Rethinking Biofuels Experiences from Emerging Science and Global Pilots
Navin Sharma Programme Director - Biofuels World Agroforestry Centre New Delhi
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What will be covered today?
Status of Biofuels and Future Recent Global Initiatives : CFS, SDGs & SE4All Sustainable alternate biofuel models Emerging Science Biofuels in India and how to unlock the potential Lessons from successful Biofuel enterprises Way forward for India
Involving small holder farmers 2
Where are we in Biofuels ď ś Status of Biofuels and Future
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Biofuels – Original Thinking • Excluding the land-use change, the first generation biofuels were projected to have a GHG saving between 10 and 90%. • Biofuels have been proposed to minimise the GHG reductions and a potential way to achieve 2 °C target (Mitigation) • To restrict global temperature increase to 2 °C – By 2030, biofuels to provide 9% of total transport fuel demand (126 EJ): current level 2.7% of the world's fuels for road transport (World Energy Outlook 2009; IEA 2009)
• Area under Biofuel crops - 1% of arable land, will occupy 2.5 – 3.8% by 2030 (IEA 2006) – By 2050 , 50% reduction in CO2 emissions, biofuels to provide 26% of total transport fuel (Blue map Scenario of Energy Technology Perspective, IEA 2008)
• Will need ~7.5 – 11.4% arable land? Can this be achieved with current biofuel crops without impacting climate change? 4 With LUC whether the Biofuel crops still be environmentally friendly? 375 – 750 Mha
Biofuel Production Trend
IEA 2011
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Driven by mandates and subsidies – independence in fossil fuel imports and reducing the climate foot prints Use of traditional first generation crops (food) Big Debate in EU on capping the use of food based biofuels Many countries faltering in implementing mandates and targets Need clear-cut policies and sustainable systems
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Debate : Land-use Change (LUC) & Carbon Debt
o Long carbon paybacks if forests are converted to produce biofuels with traditional first generation biofuel crops
The Gallagher Review 2008
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Water Foot Print
7 Gerbens-Leenes et al (2009) PNAS 106 : 10219-10223
LUC & Carbon Debt : Brazil 2020
Lapola D M et al. PNAS 2010;107:3388-3393
Projected Demand 8.0 Billion gallons (E20-25; B5)
Direct, indirect, and total LUC areas (A), carbon debt (B), and time to repay debt (C) for fulfilling Brazil’s biofuel (sugarcane 8 ethanol and soybean biodiesel) production targets for 2020.
Where does this leave us? o Need for rethinking on Biofuels that addresses current concerns: a system based approach rather than crop based!! o Position Biofuels for food security and livelihood improvements beyond solution for transport mix o Refresh national policies: based on solid science o Explore alternate models which avoids LUC and have positive carbon footprints / low carbon payback years o Develop active linkages with global initiatives especially from the UN o Learn from successful examples from across the globe and adopt for India o What are aviation industries doing?
Future: Link Biofuels to Food- Nutrition Security & Environment
Biofuels as renewable energy source Global Initiatives ď ś Recent Global Initiatives : CFS, SDGs & SE4All
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Energy : Linkages with Health and Hunger
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Energy : Linkages with Health and Hunger
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Goal 4 Universal clean energy: improve universal, affordable access to clean energy That minimises local pollution and health impacts and mitigates global warming
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Sustainable Energy for ALL
Ban-Ki Moon Secretary General United Nations
Jim Yong Kim President World Bank
2030 SE4All Energy Goals ● Universal Access to Modern Energy Services ● Doubling the Rate of Improvement in Energy Efficiency
● Doubling the Share of Renewable Energy in Global Energy Mix
SE4ALL High Impact Opportunities
Sustainable Bioenergy HIO • Clean Cooking Solutions • Increased Agricultural Productivity • Energy from Municipal Solid Waste • Sustainable Aviation Biofuels • Cellulosic Ethanol HIOs will coordinate High-Impact Initiatives that will facilitate bioenergy project development and deployment.
