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Environmental impacts of biofuel production and use
Citation:
MILLER, C. A. Environmental impacts of biofuel production and use. In Proceedings, 238th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Washington, DC, August 16 - 20, 2009. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, ,, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
conference paper
Description:
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) required a significant increase in the production and use of renewable fuels. Given the current state of technology and infrastructure, nearly all of the projected volume of biofuel consumption over the foreseeable future is expected to be made up of three types of biofuel: com-based ethanol, cellulosic-based ethanol, and biodiesel. The vast majority of the current volume of biofuels is in the form of corn based ethanol, with lesser amounts of biodiesel from virgin vegetable oils, animal fats, and used cooking oils. Projections for future energy sources anticipate the development of processes to convert cellulosic biomass into ethanol or other biofuels to meet the target of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022. The production and use of biofuels will result in different environmental impacts than petroleum fuels. In some cases, these changes will be positive, but in others, the changes could be negative. It is important to understand the adverse environmental impacts associated with the full biofuel supply chain, from field to wheel, to enable the long-term, beneficial development of biofuels.
