Overcoming the Obstacles facing Biofuel Technology

Biofuel technologies such as Flexifuel used in Ford cars have shown their abilities to effectively reduce carbon emissions. However, it is the potential effects that come from making these technologies available that causes debate. Economic and agricultural effects cover food supply and food costs particularly for third world countries if biofuels are implemented on a large scale. Biofuel production covers the damage to the environment that could be caused by plant growing and refining methods used to produce Biofuels. In addition there is the issue of the cost of the fuel and making it more widely available. This report explores what solutions there are to overcome these problems.

Economic and Agricultural Effects

The economic and agricultural effects that biofuel production might have is the most prominent issue and obstacle to greater use of biofuel technologies. Looking at the origin of biofuel produced in the EU in 2006¹ 76% was produced using crops which is a majority that many are concerned about. It has raised fears that increased biofuel production will lead to higher food prices the impact of which would be felt most by those in poverty. These views however don’t have any grounding; Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU) has assured that demand can be met for both food and biofuel crop demand. According to Kendall there is a 3.5 million tonne surplus of feed wheat that can be used for biofuels²
Nevertheless, this still raises questions regarding economic effects. The surplus feed wheat is normally exported and if increased biofuel production means fewer food exports this could be bad news for third world countries which rely on these to feed their populations. There are alternatives to wheat; raw alcohol is commonly used to produce biofuels and is made either synthetically or through fermentation of yeast³
Origin of Biofuel Produced in the EU in 2006

Origin of Biofuel Produced in the EU in 2006

Biofuel Production

The means by which plants for biofuel are grown and then refined raises doubts over the zero emissions claim touted by many proponents of biofuel. The New Scientist has reported that ‘burning oil and planting forests’ may be more environmentally friendly than burning biofuel⁴56
The process of refining biofuel releases biogas which is 50 to 60 percent methane, a greenhouse gas and harmful to the environment^{78

Fuel Availability and Costs

Currently, in the UK only there are only 15 filling stations that provide the bio-ethanol needed for cars such as the Ford Focus and C-MAX Flexifuel^{910

Political Response

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler has condemned biofuels because of their production using crops. Ziegler has even called for a 5 year ban on producing biofuels in order to prevent a food disaster for the world’s poor^{11121314

Ford Flexifuel

Ford Flexifuel cars including the Focus and C-MAX are particularly successful in Sweden. The production of biofuels there in general is an example of how it should be done. Sweden has access to a huge amount of resources available for biofuels through its forests and in particular its forestry industry. While this process involves cutting down trees, it is a process that already existed and one that the biofuel industry is taking advantage of. Waste material is gathered and refined into bio-ethanol which now accounts for 17% of energy supply in Sweden^{1516

Conclusion

Biofuel technology faces many obstacles in the years to come before it can become a strong alternative to other non-renewable means of powering cars. While problems with biofuel technology are present it should not be assumed that these are unsolvable or permanent disadvantages of the technology because as it has been demonstrated there are solutions to these problems. These can be seen particularly in Sweden’s biofuel industry which proponents of biofuel hope to emulate.

References

1. Biofuels International Sample Magazine, p20, http://www.biofuels-news.com/freepdf.html

2. Peter Kendall, ‘Biofuels will not lead to hunger’, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5406458.stm

3. At Bristol, How alcohol is made?, http://www.at-bristol.co.uk/Alcoholandyou/Facts/howisitmade.html

4. New Scientist Environment, Forget biofuels – burn oil and plant forests instead, http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12496-forget-biofuels--burn-oil-and-plant-forests-instead.html

5. New Scientist Environment, Forget biofuels – burn oil and plant forests instead, http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12496-forget-biofuels--burn-oil-and-plant-forests-instead.html

6. Peter Kendall, ‘Biofuels will not lead to hunger’, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5406458.stm

7. Driving Ethanol, Glossary, http://www.drivingethanol.org/ethanol_facts/glossary.aspx

8. Science The Guardian, Oil refinery gives greenhouses a boost with CO2 pipeline, http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/aug/12/oilandpetrol.food

9. Ford Environment Website, Bio-ethanol filling stations in the UK, http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/environment/-/green_prods/-/-/-/-

10. Robert Plummer, ‘The rise, fall and rise of Brazil’s biofuel’, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4581955.stm

11. Grant Ferrett, Biofuels ‘crime against humanity’, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7065061.stm

12. The Register, Royal Society: UK Gov needs to grow a biofuels policy, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/14/biofuel_carbon_neutral/

13. Upstream, UK government scientist slams biofuels, http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article146684.ece

14. The Register, Royal Society: UK Gov needs to grow a biofuels policy, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/14/biofuel_carbon_neutral/

15. Olle Olsson, The Swedish biofuel market – studies of Swedish foreign biofuel trade and of the consequences of hurricane Gudrun, www.svebio.se/attachments/33/377.pdf

16. Ford, Ford Flexifuel ('Flexifuel in Sweden' section), http://www.fordeumicrosites.com/flexifuel/flexifuel.asp?xml=en-gb&campaignid=FFVmicrosite_07&advertiserid=NWP&bannerid=FFV}}}}