Oil palm biodiesel: Brazil's main challenges

César, Aldara da Silva; Batalha, Mário Otávio; Zopelari, André Luiz Miranda Silva

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2013.08.014

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Besides the palm oil content being relatively higher than most of the other oilseed crops found in Brazil, it also presents many advantages and it is the crop that best adapts to the north and northeast regions of the country, especially in Amazonian edaphoclimatic conditions. This crop also contributes to an intense regional development based on the diversification of activities [42].…”

Section: Vegetable Oils In Biodiesel Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiesel production in Brazil: Current scenario and perspectives

Cremonez

Feroldi

Nadaleti

et al. 2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

139

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Section: Vegetable Oils In Biodiesel Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiesel production in Brazil: Current scenario and perspectives

Cremonez

Feroldi

Nadaleti

et al. 2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

139

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“…Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil were the largest consumers of palm oil in LAC, respectively. Despite the propensity toward intra-regional trade, an exception among net importing nations was Brazil, which imported nearly five times as much palm oil (1.38 MT) from outside the region-mainly Indonesia-as it did from LAC nations; this influx has been mainly to replace soybean oil in the food industry [38]. Among net exporting nations, an exception was Colombia, which exported 1.62 MMTof palm oil outside the LAC region during the study period, representing 63% of its total exports.…”

Section: Trade Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing commercial oil palm expansion in Latin America: land use change and trade

Furumo

Aide

2017

Environ. Res. Lett.

146

108

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Commodity crop expansion has increased with the globalization of production systems and consumer demand, linking distant socio-ecological systems. Oil palm plantations are expanding in the tropics to satisfy growing oilseed and biofuel markets, and much of this expansion has caused extensive deforestation, especially in Asia. In Latin America, palm oil output has doubled since 2001, and the majority of expansion seems to be occurring on non-forested lands. We used MODIS satellite imagery (250 m resolution) to map current oil palm plantations in Latin America and determined prior land use and land cover (LULC) using high-resolution images in Google Earth. In addition, we compiled trade data to determine where Latin American palm oil flows, in order to better understand the underlying drivers of expansion in the region. Based on a sample of 342 032 ha of oil palm plantations across Latin America, we found that 79% replaced previously intervened lands (e.g. pastures, croplands, bananas), primarily cattle pastures (56%). The remaining 21% came from areas that were classified as woody vegetation (e.g. forests), most notably in the Amazon and the Petén region in northern Guatemala. Latin America is a net exporter of palm oil but the majority of palm oil exports (70%) stayed within the region, with Mexico importing about half. Growth of the oil palm sector may be driven by global factors, but environmental and economic outcomes vary between regions (i.e. Asia and Latin America), within regions (i.e. Colombia and Peru), and within single countries (i.e. Guatemala), suggesting that local conditions are influential. The present trend of oil palm expanding onto previously cleared lands, guided by roundtable certifications programs, provides an opportunity for more sustainable development of the oil palm sector in Latin America.

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“…Meyfroidt et al (2014) reported that previously cleared lands are favored by developers when commodity crops require access to infrastructure. Several private sector representatives and EMBRAPA reports reinforced this finding, as they noted how infrastructure, including a limited paved road network in the study area, is currently inadequate to support rapid expansion of oil palm (Veiga et al 2005, Rocha and Castro 2012, César et al 2013. Robust transportation is especially critical for oil palm, as high-quality crude palm oil (CPO) production depends on road or river networks to reliably deliver fresh fruit bunches from plantation to mill within 24-48 hours.…”

Section: Stakeholder Interviewsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Oil palm land conversion in Pará, Brazil, from 2006–2014: evaluating the 2010 Brazilian Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program

Benami

Curran

Cochrane

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Global models of biophysical suitability for oil palm consistently rank Brazil as having the greatest potential for expansion, with estimates as high as 238 Mha of suitable lands. In 2010, Brazil launched the Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program (SPOPP) to incentivize oil palm development without deforestation on as much as 30 Mha. Here we examine oil palm expansion before and after the SPOPP's launch. In Pará, the major oil palm producing state in Brazil, we analyze the extent and change in oil palm cultivation from 2006−2014 using satellite imagery, ground-truthed verification, site-based interviews, and rural environmental (land) registration data. Between 2006−2014, oil palm area (≥9 ha) expanded >200% to ∼219 000 ha. Of the ∼148 000 ha of oil palm developed, ∼91% converted pasturelands while ∼8% replaced natural vegetation, including intact and secondary forests. Although >80% of all oil palm parcels rest <0.5 km from intact forests, direct conversion of intact forests declined from ∼4% pre-SPOPP (2006−2010) to <1% post-SPOPP (2010−2014).Despite low and declining deforestation rates associated with oil palm expansion in Pará, our results also show a low area of oil palm development overall compared with reported land suitability. To explore potential contributing factors, we conducted semi-structured interviews with researchers, company representatives, and government officials involved in the sector to characterize the perceived factors influencing oil palm development and the role of agro-ecological suitability mapping among them. Interviews indicated that: (1) individual effects of suitability mapping efforts to encourage oil palm expansion on cleared areas, i.e. without deforestation, cannot be disentangled from pre-existing public and private deforestation reduction initiatives; and, (2) socio-economic constraints, e.g. high relative production costs and limited familiarity with this crop, appear to partially explain the major discrepancy between estimated potential suitable areas with realized oil palm development.

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Oil palm biodiesel: Brazil's main challenges

Cited by 35 publications

References 21 publications

Biodiesel production in Brazil: Current scenario and perspectives

Biodiesel production in Brazil: Current scenario and perspectives

Characterizing commercial oil palm expansion in Latin America: land use change and trade

Oil palm land conversion in Pará, Brazil, from 2006–2014: evaluating the 2010 Brazilian Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program

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