MERCHANDISER
Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy
GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS increased 17% in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion litres, up from 90 billion in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the US – among others – are all factors behind the surge in production according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program for the website Vital Signs Online. The US and Brazil remain the two largest producers of
ethanol. Last year the US generated 49 billion litres, or 57% of global output, while Brazil produced 28 billion litres, or 33% of the total. “In the US, record production is attributed in part to high
oil prices, which encouraged several large fuel companies [including Sunoco, Valero, Flint Hills, and Murphy Oil] to enter the ethanol industry,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program. High oil prices were also a factor in Brazil, where every third car-owner drives a ‘flex-fuel’ vehicle that can run on either fossil or bio-based fuels. Many Brazilian drivers have switched to sugarcane ethanol because it is cheaper than gasoline. “Although the US and Brazil are the world leaders in
ethanol, the largest producer of biodiesel is the European Union, which generated 53% of all biodiesel in 2010,” said Ochs. “However, we may see some European countries switch
from biodiesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than biodiesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel.” Vital Signs authors Sam Shrank and Farhad Farahmand,
also explored how new mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and China have altered the biofuel industries in these countries. In Argentina, the biodiesel industry grew not only because of favourable conditions for growing soybeans, but also in response to a new B7 blending mandate, which requires the fuel to be 7% biodiesel. Accordingly, biodiesel producers in Argentina are investing heavily in facilities to increase production. In the US, however, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) made the decision to dramatically lower the country’s production target for cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel that is made from woody plants or crop waste and that can be converted to ethanol much more efficiently than conventional ethanol, resulting in lower associated greenhouse gas emissions. “The EPA’s target reduction reflects the technical challenges and high costs of commercializing so-called ‘second-generation’ biofuels,” said Shrank. The new Vital Signs Online report highlights both the
increases in global production of biofuels and the factors behind this growth. It presents the latest facts and figures on the major biofuels producers and outlines new laws and mandates that will affect production of these fuels.
www.worldwatch.org
7 . - 9 . 2 . 2 0 1 2 Essen /Germany
B U S I N E S S N E T W O R K
www.e-world-2012.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96