Alternate Biofuel Models : The Future Requirements
ď ś Sustainable alternate biofuel models
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What is it? To be Driven by Local Energy Provisions for Livelihoods, Use of Marginal Land Leading to National Mandates
“Biofuel technologies must become more efficient in terms of net lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and be socially and environmentally sustainable. Most first-generation biofuels, with the exception of sugarcane ethanol, will likely have a limited role in the future transport fuel mix”
Sustainable Production of SECOND -Generation Biofuels: Potential and perspectives in major economies and developing countries
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February 2010
CFS: HLPE 2013 Recommendations o Adapt to change to global market driven dynamics o Address the land and water implications o Comprehensive food energy policy
o Promote R&D o Develop methods and guidelines for coordinated food, biofuel bioenergy policies
GBEP Indicators
Future Biofuels must fulfil these criteria
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Emerging Science to Support Policy ď ś Emerging Science
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GHG Emissions are Manageable
o o o o o
Sugarcane
Malee + best practice
Australia
Australia Malee
Corn with best practice
Corn
USA
Brazil Sugarcan - Prior land use sugarcane
Miscanthus - prior land use Miscanthus + Best practices
Miscanthus - prior land use forest
-300
Prior Land Use Palm + Best Practices
-200
Prior Land use Palm
-100
Oil Palm - prior land use Forest
0
Diesel
100
Sugarcan - Prior land use forest
200
UK
300
Indonesia
400
Gasoline
GHG Emissions ( g CO2 eq MJ-1)
500
Swing Potential of biofuel Crops
Conventional Fuels
600
Oil Palm : If forests are not replaced and fronds and empty fruit bodies are recycled to soil Miscaranthus : if planted on previously cropped area instead of forest Sugarcane : if no pre harvest burning Corn : No tilling Mallee SRC : if full 4 years harvest rotation is practiced 22
Adopted from Davis et al (2013) GCB Bioenergy doi 10.1111 / gcbb. 12042
Science-Based Polices Are Needed to inform sustainable bioenergy landscape design.
o “The linkage between biodiversity and ecosystem services is dependent not only on the choice of bioenergy crop but also on its location relative to other habitats. o Careful design of bioenergy landscapes has the potential to enhance multiple services in food and energy crops, leading to important synergies that have not yet informed the ongoing bioenergy debate.�
Werling et al. (2014): PNAS
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Use of Multiple Species LIHD Prairie System Various combinations of perennial herbaceous grassland species
Carbon Debt (Years) US
Abandoned Crop Land
Prairie Biomass Ethanol
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US
Marginal Land
Prairie Biomass Ethanol
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ď ś Have insignificant carbon debt and does not need many years to repay carbon debt compared to first generation biofuel crops ranging from 0 to 1 from marginal crop land to abandoned crop land.
Tilman et al (2006) Science 314 : 1598 - 1600Fargione et al (2008) Science 319(5867): 1235 - 1238
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Use of Multiple Species Mixed cropping with perennials better than monoculture o Generate higher energy yields, GHG reductions, less agrichemical pollution per hectare than first generation biofuel crops such as sugar cane ethanol or soybean biodiesel. o Give higher bioenergy yields (238% greater than monoculture yields). o Carbon negative: Net CO2 sequestration (4.4 megagram hectare–1 year–1 of CO2 in soil and roots).
Preserves Biodiversity Tilman et al (2006) Science 314 : 1598 - 1600
Fargione et al (2008) Science 319(5867): 1235 - 1238
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Where does this lead to : India ď ś Biofuels in India and how to unlock the potential
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Biofuels in India rethinking – refresh & recharge o The Government of India approved the National Policy on Biofuels in December 2009. o 20 percent biofuel blending (both bio-diesel and bio-ethanol) by 2017
o The Planning Commission of India had set an ambitious target covering 11.2 to 13.4 million hectares of land under Jatropha cultivation (Eucalyptus alone is grown in 8 million hectares) o The biodiesel industry in India is still in infancy o Biodiesel distribution channels are virtually non-existent as most of the biofuel produced is used either by the producing companies for self-use or by certain transport companies on a trial basis Over reliance on Jatropha, low grade waste land, no forward linkages No clearcut effort to engage smallholder farmers?
