International trade in biofuels: an introduction to the special issue

Zah, Rainer; Ruddy, Thomas F.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.05.005

Cited by 34 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Stressing this point, a cautious approach should be taken to certification so as to ensure that it does not create an unclear situation for producers or raises unnecessary barriers to international biofuel trade (see Zah & Ruddy, 2009;Kaditi, 2009). Despite the drive for safety valves to ensure biofuels' sustainability, the environmental, social and economic concerns associated with biofuels production have not ceased, but instead intensified.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

European Union leadership in biofuels regulation: Europe as a normative power?

Afionis

Stringer

2012

Journal of Cleaner Production

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rapid emergence of the European Union (EU) as a leader in global environmental politics has led many scholars to argue in favour of the EU being a 'normative power' in international relations. This paper critically examines the EU's biofuels policy and evaluates whether its attempts to lead by example and shape international practice in this field could support such arguments. Europe's biofuel policies are evaluated through a sustainable development lens, so as to determine the extent to which it has embraced a holistic approach to sustainability. While not dismissing that the identity of the EU is indeed an explanatory factor and that normative intentions may well be regarded as a motivating force, this study argues that an interest-based perspective on international environmental regulation offers a supplementary view of how an actor's preferences for an international regime are shaped. By erecting barriers aimed at shielding its own inefficient domestic biofuels production the EU is in essence placing trade competitiveness and economic growth above environmental protection, thus permitting sustainability concerns to be addressed only in part.

show abstract

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Doing so is deemed a sine qua non, sincegiven the limited potential of energy crops in the industrial North -Europe will have no alternative but to heavily rely on imports if it is to reach its ambitious fuel substitution goals (Zah & Ruddy, 2009;Kaditi, 2009). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

European Union leadership in biofuels regulation: Europe as a normative power?

Afionis

Stringer

2012

Journal of Cleaner Production

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This issue has recently gained prominence at the global level in the form of the "food versus fuel" controversy, in which extensive use of agricultural land for the production of biofuels has been criticized for competing with land use needs for food production [24]. Apart from an uptake of this global debate, land use conflicts over renewables in Austria have so far mainly taken the form of resistance to hydropower plants that are seen to threaten nature preserves and recreational areas.…”

Section: Land Use Demands and Land Use Conflicts Related To Renewablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Sustainable Spatial Organization of the Energy System: Backcasting Experiences from Austria

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The transition to a sustainable energy system faces more challenges than a simple replacement of fossil energy sources by renewable ones. Since current structures do not favor sustainable energy generation and use, it is indispensable to change the existing infrastructure. A fundamental change of the energy system also requires re-organizing spatial structures and their respective institutions and governance structures. Especially in Austria, urban sprawl and unsustainable settlement structures are regarded as one of the main developments leading to increased energy demand. One of the aims within the project E-Trans 2050 was to identify socio-economic constellations that are central to the further transformation of the energy system and to focus on actors and their socio-technical framework conditions. Based on a sustainable future vision for the year 2050 a backcasting workshop was conducted to identify necessary steps for the envisaged transition to a more sustainable energy system. The results shed light on the necessary changes for a transformation towards sustainability in the specific Austrian situation. Critical issues are region-specific production of energy and its use, settlement and regional structures and values and role models, which all have a determining influence on energy demand. Combining the knowledge of extensive energy use with available energy resources in spatial planning decisions is a main challenge towards a long term sustainable energy system. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2012, 4 194

show abstract

“…Biomass based advanced cogeneration technologies for electricity generation are quite mature and commercially available [21,22] while second generation biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass has not yet become an industrial reality due to high investment and production costs [16,23]. Meanwhile, the soaring biofuels demand, especially due to renewable mandates and targets in many countries, is promoting global market formation and trade of biofuels [24]. Therefore, domestic demand, international biofuels market/trade, and the completion with electricity generation from the use of lignocellulosic biomass should be taken into account while selecting the suitable biofuel/bioenergy pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing ethanol and bioelectricity production in sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tIn sugarcane biorefineries, the lignocellulosic portion of the sugarcane biomass (i.e. bagasse and cane trash) can be used as fuel for electricity production and/or feedstock for second generation (2G) ethanol. This study presents a techno-economic analysis of upgraded sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil, aiming at utilizing surplus bagasse and cane trash for electricity and/or ethanol production. The study investigates the trade-off on sugarcane biomass use for energy production: bioelectricity versus 2G ethanol production. The BeWhere mixed integer and spatially explicit model is used for evaluating the choice of technological options. Different scenarios are developed to find the optimal utilization of sugarcane biomass. The study finds that energy prices, type of electricity substituted, biofuel support and carbon tax, investment costs, and conversion efficiencies are the major factors influencing the technological choice. At the existing market and technological conditions applied in the upgraded biorefineries, 300 PJ y À1 2G ethanol could be optimally produced and exported to the EU, which corresponds to 2.5% of total transport fuel demand in the EU. This study provides a methodological framework on how to optimize the alternative use of agricultural residues and industrial co-products for energy production in agro-industries considering biomass supply chains, the pattern of domestic energy demand, and biofuel trade.

show abstract

International trade in biofuels: an introduction to the special issue

Cited by 34 publications

References 3 publications

European Union leadership in biofuels regulation: Europe as a normative power?

European Union leadership in biofuels regulation: Europe as a normative power?

Towards a Sustainable Spatial Organization of the Energy System: Backcasting Experiences from Austria

Optimizing ethanol and bioelectricity production in sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About