Problem
Insufficient utilization of renewable biofuels
Other Names:
Underutilization of biomass energyUnderutilization of biogas energy
Nature:
New technologies allow efficient conversion of special crops and fast-growing trees into biogas, heat, or electricity. The system is sustainable; new crops reabsorb the carbon dioxide emitted from conversion of the previous harvest.
Incidence:
Some examples of how efficient utilization of biomass energy could improve living standards the world over include: the addition of 10% of alcohol to petrol could end the lead problem; in sunny countries if a maize farmer devoted 10% of his land to growing sunflowers or peanuts, he could run all the diesel powered machines he uses from the oil produced; Sweden currently gets 9% of her energy from converting her forest products in various ways, but she could get 50%; in the UK, which only devotes 7-8% of her land to forests, crops could be grown to convert to fuel instead of unnecessary feed.
Broader Problems:
Lack of integrated energy resource managementUnderutilization of renewable energy resources Narrower Problems:
Underutilization of fuelwood energy Related Problems:
Indoor air pollution Aggravates:
Unbridled competition for land Strategies:
Recycling agricultural wasteGenerating electricity from organic wastesReducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrationsPromoting utilization of renewable biofuels References:
Smith, K R: Biofuels, Air Pollution, and Health: a global reviewWorld Health Organization: Indoor Air Pollution from Biomass FuelPatterson, Walt; Booth, Roger and Elliot, Philip: Power from Plants: the global implications of new technologies for electricity from biomass Subject(s):
Biosciences → Biosciences Conservation → Restoration
Economics → Resource utilization
Resources → Energy
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
G: Very specific problems Date of last update
04.10.2020 – 22:48 CEST