Biofuels: What Exactly Are They?

Ethanol
Ethanol is an alcohol made by fermenting biomass through a process similar to brewing beer. Ethanol can be made from any feedstock that contains significant amounts of sugar (such as sugar cane) or materials that can be converted into sugar, like starch (such as corn). Ethanol derived from corn is the most widely used biofuel in the United States, and the amount of corn dedicated to ethanol production is growing steadily.


Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a fuel for diesel engines and, like ethanol, can be made from a variety of raw materials. By far the most common feedstock in the United States is soybeans, though rapeseed, mustard, palm oil, hemp, waste vegetable oils and animal fats can also be used. Even as biodiesel contributes only a small part to the current biofuels mix, large-scale production of soybeans is already plagued by problems stemming from intensive industrial agricultural practices. Production of biodiesel in Southeast Asia, particularly from palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia, has been linked to increased deforestation as forest lands are cleared for feedstock cultivation.


Cellulosic Ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol is produced from the sugar contained in cellulose, the woody, structural part of the plant. The two most prominent feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol are agricultural residues, such as corn stalks, and perennial energy crops, such as switchgrass and fast-growing trees. Researchers are increasingly turning to non-food plants in hopes of meeting rising ethanol demands and finding a more sustainable solution for gasoline replacement. Currently, the process of producing cellulosic ethanol on a commercial scale remains at the research and development stage due to technological and cost barriers. Cellulosic ethanol offers many environmental advantages when compared to corn because the feedstocks are easier to grow – they are often native species that need less fertilizer and herbicides, and can be more easily integrated with local agricultural systems. However, overproduction and unsustainable management would negate the ecological promise of these feedstocks.

Is Ethanol the Solution to Energy Independence?

The potential for corn ethanol to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil is limited. Even if the entire U.S. corn crop was dedicated to ethanol, it would displace only a small share of gasoline demand.

Corn growers and ethanol producers talk enthusiastically about replacing the oil fields of the Middle East with the corn fields of the Midwest. But the true potential for biofuels to replace oil is not as sparkling as the rhetoric.

Even if the entire U.S. corn crop was dedicated to ethanol, it would displace only a small share of gasoline demand.

• The most favorable estimates, which already include cellulosic feedstocks, point out that fuel made from biomass can replace only a fourth to a third of transport-related oil consumption. 
• The Congressional Research Service has estimated that even if 100 percent of the U.S. corn harvest was dedicated to ethanol, it would displace less than 15 percent of national gasoline use. 

The continuing reliance upon foreign oil is one of the greatest threats to U.S. national security and economic stability. This serious problem needs to be addressed at all levels of American government, however, it cannot be solved solely through the promotion of ethanol.

Can Ethanol Save the American Farmer?

Although some farmers are excited by rising corn prices, the current ethanol boom is intensifying the concentration of ownership and the industrialization of agricultural lands, resulting in a revenue drain from rural communities.

The ethanol industry enjoys government subsidies on many levels. Without these subsidies, corn-based ethanol would not be feasible in the United States. Most ethanol subsidies are directed toward multi-national corporations with large profit margins and thick political ties. Furthermore, corn subsidies keep the cost of ethanol production artificially low for industrial producers, making it impossible for small cooperatives and alternative feedstock farmers to compete.

• Corn is the crop that receives the most farm program payments in the U.S., receiving more than $51 billion between 1995 and 2005.
  
• Gasoline refiners who add ethanol to their product are entitled to a $0.51 per gallon tax credit, amounting to nearly $2.5 billion in subsidies paid to refiners in 2006 alone. 
  

The main recipients of ethanol production subsidies are not independent family farmers.  In fact, the top one percent of corn growers received 19 percent of all subsidies.   The major beneficiaries of government subsidies are agribusiness companies that are able to buy corn for less than it costs to grow and, in turn, rely on government payments to make up the difference to farmers.

What’s the Problem with Corn?

Intensive corn monoculture has serious environmental effects that are exacerbated by the ethanol boom.

• Intensive monoculture and tillage practices lead to soil erosion and degradation. As the price of corn rises, farmers are more likely to abandon crop rotation and to use more aggressive tillage methods that intensify environmental problems.
• The massive amount of fertilizer used to grow corn causes overgrowth of algae in rivers and lakes and destroys habitats of certain marine species. Farm runoff has resulted in the formation of a 6,600 square mile “Dead Zone” along the Louisiana Coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Widespread use of herbicides leads to the contamination of water and soil. In the spring time, when corn farmers apply the largest quantities of herbicides to their fields, rains wash these chemicals into the drinking water of nearly 12 million people throughout the central United States.  
• More than 60 percent of all corn now planted in the United States is genetically engineered.  The risks of GE crops to the environment and public health have not been fully assessed and may be aggravated by the widespread deployment of ethanol. Biotech industry efforts are already underway to create GE corn varieties specifically geared to ethanol conversion.

Can Ethanol Help Us Tackle the Climate Crisis?

Ethanol can reduce some greenhouse gases, but can also increase emission of others.  When fossil fuels are used to power ethanol refineries, the end result will be more global warming pollution than is generated by the dirty fuels ethanol is replacing.

The scientific research on air emissions from ethanol varies widely, largely due to differences in research methodology. Overall, research shows that ethanol’s ability to reduce global warming pollution is quite limited.

• Studies on the emissions from corn-based ethanol consistently reveal much lower reductions of greenhouse gases than from other biofuels.
• The most favorable estimates show that corn ethanol could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent to 28 percent, while cellulosic ethanol is estimated to offer a reduction of 87 percent compared to gasoline. 
• Ethanol can actually increase emission of some kinds of pollutants. According to the Congressional Research Service, ethanol may cause higher ozone levels under certain atmospheric conditions.  A recent study shows that pollution from ethanol can increase the numbers of deaths resulting from ozone-related respiratory problems.  Ethanol can also increase the emissions of other toxics associated with severe health problems. 
• Coal and natural gas are commonly burned to run biofuel refineries, and emit many of the same pollutants that ethanol is intended to reduce, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.

Converting forests or conservation lands to acreage for ethanol feedstock production would be a further setback in the race against global climate change.

Do Biofuels Represent a True Carbon Sink?

Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and use it to grow, storing it in biomass and soil. This is sometimes referred to as carbon sequestration. In the fight to curb this potent greenhouse gas, plants grown specifically to absorb and store CO2 are referred to as a carbon sink. Proponents of biofuels contend that growing plants for fuel holds significant carbon sequestration value.

However, energy crops do not decrease overall CO2 emissions. While CO2 is captured during the growth cycle, that same CO2 is emitted at every other step of ethanol production, from clearing fields, tilling soil, and harvesting to transportation and processing. Furthermore, converting forests or conservation lands to acreage for ethanol feedstock production would be a further setback in the race against global climate change.