Bioenergy: Conflicts And Constraints

Bioenergy: conflicts and constraints Linda Forbes Unit A4 – Jan 2007

• Hydrocarbons • Waste • Animals • Crops • Conclusions

Hydrocarbons • Ghawar – Saudi Arabia • Largest oilfield in the world • Used as swing producer • Claims it pumps up to 10.8m bpd • Recent 8% decline in output

Peak Oil – Saudi Arabia? • Peak Oil predicted to arrive in mid 1990s by M Hubbert King in 1969 • Increasing number of oil rigs on site • Has Saudi Arabian oil peaked? EIA Energy Information Administration; JODI Joint Oil Data Initiative IEA International Energy Authority

Waste

In UK 9% of municipal waste is incinerated in Energy-from-Waste plants compared to 50% in Sweden and Denmark; and approx 24% is recycled or composted.

Waste - to energy (methane) Chromosomal defects increase within three mile radius of landfill sites

Landfill tax is being increased annually

Limited source of biogas – owing site closures?

Recycling and composting of waste is being encouraged

Eligible under Renewables Obligation (previously NFFO)

Waste - to energy (electricity) Significant opposition to incineration plants of all types Wastes include dioxins and fly ash

MSW = municipal solid waste Reliant on residual wastes after recycle/ compost phase

C&I – commercial and industrial

Animals - food, biogas, fertiliser Free range v Intensive

High cost v Low cost

The ethical dilemma? What are the ethics of food production? Meat rearing can use 10x the energy required by arable farming Valuable waste products can be used as bioenergy or fertiliser Can organic meat farming be justified?

Animals - to energy, fertiliser Slurry and litter from animals converted via anaerobic digestion to power farm generator Aerobic digestion of green waste (local council collection), feathers (local poultry processor) and gypsum (by-product from power station)

Crops - food, biofuels Food v Fuel

Solid fuel v Liquid fuel Woodchips to bioethanol plant in Brazil

Crops – starches and sugars

Artichokes (wild and Jerusalem), cassava, sweet potato, sugar (cane and beet)

Crops – oils, nuts and shells

Soya beans, rapeseed, hemp, palm, shea nut butter, jatropha, citrus and olive stone pulp

Artichokes (wild and Jerusalem), cassava, sweet potato, sugar (cane and beet)

Crops – grasses and trees

Miscanthus, reed canary grass, switch grass, willow, hazel, robinia, arundo donax, sweet sorghum, eucalyptus

Conclusions  Bioenergy: conflicts and constraints  Feedstocks such as wastes, animals and crops can satisfy a number of roles  Decisions need to be made on priorities  Pricing, ethics and subsidies may be used to influence behaviour and decisions  Will we be able to meet future demands of population?