BIOENERGY FOR EUROPE: WHICH ONES FIT BEST?
BIOENERGY FOR EUROPE: WHICH ONES FIT BEST?
BIOENERGY FOR EUROPE: WHICH ONES FIT BEST?
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100 7 Annex<br />
Rape seed oil methyl ester versus fossil diesel for transportation – Austria<br />
Use of fossil fuels<br />
Greenhouse effect<br />
Acidification<br />
Eutrophication<br />
Summer smog<br />
Nitrous oxide<br />
Human toxicity<br />
How to interpret the diagram<br />
Advantages for<br />
biofuel<br />
Advantages<br />
for fossil fuel<br />
-1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000 1500<br />
Austrian inhabitant equivalents per 100 million km<br />
The figure shows the results of complete life cycle comparisons where RME is used in passenger cars<br />
instead of diesel fuel. The results are given for a distance of 100 million km being covered by passenger<br />
cars using the biofuel instead of fossil fuel. This is equivalent to the average annual mileage of about<br />
12,000 inhabitants of Austria. In this case for example the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that<br />
being saved by substituting diesel fuel by RME is equal to the amount which about 1,050 Austrian citizens<br />
would on average generate in one year (this is what is meant by "Austrian inhabitant equivalents").<br />
Conclusions<br />
It is to be assumed that the production of rape seed for energy will be competing with fallow land at the<br />
time of economic realisation. In Austria rape seed can be cultivated nearly on the entire arable land<br />
(approx. 1.4 million ha), the production of energy crops on 100,000 ha seems to be appropriate. With<br />
this area 6 PJ fossil fuel and 0.3 Mt CO2 can be saved while eutrophication and summer smog decrease<br />
to a smaller extent (2.4 kt NO3 and 0,04 kt ethylen eq.). Acidification and nitrous oxide emission will<br />
increase (1 kt SO2 and 0.5 kt N2O).<br />
Rape seed used for the production of fuel shows advantages concerning the use of fossil energy<br />
and concerning greenhouse gas emissions. In the year 2010 an area of 7 % of the arable land might<br />
suffice to cover 2.6 % of the fuel demand (238 PJ in 1999). Rape seed can contribute 3.5 % to the demanded<br />
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 9.4 million tons. The effects on eutrophication, summer<br />
smog and human toxicity are positive but minimal.<br />
Considerable disadvantages are observed in nitrous oxide-emissions and acidification. The absolute<br />
change in acidification with 951 tons seems to be rather insignificant. The burden imposed by nitrous<br />
oxide increases significantly with 504 t (5.6 % of the nitrous oxide-burden in the year 1999).<br />
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