Life biofuels

Being on-farm emissions (from cultivation and animals breeding) the most important source of GHG in food life cycle, numerous studies have tried to reduce them. Ahlgren [55] has used LCA to evaluate the use of biofuels in tractors and the substitution of mineral nitrogen fertilizers. This implied that 3-6% of a farm s available land was needed to produce the required biomass (to produce biofuels and fertilizer). 

Kim, S., Dale, B.E. 2005. Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for produe-ing biofuels bioethanol and biodiesel. Biomass Bioenergy 29 426 39. 

Subsidies and incentives are provided independendy from the environmental impact that ethanol may have during its entire life cycle, therefore, supporting biofuel production in the US. In 2001, the Emopean Commission launched a policy to promote the use of biofuels for transport in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental impact of transport, as well as to increase security of supply, technological iimovation and agricultural diversification (UN, 2006). 

Patzek, T. W. How can we outlive our way of life, Paper prepared for the 20th Round Table on Sustainable, Development of Biofuels Is the Cure Worse than the Disease OECD Headquarters, Chateau de la Muette, Paris, September 11-12, 2007, http // petroleum.berkeley.edu/papers/Biofuels/OECDSeptl02007TWPatzek. pdf... 

Figure 15.1 Material flow and environmental interventions across the life-cycle stages in a biofuel system [6].

A 1999 biofuel life cycle study, jointly sponsored by the USDOE and the USD A concluded that biofuel reduces net CO2 emissions by 78% compared to petroleum fuels from biofuel s closed carbon cycle. The CO2 released into the atmosphere when biofuel is burned is recycled by growing plants, which are later processed into fuel. 

Calais, P. Sims, R.S. A comparison of life-cycle emissions of liquid biofuels and liquid and gaseous fossil fuels in the transport sector. Solar 2000 Conference, Dec 4, 2000 Australian, New Zealand Solar Energy Society Brisbane (available on CD ROM). 

Zah, R., Boni, H., Gauch, M., Hischier, R., Lehmann, M. and Wager, P. (2007) Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Products Environmental Assessment of Biofuels, EMPA, Switzerland. 

Kloverpris J., H. Wenzel, M. Banse, L. Mila i Canals and A. Reenberg (2008) Conference and workshop on modelling global land use implications in the environmental assessment of biofuels . International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 178-83. 

Kaltschmitt, M., Reinhardt, G. A., and Stelzer, T. (1997). Life cycle analysis of biofuels under different environmental Aspects. Biomass Bioenergy 12,121-134. 

Larson, E.D. (2006) A review of lifeliquid biofuel systems fitr the transport sector. Energy Sustainable Dev., X, 2. Online available http //www.princeton.edu/pei/energy/ pubUcations/texts / Larson-biofuel-LCA-ESD-June-2006.pdf... 

Landis, A.E. and Theis, T.L. (2008) Comparison of life cycle impact assessment tools in the case of biofuels. IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment. (ISEE 2008, San Francisco, CA, 19-22 May 2008). Online available http-.jl ieeexplore.ieee.org/servlet/ opac punumber=4555641. 

Davis, S.C., Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., and DeLuda, E.H. (2009) Life-cycle analysis and the ecology of biofuels. Trends Plant Set, 14 (3), 140 146. Online available http / /www.life.illinois.edu/deluda/ Davis%20Ufe%20Cyde.pdf. 

Shen L, Worrell E, Patel MK. Comparing life cycle energy and GHG emissions of bio-based PET, recycled PET, PEA, and man-made cellulosics. Biofuels Bioprod Bioref 2012 6 625-639. 

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