The complex path to biofuel sustainability 

Any strategy needs to be carefully examined in the context of the larger ecosystem to avoid negative consequences

• 
  
• what is biofule
• 
  
• Any hydrocarbon fuel i.e. Solid, Liquid or Gas, that is produced from an organic matter which may be living or once living material, in a short period of time is considered a biofuel.
• Examples include:
• 
  
• Solid: Wood, manure

• 
  
• Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel
• • Gaseous: Biogas
• 
  
• Biofuels can be produced from biomass, such as corn or sugar, vegetable oils or waste feedstocks.
• 
  
• As biofuels emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than conventional fuels they can be blended with existing fuels as an effective way of reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector.
• 
  
• Biofuels represent around 3% of road transport fuels in use around the world.

for a transition to EVs

existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and the supporting infrastructure need to be replaced entirely, which is capital intensive. 

Further, the required batteries and critical minerals used in them need to be imported, 

adding to environmental concerns on how these minerals are mined, among other issues. 

Biofuels, on the other hand

 can be used in existing ICE engines and infrastructure with little to no modifications (depending on the blending rates) 

and offer import independence.

However, ‘biofuel’ is a blanket term that includes both sustainable and unsustainable fuels, and an understanding of their difference will be essential to drive effective decarbonisation action.

The challenges in India

what we use ? 

In India, biofuel is synonymous with first-generation (1G) ethanol, which is primarily sourced from food crops.

achieving 20% ethanol blending 

 The policy target in India of achieving 20% ethanol blending with petrol (E20) by 2025-26 is expected to be met almost entirely by 1G ethanol made from sugar cane and foodgrains.

 but Second-generation (2G) ethanol

which is made from crop wastes and residues, is unlikely to contribute much to achieving this target due to several challenges related to feedstock supply chain and scaling up.

The groundwater missuse 

implications of growing sugar cane are well known, but the food security implications of groundwater depletion and of using foodgrains for ethanol production are harder to imagine because India is currently a surplus food producer.

 growing a crop for energy is bad idea ? 

production capicity of india 

First, India’s crop yields have already stagnated, and global warming is expected to reduce yields, 

which means that the same area under cultivation (arable land) will produce less with time but will need to suffice for a growing population. 

So, our strategy to meet blending targets cannot depend on surplus crop production.

groundwater depletion could triple during 2040-81  

Second, a recent study led by the University of Michigan projected that the rates of groundwater depletion could triple during 2040-81 compared with the current rate. 

reason - temperature rise and the resultant increase in crop water requirements. 

With such limited resources, be it groundwater or arable land, food production should be prioritised over fuel.

stop  in terms of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

Third, the agriculture sector is one of the hardest-to-abate / stop  in terms of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

 So, increasing GHG emissions from this sector for motor fuel production in order to decrease GHG emissions from the transport sector is an unnecessary balancing loop that would achieve little net benefit.

reduce surplus sugar cane cultivation 

In India, the ethanol blending policy has been a good strategy to deal with the surplus sugar production. Another good strategy to deal with the surplus sugar production would be to reduce surplus sugar cane cultivation. 

govt intervation ? 

Increasing farmer income is often waved as a white flag in response to this argument, but sugar cane being a remunerative crop has more to do with government intervention than anything else. 

This means that any unassuming crop could be made as remunerative as sugar cane if so desired.

‘Sustainable’ biofuels

are produced from crop residues and other wastes, with low water and GHG footprint. 

The Global Biofuels Alliance that was formed at the G-20 Summit in New Delhi last week is expected to strengthen the development of sustainable biofuels, in addition to promoting ethanol uptake / fast .

Sustainable biomass use

biomass should be prioritised  

The Energy Transitions Commission, in its report on ‘Bioresources within a Net-Zero Emissions Economy’,

 recommended that biomass should be prioritised for use in sectors where there are limited low-carbon alternatives.

long time to achive ? 

 Long-haul aviation and road freight segments, wherein complete electrification might take longer to achieve, could make the cut, 

whereas petrol vehicles (for which ethanol blending is currently being targeted) would probably not take much time .

to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 globally 

According to the International Energy Agency, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 globally, sustainable biofuel production needs to triple by 2030 

उत्पादन का विकेन्द्रीकरण होना चाहिए 

हालाँकि 1G इथेनॉल बिल में फिट होने की संभावना नहीं है, 2G इथेनॉल को एक टिकाऊ ईंधन के रूप में गिना जा सकता है, खासकर अगर उत्पादन विकेंद्रीकृत हो, 

यानी, फसल अवशेषों को केंद्रीय विनिर्माण संयंत्र तक बड़ी दूरी तक ले जाने की आवश्यकता नहीं है। 

लेकिन इससे 2जी संयंत्र के लिए पैमाने की अर्थव्यवस्थाएं हासिल करने पर असर पड़ सकता है।

बड़ी दूरी पर बायोमास संग्रह और परिवहन की ऊर्जा जरूरतों (और लागत) के साथ पैमाने की अर्थव्यवस्थाओं को संतुलित करना एक बड़ी चुनौती है।

 वैश्विक जैव ईंधन गठबंधन एक कुशल बायोमास आपूर्ति श्रृंखला और छोटे पैमाने पर विकेन्द्रीकृत जैव ईंधन उत्पादन इकाइयों की स्थापना में नवाचार और प्रौद्योगिकी विकास को बढ़ावा देने में मदद कर सकता है।

सच्ची स्थिरता हासिल करना जटिल है, खासकर जैव ईंधन के संबंध में। इसलिए, अनपेक्षित नकारात्मक परिणामों से बचने के लिए किसी भी रणनीति की बड़े पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र के संदर्भ में सावधानीपूर्वक जांच की जानी चाहिए।