Conventional “bio” fuels: a catastrophic environmental and energy balance

Scientific studies deal a blow to ethanol - "Two scientific studies have just called into question the interest of the development of ethanol as an alternative biofuel to gasoline.

1 - First, an American scientific study published in Bioscience concludes that ethanol for fuel use reduces biodiversity, increases soil erosion, and consumes large amounts of water - (…)

2 - An Anglo-American study, published in Nature resources research, which estimates "that there is no energy benefit to use the biomass of plants to manufacture fuel." According to researchers at Cornell University and Berkeley, the process of making ethanol from corn requires 29% more energy than that ethanol can produce as fuel, and that of wood 57% of more. The results of biodiesel appear to be of the same order with an energy requirement to produce it 27% greater than the energy released as fuel for soybeans, and 118% for sunflower (…) ”- Environment Journal

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Econology note:

For these analyzes to be complete, it would be useful to carry out similar studies concerning petroleum and fossil fuels. That is to say, see their overall impact on their entire “production” chain and not just at the level of end use. What seems to be the case now….

These studies should take into account, for example but not only, the following points:

1) Prospecting
2) Extraction
3) Transportation of crude
4) Refining the crude
5) Transportation of finished products

Moreover, to be even more global, it would be necessary to take into account the “cost” (econologically speaking) of wars (“preventive” or not) for oil (and fossil resources in general, uranium included). These costs would logically be reflected in part 1) Prospecting.

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