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Sustainability & Biofuels

Join us at the Sustainability & Biofuels Workshop, hosted by Brookhaven National Laboratory on May 8, 2008. This workshop aims to address the challenges of sustainable development and explore the potential of biofuels in meeting our energy needs. Featuring keynote speaker John Nettleton from Cornell University, this event will bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions for a greener and more sustainable future.

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Sustainability & Biofuels

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  1. Sustainability & Biofuels Biodiesel Workshop Brookhaven National Laboratory May 8, 2008 John Nettleton, Cornell University jsn10@cornell.edu

  2. Sustainability & Biofuels “If you can get them asking the wrong question, you won’t have to worry about the answers..” Thomas Pynchon in Gravity’s Rainbow “Our national faith so far has been: “There’s always more” …People of intelligence and ability seem now to be genuinely embarrassed by any solution to any problem that does not involve high technology, a great expenditure of energy, or a big machine.” Wendell Berry in ‘Faustian Economics: Hell hath no limits’, Harper’s Magazine, May 2008

  3. Sunshine Limits to Growth • 2nd Law- All production is consumption • Sustainable Development (SD): minimizes resource use, attends to ‘life cycle costs, end use efficiencies, distribution, etc. • 900 m² (~.1ha) cropland/per capita food energy • Each hectare supports 5.5 people ( 180 day) • (study) pop density at 3 persons/ha • Reach ‘sunshine limit’ in 35 years

  4. Sunshine Limits to Growth • 2nd Law- All production is consumption • SD: minimizes resource use, attends to ‘life cycle costs, end use efficiency, distribution, etc. • 900 m² (~.1ha) cropland/per cap food energy • Each hectare supports 5.5 people ( 180 day) • (now) pop density at 3 persons/ha • Reach ‘sunshine limit’ in 35 years • William Rees (Rees’s piece in Ecologist, 1996), draws on base data from 1986 1986+ 35 = 2021

  5. Sustainable Development What’s in a Name? #1: “..to meet the needs of the present generation w/o compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.” (Bruntland Commission, 1987) #2: “..development without growth- w/o growth in throughput beyond environmental regenerative and absorptive capacity.” (Herman Daly, 1996)

  6. Supply & Demand • Need equal attention to increased supply balanced with reduced demand: “just the right amount” (Goldilocks) • Fuel selection questions addressed via attention to sustainable public policy and education, planning and leadership • Massive economy+widespread practice= measurable impact (The North Slope)

  7. Projected biofuel consumption (without and with Gov’t Measures on Climate Change (MTOE)

  8. From “The Big Question: Can Biofuels help prevent global warming…”Steve Connor, Independent 15 January 2008

  9. Not the Silver Bullet • Physics: to cut U.S. fleet fuel demand ~10% = planting 1/6 of all arable land (OECD, 2005, solar gain at 4w/m²) • Challenge: making it to ‘2nd gen’ crop supply + Δ demand

  10. New York Dairy Farm Prototype • Farm of 500 acres + 100 head dairy cattle: Soybean prod. = 70% of needed feed (meal) • Purchase price for feed < sale price of BD. Operation cash positive before sale of dairy products. • Producing meal, BD sale saves farmers feed costs adding 34K gals/ BD to supply

  11. ‘Carbon Negative Biofuels from LIHD Biomass’, Tilman et al, Science Vol. 314

  12. Energy in Agriculture • Most (> 90%) energy in used crop prod is oil and/or NG: energy inputs have cut labor inputs from 500 hrs./acre to ~4 hrs./acre • “If fertilizer, pesticides and partial irrigation w/drawn, corn yields drop from 13 to 3 bushels/acre” (Pimental) • LIHD perennials yield 238% more over decade (NY has 1.5 million arable acres lying fallow)

  13. Green ‘Niche Fuels’ in NY (2008-15) • Significant and measurable public health benefits with BD blends for heating fuel & school bus fleets • Benefits for bldg management groups (RGGI) • New markets for ‘cool weather’ crops/refined WVO; LIHD crops sustainable over the long-term • Water-borne transport for regional producers in response to rising freight costs • Institutional savings with onsite WVO

  14. Sustainable Biofuel Policy Tasks • NY Region - Study reg’l capacity ‘cool weather crops • Frame municipal/regional policies leading to ‘best practices (see Carter principles for biofuels) • Develop transport/refining infrastructure • National - Revisit protectionist trade barriers (Brazil) - Design/develop balanced transport policies - Integrate RGGI and carbon tax policies for biofuels - Expand research re LIHD and other feedstock methods • Global - Work with EU and learn RTFO lessons - Collaborate on international standards re sustainabilty

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