Biofuels and their environmental performance

Jan 2007

The development of biofuel pathways is closely associated with targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector.
Well-to-wheel assessments indicate that the use of automotive fuels of vegetable origin yield have definite benefits in terms of GHG emissions and fossil energy consumption compared to petroleum-based automotive fuels.
There is still controversy over the non-renewable energy (NRE) and GHG balance results of biofuel pathways and, while assessments may differ, the conclusion remains the same.
Controversy over GHG and NRE balance results is fueled by the fact that several reports have been published with different findings. The scope of the study is always the same: it aims to make a complete consumption and emissions inventory for a given biofuel pathway taking into account each step of its life cycle. For automotive fuels, this is called a “well to wheel” assessment. Because the differences between these studies can vary substantiallty they can change pathways rankings for environmental performance.
However, all the results of these studies, seen from the qualitative standpoint, seem to indicate that the use of biofuels enables a significant reduction in terms of GHG emissions and NRE consumption compared to conventional petroleum-based automotive fuels. Therefore biofuels provide definite benefits with respect to these two criteria, although it is still difficult to quantify these benefits with precision.

By: IFP (Institut français du pétrole)

 
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