ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
After accounting for the reduction of organic carbon in the soil due to the removal of corn residues normally left in the field, cellulosic ethanol fuels can emit 7% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than can gasoline, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change (2014, DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2187). A team of University of Nebraska researchers led by assistant professor Adam Liska simulated the effects of making the fuels from residues on 128 million acres. The researchers found that removing the residues would release 50 to 70 g of CO2 per megajoule of energy contained in the biofuels produced. Total emissions generated from producing biofuels, the report says, amounts to 100 g of CO2 per MJ, which is higher than federal emissions reduction requirements for biofuels and even tops the levels from gasoline. The Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group, attacked the study’s methodology. The assumption that farmers would remove 60–75% of residues is out of line with the 40–50% generally regarded as the sustainable limit, RFA says. “At a fundamental level, the farmer’s livelihood depends on sustaining or improving soil health,” RFA says. “Growers strive to ensure their most valuable asset (soil) is properly protected and managed.”
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on Twitter