environmental impacts of biofuels impacts on: -water -soil -wildlife -climate genetically modified...
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Environmental impacts of biofuelsImpacts on:
-water-soil
-wildlife -climate
genetically modified rapeseed
global perspectivesustainability
Impact on water
About 860l of water are needed to produce1l of ethanol.The water is used for:•The irrigation of the crops•The production in refineries boiling and cooling
The ready biofuel is lightly dangerous forthe water, but less than fossil fuels
Soil• Through the monocultures the soil is
exploited
• Much more fertilizer is neededbad for the environment
• „BIO- fuel“ if the fuel is really „BIO“ the production should also be „bio“
Tropicalrainforest
A palm-oil plant
Wildlife & biodiversity
• But arent palmoil-plants a kind of forests?NO• The biodiversity is lost• The animals loose their living space
•Tropical- and rainforests are burned inorder to create fertile farming land
Biofuels aim to be carbon neutral/negative.But: Calculating of amount of producedgreenhouse gasses is difficult.
Most of the LCA studies show that biofuelscan save 60-80% carbon emissionas opposed to fossil fuels.
Impact on climate
But these studies do not take into accountnitrogen fixation, deforestation, land use orany indirect emissions.
•nitrogen fertilizers are used high nitrous oxide emissions•Which is 296 times more harmful than CO2 •Original vegetation is removed
Advantages:•resistant against herbicides
Disadvantages:•cross pollinating process•EU does not allow genetically modified rapeseed in food
Genetically modified rapeseed
Global perspective
800 mio.People are starving world wide
3.6 bilion people are living below the poverty level
The grain needed for one tankful can feed a humanbeing for about one year
But we want to feed our cars with grain!
Food vs. Fuel
Food vs. Fuel Why are people starting to grow „fuel“ instead of
„food“? the EU is supporting farmers of fuel plantsCompanies see this as a opportunity for big profitsThey buy for little money the field of local farmersthey create industrial MONOCULTURES• Leads to :increasing foodprices• cheap labour (nearly slavery) reintegration (bloddy conflicts)• it‘s produced in 3rd world countries where
especially food would be needed
•Made of waste biomass•Growing only on degraded or abandoned agricultural lands•No using of fertilizers
Sustainable biofuel production