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BIOENERGY FOR EUROPE: WHICH ONES FIT BEST?

BIOENERGY FOR EUROPE: WHICH ONES FIT BEST?

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7.1 Country specific life cycle comparisons 129<br />

ETBE versus MTBE for transportation – Germany<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 for<br />

fossil fuel<br />

-1000 -500 0 500 1000 1500<br />

German inhabitant equivalents* per 1 billion km<br />

The figure shows the results of complete life cycle comparisons where gasoline with component ETBE<br />

from sugar beet (12 vol. % = 10 % of energy content) is used in passenger cars instead of gasoline with<br />

fossil MTBE (12 vol. %). The results are given for a distance of 1 billion km being covered by passenger<br />

cars using the gasoline with the bio-component instead of fossil component. This is equivalent to<br />

the average annual mileage of about 70,000 Germans. In this case for example the amount of greenhouse<br />

gas emissions that is being saved by substituting diesel fuel by ETBE is equal to the amount<br />

which nearly 700 German citizens would on average generate in one year (this is what is meant by<br />

“German inhabitant equivalents”).<br />

Remarks and conclusions<br />

The results show that both ETBE as well as MTBE have certain ecological advantages and disadvantages.<br />

• Advantages of the biofuel: use of fossil fuels, greenhouse effect<br />

• Advantages of the fossil fuel: acidification, eutrophication<br />

• Low or no significance: summer smog<br />

The data for ozone depletion and human toxicity tend to have a high uncertainty. Therefore these categories<br />

should not be included in the final assessment. (**See Chapter 4.1.2 and for details on all impact<br />

categories 3.3 and 3.4.)<br />

A further assessment in favour of or against ETBE or MTBE cannot be carried out on a scientific<br />

basis, because for this purpose subjective value judgements regarding the individual environmental<br />

categories are required which differ from person to person.

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