Biofuels and biogas

Biofuels from waste do not compete with food or Nature reserves.

Biofuels are now everyday’s subject but the very fast growth of the industry, mostly from agrofuels such as ethanol, has brought along very serious concerns about their sustainability. Agrofuels, i.e. fuels produced by energy crops such as corn-grain, wheat, soya, canola or sugarcane, have been deemed partly responsible for the actual World food crisis, including a serious increase of food prices even in industrialized countries. Defenders of the ethanol have said that agrofuels being better than petrol but, even if one agrees or not on this issue is not relevant: why use agrofuels when other biofuels, made from all kinds of waste, are already available?

Energy sustainability should be based on its impact on the environment and local communities.

In a vision of sustainable development, energy sources should be supported and promoted according to their overall sustainability. As seen in the table below, energy can either have a negative, neutral or positive impact on the environment and the society. While agrofuels can have quite a negative impact on the environment and local communities, both rich and poor, biofuels from waste can actually help reduce air pollution while empowering local communities.

Energy sources according on their impact on the environment and the society

Biogas and biodiesel produced by waste have no impact on arable land and even help to reduce harm to the environment, by capturing the methane and transforming it into natural gas, thus solving two problems at the same time. Residues from biogas production plant can be used as fertilizers on culture, even organic culture. And while studies argue that agrofuels have an impact on human health, nothing has been said as much with biogas.

One of the real challenges of biogas as biofuel is that the infrastructures for production and distribution are needed. That can be seen either as a problem or, as seen with many biogas production and distribution projects in Europe, as an opportunity for communities to manage and control their energy sources while being more efficient at waste management. But public support of these energy markets has to be based on a holistic vision, since biogas production and distribution has an impact on waste management objectives, but can also help reach other health and other environmental goals, while reducing pressure on food prices and multinational farm lobbies who manufacture GMO, pesticides and such. By looking at the whole picture, biogas production and distribution can help communities to become more sustainable.

Bebop et Cie has written many reports on sustainability as related to biofuels and agrofuels. See PUBLICATIONS.

Services available:

Outstanding example of biogas as a sustainable public-private industry:

Website:
www.biogasvast.com  (in Sweden)

Using public-private partnerships in sustainable development projets between the city and the large industry: Biogas Väst, a Swedish study case

Publications : click here