Biofuel assessments

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Question: What are the factors that might compromise the acceptance and ecological sustainability of biofuel production from jatropha plant and wastes generated in fish processing industry ? Particularly, what are the effects of these activities on the environment and the society, and how do they affect the acceptance among clients and public at large? Answer: The utilization of the jatropha plant in biofuel production doesn't seem quite as promising as that of the fish waste. The same problems with direct and indirect changes in the use of landscape and the competition with food production that have come up with the cultivation of other plants used for bioenergy apply to jatropha as well. The benefit of jatropha is its ability to grow in harsher environments, but in these conditions the plants oil production decreases. Fish waste is an unavoidable adverse effect of fish farming, and thus the production of the waste doesn't cause any extra emission. Even so, the emissions and effects of fish farming can't be left unnoticed, because the utilization of the waste can also make the primary process more profitable, thus increasing the emissions and effects on the area.

⇤# : Answer summary to be updated according to checked answers below. --Mikko Pohjola 23:12, 20 June 2012 (EEST)

Scope

This page is summary page of The use of Jatropha as a source of bioenergy (in Finnish) and The use of fish farming residue as a source of bioenergy (in Finnish) assessment pages.

Question

What are the factors that might compromise the acceptance and ecological sustainability of biofuel production from jatropha plant and wastes generated in fish processing industry ? Particularly, what are the effects of these activities on the environment and the society, and how do they affect the acceptance among clients and public at large?

Boundaries

• Examine the role of Finland in global bioenergy production.
• The focus is mainly on the production of biodiesel and other liquid fuels used in motorised traffic.
• The impacts to ecology, ethics and are considered but essential health, economical etc. impacts are not ruled out.

Assessed options (scenarios)

• Present state and business as usual. Jatropha and fish waste have no role in Finnish energy production.
• Jatropha and fish waste are used to small extent in energy production.
• Jatropha and fish waste are used to a significant degree in energy production.

Intended use and users

The assessment is of an immediate importance to Neste Oil corporation and other energy production companies in guiding sensible decision making upon future directions in energy production. It is also of significance to all interested people or groups willing to enhance their knowledge regarding biofuel options.

Participants

The principal investigator in the assessments was senior researcher Jouni Tuomisto (MD, PhD) from the Institute of Health and Welfare (Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos). Neste Oil provided financial support to making of the assessments and participated in the assessment work. The open assessment group consisting of Minttu Hämäläinen, Pauli Ordén, Tiia Sorjonen, Jaakko Örmälä, Matleena Tuomisto, Johannes Kröger, Elina Hirvonen made a significant part of all the assessment work. Vilma Sandström, Teemu Rintala and Mikko Pohjola participated mostly in coordinating the assessments. In addition, 18 stakeholders were invited to participate in the assessment. This was an Open assessment, so anyone was free to participate. The assessment is now over. However, commenting of the content is still possible. You can use the commenting possibility at the end of the page.

Answer

Jatropha

An advantage of the jatropha plant over other oil producing plants is the fact that it can grow in barren soil and can produce a big harvest. Jatropha is poisonous and inedible, unlike corn and palm oil. However, jatropha has not been able to fulfill all expectations. The harvest is highly dependent on irrigation and the nutrient content of the ground. While jatropha can survive in dry barren soil, the oil production remains significantly lower than in irrigated nutritious soil. In areas where cultivable land and water for irrigation limit cultivation, jatropha may compete of land use with food production. It can also have both direct and indirect effects on the ecosystems in the area: jatropha cultivation may directly take space from ecosystems or indirectly by causing other activities to take over other still untouched areas. With dispersed and small scale jatropha cultivation logistics becomes a problem, possibly making jatropha cultivation -based businesses to turn out economically infeasible.

The jatropha plant grows in tropical areas, where its cultivation could bring additional revenues and have a positive influence on the development into the areas of its cultivation. The harvesting of jatropha is still mainly hand work requiring a lot of workforce and thereby may increase the employment in the area. Underpayment and seasonal unemployment may turn out problematic.

The oilwaste of fish production

Fish farming industry produces a significant amount of waste annually. The main focus of this assessment was specifically on fish farming. Using this waste in the production of biodiesel looks like a promising option. The waste coming from fish farming is cheap and doesn't cause any extra emissions. This assessment concentrates on South-East Asian fish farming area's waste, but doesn't eliminate other areas that could give out big enough amounts of fish waste for the commercial production of biodiesel.

When considering fish waste, its other uses must be taken into account. If heavy waste has to be delivered long distances, the transportation may produce greenhouse gases, which may exceed the benefits of using biodiesel. It is also good to examine the effects of the waste producing process on the environment and society. On the other hand it could be argued, that fish waste is produced anyway, and utilizing it doesn't change the effects of fish farming. However, using the waste may make fish farming more profitable thus increasing its amount and thus increasing also its environmental effects in the area. The environmental effects of fish farming are highly dependent on what is used to feed the fish. If they are fed caught fish, it may put pressure on local fish stock, which are threatened all around the world. Also the untreated wastewaters from the farming let out in the waters may cause eutrophication. Fish farming may increase employment in the area, but on the other hand can compete for the area's recources, such as water and land area, with local food production and other activities.

⇤# : language check needs to be made --Mikko Pohjola 23:12, 20 June 2012 (EEST)

In common

The goal of the EU and Finland is to use biofuel to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of traffic and increase the EU's energy self-reliance. In both assessments the raw materials are produced outside the EU, so they wouldn't decrease the EU's dependance on imported oil. However, the assessments do not have an opinion about where the produced biodiesel would be sold.

⇤# : language check needs to be made --Mikko Pohjola 23:12, 20 June 2012 (EEST)

Rationale

• Jatropan käyttö bioenergian lähteenä (in Finnish)
• Kalanjalostuksen öljyjäte bioenergian lähteenä (in Finnish)

⇤# : Jouni: computational model? --Mikko Pohjola 11:07, 19 June 2012 (EEST)

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Diagram of biodiesel production from jatropha. [1]

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Diagram of biodiesel production from fish waste. [2]

See also

• Urgenche - City level climate change project
• Climate change policies in Kuopio
• Energiatase/Kuopio (in Finnish)
• Tehtävälista/Jatropa (in Finnish)
• The negative effects of land use are remarkable in biodiesel production (in Finnish)
• Stataoil Innovate (Statoil's challenge to private and small companies as an example of grouped cooperation in energy production)

⇤# : are all links up to date and needed here? --Mikko Pohjola 23:12, 20 June 2012 (EEST)

Key words

Jatropha, fish waste, bioenergy, climate change, energy production

Related files

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