comparison of meat and milk consumption changes over the last 40 years and projected changes according to similar rates for the next 20 years | 89 | ||
| Meeting the challenge: sustainable agricultural systems | 91 | ||
| Case Study: Implementing sustainabilty criteria to guide resource access | 94 | ||
| Table 4.1 Variation in required residue retention for continuous corn on select soils subject to rainfall and wind forces and two different field management practices | 96 | ||
| Table 4.2 Cropping practice, yield assignment, and residue production | 99 | ||
| Figure 4.2 Landscape management vision to more fully integrate economic, environmental, and social aspects of agriculture into integrated systems to produce food, feed, fibre, and fuel sustainably | 101 | ||
| Meeting the challenge: engineering accessible markets | 102 | ||
| Figure 4.3 Typical sugar beet distribution system | 103 | ||
| Figure 4.4. The Advanced Uniform-Format feedstock supply system | 106 | ||
| Figure 4.5 Projected 2008 biomass resource availability at different price levels without a grower payment | 109 | ||
| Conclusion | 111 | ||
| References | 112 | ||
| 5 The Role of Biofuels in Promoting Rural Development | 116 | ||
| Job creation and wages | 117 | ||
| Health and gender | 120 | ||
| Impacts on food production | 121 | ||
| Contributions to poverty reduction and livelihoods | 123 | ||
| Table 5.1 Population and access to electricity | 124 | ||
| Infrastructure, investment, and capacity development | 125 | ||
| Trade and globalization | 127 | ||
| Figure 5.1 Twenty main commodities in 1997 | 128 | ||
| Figure 5.2 Twenty main commodities in 2007 | 128 | ||
| Policies and verification systems to promote sustainability | 129 | ||
| Conclusions | 133 | ||
| Note | 134 | ||
| References | 134 | ||
| 6 Biofuels and Climate Change | 138 | ||
| Biofuel crops and technologies | 139 | ||
| Figure 6.1 Biofuel crops, feedstocks, and fuels | 140 | ||
| Biofuel production, programmes, and targets | 142 | ||
| Table 6.1 Projections for biofuel production and petroleum/biofuel demand in transport sector | 143 | ||
| Land area for biofuel production | 143 | ||
| Table 6.2 Total land area required for meeting total projected biofuel demand, where each biofuel crop is assumed to meet 10 percent of the biodiesel or ethanol demand, for 2030 | 145 | ||
| Implications for food production | 146 | ||
| Biofuel production and GHG emissions | 147 | ||
| Table 6.3 Biofuel carbon debt, and the number of years required to repay it in nine scenarios of biofuel production | 148 | ||
| Table 6.4 Mean annual CO2 emission averaged over a 30-year period from land conversion, under different scenarios where each biofuel crop is assumed to meet 10 percent of the biodiesel or ethanol demand in 2030 | 152 | ||
| Biodiversity | 153 | ||
| Projections of climate change | 156 | ||
| Table 6.5 Biofuel crops: rainfall and land/climate requirements, and cultivation practices | 156 | ||
| Impacts of climate change on biofuel production | 157 | ||
| Conclusion | 159 | ||
| References | 161 | ||
| 7 Future Trends in Biomass Resources for Food and Fuel | 164 | ||
| Future resource demands | 166 | ||
| Table 7.1 Population development projections | 167 | ||
| Table 7.2 Expected demand for cereals by region for all uses, food, and feed | 167 | ||
| Table 7.3 Transportation fuel demand | 170 | ||
| The bioscience revolution | 172 | ||
| Box 7.1 GM crops to date | 175 | ||
| Future crops and feedstocks for biofuels | 177 | ||
| Figure 7.1 Various conversion routes for biomass to biofuels | 178 | ||
| Table 7.4 IEA second-generation biofuel cost assumptions for 2010, 2030, and 2050 | 180 | ||
| Biomass resources in transition | 183 | ||
| Conclusions | 188 | ||
| References | 188 | ||
| 8 Food versus Fuel: Concluding Remarks | 191 | ||
| Setting the scene | 192 | ||
| The anti-biofuels arguments | 194 | ||
| The pro-biofuels arguments | 196 | ||
| Agriculture and land use | 200 | ||
| Socio-economic objectives and impacts | 202 | ||
| Climate change implications | 205 | ||
| Future trends | 206 | ||
| Index | 209 |