Biodiesel Edges Out Ethanol [View All]

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/home

July 18, 2006

Minneapolis Minnesota

Five University of Minnesota researchers have taken a stand in the long-running debate over whether ethanol from corn requires more fossil fuel energy to produce than it delivers. Their answer? It delivers 25 percent more energy than is used (mostly fossil fuel) in producing it, though much of that 25 percent energy dividend comes from the production of an ethanol byproduct, animal feed.

"New and better transportation biofuels and greatly increased energy efficiency are essential for our economy and our environment. We also need renewable electricity, including both wind energy and renewable biofuels that take the place of coal. Coal is a major source of electricity and of greenhouse gases." -- David Tilman, a coauthor of the study and Regents Professor of Ecology

But the net energy gain is much higher -- 93 percent -- from biodiesel fuel derived from soybeans. And alternative crops such as switchgrass or mixed prairie grasses, which can grow on marginal land with minimal input of fossil fuel derived fertilizers and pesticides, offer the best hope for the future, according to the researchers.

Led by Jason Hill, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and the Department of Applied Economics, the team published this first comprehensive analysis of the environmental, economic and energetic costs and benefits of ethanol and biodiesel in the pages of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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(edit: David Tilman is a highly respected world-class ecologist)