Instant Insights: Using crops as biofuel

Description

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on using crops as biofuel.

The first chapter reviews the key issues and challenges faced when expanding sugarcane cultivation for bioenergy, primarily, competition with food crops, loss of biodiversity, water, air and soil pollution, as well as a potential increase in pest problems.

The second chapter describes current technologies and constraints of biodiesel production, including the need for a consistent supply of feedstock to ensure a sustainable biodiesel industry. The chapter also examines life cycle assessment (LCA) of canola/rapeseed biodiesel production.

The third chapter addresses the sustainability of biofuels derived from palm oil and discusses the impact of their production on our ecosystems. The chapter also reviews the economics of biofuel and the levels of governmental support needed for sustainable production.

The fourth chapter examines the potential of varying grassland types for biomass production. It details the options for use of grassland biomass, citing its suitability for combustion, pyrolysis, biorefining and for use in bioenergy applications.

The final chapter reviews best agronomic practices for increasing overall biomass output in the face of pressing environmental changes. It also utilises the LCA framework to review strategies for crop improvement, such as crop rotations.

Table of contents

Chapter 1 - Cultivating sugarcane for use in bioenergy applications: key issues: Hardev S. Sandhu, University of Florida, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Key issues and challenges in cultivating sugarcane for bioenergy applications 3 Addressing the key challenges 4 Case studies in how research can be used to improve cultivation in practice 5 Future trends in research 6 Concluding remarks 7 References

Chapter taken from: Rott, P. (ed.), Achieving sustainable cultivation of sugarcane – Volume 1: Cultivation techniques, quality and sustainability, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2017, (ISBN 978 1 78676 144 6)

Chapter 2 Production of biodiesel from oilseeds: canola/rapeseed: B. Brian He and Dev Shrestha, University of Idaho, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Current technologies and constraints of biodiesel production 3 Life cycle assessment of canola/rapeseed biodiesel 4 Future trends and conclusion 5 Where to look for further information 6 References

Chapter taken from: Saffron, C. (ed.), Achieving carbon-negative bioenergy systems from plant materials, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2020, (ISBN 978 1 78676 252 8)

Chapter 3 Use of palm oil for biofuel: Jean-Marc Roda, CIRAD and Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia; 1 Introduction 2 Trends in biofuels 3 Production of palm-based biofuels 4 Biodiesel economics 5 Imports and defiscalisation: the odd alliance 6 The geopolitics of agribusiness: competition between productions systems 7 Conclusions 8 References

Chapter taken from: Rival, A. (ed.), Achieving sustainable cultivation of oil palm – Volume 1: Introduction, breeding and cultivation techniques, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2018, (ISBN 978 1 78676 104 0)

Chapter 4 Use of grassland for bioenergy and biorefining: Ulrich Thumm, University of Hohenheim, Germany; 1 Introduction 2 Grassland biomass and biomass quality 3 Alternative uses for biomass from permanent grassland 4 Prospects for using grasslands for bioenergy 5 Conclusions 6 Where to look for further information 7 References

Chapter taken from: Athole, M. and Collins, R. (eds.), Improving grassland and pasture management in temperate agriculture, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2018, (ISBN 978 1 78676 200 9)

Chapter 5 Improvement options for agricultural crop production for food, feed and bioenergy: Benoît Gabrielle, AgroParisTech and Université Paris-Saclay, France; and Pietro Goglio, Wageningen University, The Netherlands and Cranfield University, UK; 1 Introduction: the case for improving the performance of crop production systems 2 Methodological background 3 Improvement options 4 Summary 5 Future trends in research 6 Where to look for further information 7 References

Chapter taken from: Weidema, B. P. (ed.), Assessing the environmental impact of agriculture, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2019, (ISBN 978 1 78676 228 3)