The real score on biofuels

Educators Speak

By DR. FILEMON A. URIARTE JR. (Academician, National Academy of Science & Technology)

MANILA, Philippines — What is the real score regarding the production and use of biofuels such as bioethanol from sugar cane and biodiesel from plant or vegetable oils? Republic Act No. 9376, the Biofuels Act of 2006, was signed into law on January 12, 2007. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) were approved and signed by the Secretary of Energy on May 17, 2007. Section 2 of the IRR declares the government’s policy concerning biofuels while Section 5 states the mandatory use of biofuels in the country – a minimum of 5% to 10% bioethanol blended into gasoline fuel and 1% to 2% biodiesel blended into diesel fuel. But several questions persist: Is this sustainable? Can we produce enough bioethanol and biodiesel to supply the country’s requirements? Will this not divert limited crop lands from the production of food to the production of energy? Will this not result in higher food prices? Does the use of biofuels result in a positive energy balance, meaning, does it produce more energy than it consumes?  

There is no doubt that an enormous potential exists to produce energy from biomass. The total amount of solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface is estimated to be about 100,000 terawatts (one terawatt is equal to one trillion watts). The existing crop lands cover approximately 1.5 billion hectares of the earth’s surface. Therefore, about 4,000 terawatts of solar energy can be captured by crop lands. Even assuming that only one percent of captured solar energy can be converted into usable energy, still the existing crop lands could theoretically produce 40 terawatts of usable energy. This amount is more than 3 three times the current total global primary energy supply of 14 terawatts.  This calculation shows that there is considerable scope for the expansion of biofuels, given the fact that in 2003 this contribution was estimated at only 0.17 gigawatt (one gigawatt is equal to one billion watts) or way below one-tenth of one percent of the total energy that can potentially be derived from agricultural crops. In other words, there is tremendous potential to produce biofuels or energy from biomass.     
For the Philippines and other developing countries, there are two crucial elements for an effective energy strategy. The first element is to find energy solutions that can be deployed with only modest capital requirements. The second element is to effectively manage the competing demands for food production, environmental protection, and energy use. The Philippines, like most developing countries, has a shortage of capital and thus there is a need to develop new, less capital-intensive energy sources. And because the Philippines has a limited land area and a relatively large population, the issue of finding a proper balance between food, energy, and environment is of paramount importance.

In some areas of the country where there is still an abundant resource base to support both food and energy crops, the efficient use of biomass feedstocks for the local co-production of heat, electricity, and transportation fuel will have a significant positive impact on the rural economy. It will also enable rural populations to have access to cleaner forms of energy with the consequent improvements in the quality of life. However, in places where the production of crops for energy will significantly reduce the areas available for food production, there will be a need to search for win-win solutions such as the use of higher yielding food crops and the cultivation of new or marginal areas without adversely affecting the environment.

But the biggest challenges to a sustainable and competitive bioethanol industry in the Philippines are the relatively inefficient agricultural practices for the production of sugar cane and the antiquated product sharing system that result in high costs and poor yields. The equivalent price of cane in the Philippines is 2 to 5 times higher than in other countries such as Thailand, India, and Brazil. Similarly, the biggest challenge to a sustainable and competitive biodiesel industry in the Philippines resides not in the methyl ester manufacturing technology, which is available and competitive, but in the agricultural aspect for the production of the plant oil feedstock. In other words, the main challenges for a sustainable biofuels industry are in the agricultural sector. In addition, there are serious food-energy-environment issues related to the use of coconut oil and palm oil as feedstocks for biodiesel production. The good news, however, is that the production of bioethanol from sweet sorghum and biodiesel from jatropha may offer possible solutions although there are still agricultural production issues that will need to be addressed and surmounted. 
(To be continued)