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Unlocking the potential Feedstock costs represent 50-75% of the cost of producing biofuels
Focus on marginal land – but explore in farm options Value Chains not exploited Over reliance on annual crops - Often Food Crops Monoculture (LUC & iLUC) & Jatropha Availability (seasonal, quality, consistency) Agroforestry : suitable option 28
Unlocking the Potential o Agroforestry options (Bring in trees in the farm without affecting the productivity of annual crops) Potential – 25.36 million hectares o Use of marginal / underutilized land (3 million ha alone as bund) o Combine with other crops for sustainable production throughout the year, based on particular agroclimatic / ecosystem conditions o Cover the whole value chain : Landscape / System Approach • • • •
R&D Challenges Selection of Appropriate varieties (Ecosystem based) Quality planting material Short rotation crops Remunerative to small farmers 29
Agroforestry : Multiple Benefits • Less demanding in terms of inputs • Reduces erosion and improve soil properties • Animal feed and/or fertilizers as co-products • More energy per unit of land from these crop
• Brings in resilience in farming for food and nutritional security • Better micro climatic conditions for the growth of agricultural crops 30
Co-Products Enhance the Energy Value of a System
Hill et al 2006: PNAS 103: 11206-11210 31
Development of Alternate Biofuel Crops Selection of Case Studies
Biofuels for Livelihoods in the State of Karnataka
Integrated Food Energy System (Anne Bodanski, Olivier Dubois), GBEP – sustainability indicators (Maria Michela Morese)
Biofuel programme, Bioenergy, Oilseeds
Biofuels for Clean Energy in Mozambique: CleanStar Mozambique
Environment & Climate Change Division (Elwyn Grainger Jones), National Programs
Sustainable Biofuels involving small holder farmers in Brazil : EMBRAPA
Bottom-up approach, starting with the implementation of some projects that could help sustainable expansion of biofuels to new 32 areas, policy advocacy & identifying underlying cause of success.
Successful Biofuel Enterprises ď ś Lessons from successful Biofuel enterprises
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South-South Cooperation with Brazil Learn from the Brazilian experience with biodiesel: o Focus on Business development with social inclusion, environmental sustainability and promotion of regional development. • More than 100,000 smallholders. • Annual average household income increased twice. o Success due to Petrobras, Brazil's state-run energy giant, created its own biofuels division in 2008 - took over from the private firms running the government's biofuels production contracts with smallholder farmers. • farmers devote no more than 20% of their arable land to growing biofuel crops o Partner with Embrapa on the development of alternate feedstocks: • Agroforestry model on Pongamia, Jatropha, Macaúba Palm and others. • Agro-ecological zoning in process.
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Local Energy provisions Technologies on the Horizon
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Clean Star Mozambique Operational Targets for Achieving Profitability in late 2014 Farming
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Processing
2000 smallholder farmers in central Mozambique (2 ha of cultivation each)
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1000 ha of companyleased farms for R&D, multiplication, training
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Supply inputs & technical support
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Equipment for procurement & light processing
Multiple small community processing centres close to farmers
Distribution
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Main bio-processing plant off Beira Corridor in Dondo
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Major bottling plant & warehouse
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Parallel Ethanol Cooking Fuel, Diesel Fuel and Food processing lines
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80,000 cookstoves customers buying fuel from our 30 shops and 250 resellers in Maputo
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Wholesale and direct packaged food and feed sales
CleanStar is on track to achieve its goal of 2000 smallholder farmers supplying the company, and 80,000 households using its stoves by late 2014 36
Replacing Charcoal with Clean Fuel
“2 million early deaths per year from indoor air pollution� - World Health Organization 37
Aviation Biofuels: Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (ISEAS)
India : Way Forward • Agroforestry Policy : Aimed at increasing the tree cover to 33% – Recommendation 10: Promoting sustainable agroforestry for renewable energy
• Biofuels : Compulsory Activity under MNREGA • Follow Brazilian Model & set up a separate Company for Bioenergy • Feed stocks : Multiple and complimentary • R&D : Short rotation and survival rates at the farmer’s field • Foster Innovation in providing multiple avenues of clean energy • Links with global private partners – specifications for biofuels and processing technologies • Provide incentives / subsidy to be competitive to Crude
Alternative : Biofuels for local energy provisions and livelihoods 39
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.�
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