Biofuels FAQ’s by Sean O’Hanlon

We are working hard to bring renewable fuels to everyone through collaboration and technological innovation. World wide growth in demand for petroleum has outpaced the supply. The economic, environmental, and security implications of our consumption are mounting, threatening every aspect of life in America and around the world. We believe there is a better way - Biofuels.
With a growing and rapidly industrializing world economy, conservation will not be enough. We need new sources of fuels which are both renewable and better for the environment.

Despite the threats imposed on our country by ever increasing oil imports, higher prices and environmental concerns, biofuels continue to be the subject of false assumptions and unfounded concerns based on incomplete and inaccurate opinions. As a result, there is great demand for thorough and accurate information about biofuels from government, private enterprise, the media and most importantly consumers. ABC is actively working to correct the myths and distortions surrounding the development of biofuels by producing publications and other educational information. To request more information on any of the points listed below, or if you have an idea for a new publication, please contact us at the American Biofuels Council.

There have been serious questions raised about the impacts of biofuels. These questions are perfectly reasonable and therefore should be addressed in a responsible and thoughtful manner by making direct comparisons to the petroleum they are meant to replace.

Myth: We are causing starvation by using food based crops to produce biofuels.

Fact: The price of food is increasingly tied to the cost of oil; not biofuels. The rising price of commodities, ranging from oil and steel to corn and wheat, are in many ways a reflection of the growth in the global economy.

The rise of China, India, and Latin America means they are now taking a greater bite of the world’s soybean and grain exports. As the standard of living rises in these regions, more people can afford to purchase meat. That means increased amounts of grains are needed to feed chickens, hogs, cattle and other livestock.

Myth: Producing biofuels will cause there to be a lack of clean drinking water for people.

Fact: Grey water (reclaimed from waste water treatment plants) can and should be used to irrigate crops grown for biofuels and algae.

Did you know?…

The DoE estimates that if biofuels from algae replaced all the petroleum fuel consumed in the United States, it would require only 15,000 square miles, which is a few thousand square miles larger than the state of Maryland.

This is less than 1/7th the area of corn crops planted in the United States in 2000.

Myth: It takes more energy to produce biofuels than they provide.

Fact: Biodiesel has a positive energy balance of 3.5 to 1; (and that’s just from soybeans) while ethanol from sugarcane has a positive energy balance of 8 to 1. (That’s an 800% return on investment!)

Did you know?…

There are numerous crops grown in the US that can be used for ethanol production with higher yields from lower inputs than corn. (Algae, Sweet Sorghum, Sugar Beets, Sugar Cane)

Myth: Biofuels are worse for the environment than petroleum.

Fact: Ethanol from sugarcane reduces harmful GHG emissions by 80% and using biodiesel in school buses reduces harmful emissions by as much as 76%.

Did you know?…

The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-enriched fuel with the 25% reduction of smog-forming emissions in Chicago since 1990.

According to Argonne National Laboratory, blending 15% ethanol with regular diesel fuel (ULSD), Particulate Matter emissions are reduced by up to 75% and NOx (Nitrous Oxide) emissions by up to 84%. (This does not include the benefits of blending biodiesel.)

Myth: Biofuels will never be economically competitive with petroleum without government subsidies.

Fact: First generation Ethanol from sugarcane is already competitive with oil at $45/bbl.

Did you know?…

Brazil ended all subsidies on ethanol in 2006.

Brazil had 30 years to develop their ethanol industry. We can do the same thing in much less time.

Myth: We can “Drill here, drill now, and pay less.”

Fact: We have hit peak oil. ($145/bbl proves it.)

Did you know?…

There is a 5 year back order on oil exploration rigs and equipment.

What little oil there is left to find is further offshore, in deeper water, and even deeper under the ground. That oil is not “light sweet crude” either. (That means it is dirtier and more expensive to refine.)

Two out of three of our major petroleum suppliers in this hemisphere are running out of oil. (Mexico and Venezuela) Before the end of the next decade, Mexico will no longer be exporting oil and will have to start importing it to meet their growing demand.

You can learn more by reading our Biofuels News.  Still have questions?      Please contact us at info@americanbiofuelscouncil.com anytime! We look forward to hearing from you.