Primer on Bioproducts - BIOCAP Canada

to conventional fossil fuel production, somecrops for bioproducts can require more landand water, take more energy and chemicalinputs to produce, collect and transport, andrequire more industrial processing steps tomake into final products.Whether or not bioproducts pose a significantthreat to food supply is a question still to beanswered. The Canadian Renewable FuelsAssociation has concluded that the maximumamount of grain (i.e., corn, wheat, barley, oats,rye) required to ensure that all gasoline used byCanadians contains 10 per cent ethanol wouldbe eight to nine million tonnes annually — wellunder the 50 million tonnes of grain Canadatypically produces. Moreover, a useful byproductof ethanol production is dried distillersgrain, which can be used as a livestock feed.The large component of animal feed fromethanol production is what is termed a “coproduct.”Thus, co-products are an importantconsideration in exploring the value of abiobased economy.Climate ChangeIndustrial bioproducts advocates, such asBioProducts Canada Inc., often point to climatechange as an important reason to encourage thedevelopment of bioenergy and a biobasedeconomy in Canada. They argue that usingbiomass as an alternative (or a complement) tofossil fuels and petrochemicals in industry willhelp reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Manybiofuels, for example, produce less CO 2than dofossil fuels when they are burned.On the other hand, industrial demand for treesand crops for use as biomass raw materialscould have a negative effect on climate change.For example, cutting old-growth forests thatstore large amounts of carbon to producebiomass crops and trees with lower carbondensities could result in a net increase in CO 2inthe atmosphere. Such valuable ecosystemsneed protection (as is happening in manycountries). Similarly, the industrial production ofbiomass could require the increased productionand use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.These could contribute to increased greenhousegas emissions and pollution.Sustainable Development andOver-consumptionThe shift to bioproducts could merely substitutebiomass and biological processes for conventionalnon-renewable raw materials and manufacturing.Bioproducts would then fit into our existingsystem of industrial production. However,according to leading environmentalists, such asDavid Suzuki, the increasing demand foreconomic growth and the associated use ofresources and energy may not be sustainable.While bioproducts and the biobased economycould still be growth-oriented, it remains amatter of debate as to whether or not theexpanding consumption of resources will surpassthe limits of the Earth’s ecological productivity.As a shift, rather than a fundamental change, inour way of life, bioproducts could serve tomask the problem of over-consumption.PRIMER ON BIOPRODUCTS49