Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

EU policies require a report on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) effects of biofuels. Existing approaches assessing ILUC are based on land cover and/or biomass availability but The ignore changes in biofuel cropping systems at large. This is a serious omission which neglects fluctuations in fallow and double cropping. We present an alternative approach which evaluates biofuel production, land cover, cropping practices and biomass availability. Land and biomass balances, calculated for 34 countries (USA, Brazil, EU, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mozambique and South Africa), provided a link between biofuel production and biomass availability, land cover, crop yield and area harvested. Cropping intensity of arable land was evaluated by calculating the Multiple Cropping Index (MCI). MCI, defined as the ratio of harvested crop area and the sum of all arable land, is a measure of harvesting frequency of arable land. Between 2000 -2010, biofuel production in the study area increased by 86 billion litres of ethanol and 15 billion litres of biodiesel. This required 324 million tonnes of extra biomass and generated 78 million tonnes of co-products mostly used as animal feed. Consequently, over 11 of the 25 million ha harvested area is associated with food production. Increases in MCI (double cropping) allowed farmers to harvest an additional 42 million ha of crops without the need to increase the amount of arable land. This is more than sufficient to compensate for the 14 million ha of extra harvested land associated with biofuel expansion.

Biography

Email:

hans@biomassresearch.eu