Biofuels
A variety of liquid and gaseous fuels can be made from biomass, or plant material. These fuels are referred to as "biofuels." Biofuels are a potential global warming solution because, theoretically, they emit fewer greenhouse gases than traditional fossil fuels.
Background
The Northeast is home to a very significant forest products industry and an abundant supply of woody biomass and wood by-products. Next generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, made from...
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Although the carbon released by a biofuel when it is burned is removed from the atmosphere by the plant while it is growing, biofuels are not completely carbon neutral. Fossil fuel use during growing, harvesting and processing of the bio-based fuels must be factored in. Furthermore, demand for biofuels can displace crop production, impacting global food markets and resulting in emissions from land clearing elsewhere. Recent studies in Science question the low carbon impact of biofuels.
Before scaling up a biofuel’s production, it is therefore critical to assess its net greenhouse gas (GHG) impact. It is equally important to ensure that biofuels are produced from sustainably harvested material to ensure that the land base can continue to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and to minimimize other potential negative impacts to the environment.
Factors to consider when assessing a biofuel’s GHG emissions include:
- Land conversion (Will grasslands or forests be cleared as a result of increased biofuels cultivation?)
- Fertilizer use (A portion of the nitrogen in fertilizers gets converted to nitrous oxide, which has a global warming potential 300 times larger than carbon dioxide).
- Farm operations (GHG from energy used to power machinery)
- Fuel processing from biomass
- Transportation of fuel to its final destination
Massachusetts Biofuels Bill
House Bill 4364 would require all diesel and home heating fuel oil sold in the Commonwealth to contain a minimum amount of renewable, bio-based fuels in their blends, rising from 2 percent in 2010 to 5 percent in 2013. The bill would also provide tax incentives for producers of cellulosic ethanol, which can be made more efficiently than corn-derived ethanol.
ENE is working with stakeholders to ensure that any initiatives to promote biofuel use require the use of sustainably harvested biomass for the bio-based fuels, and result in a net reduction of greenhouse gases.
