Biofuels: solutions for the future?

The summer controversy surrounding Total's La Mède biorefinery has rekindled interest in biofuels. Although they are already present in our tanks, they are far from unanimous. However, their future continues to inspire many hopes. Interviewed on this blog and on social media, our readers favored second-generation solutions.

Volatile by nature, the subject of biofuels is particularly volatile for the government this summer. Despite his assurances, the anger of farmers (FNSEA/JA) and environmental NGOs (Amis de la Terre, Greenpeace France, France Nature Environnement) has not subsided. The import by Total of 300,000 tonnes of palm oil each year to produce biodiesel in the La Mède biorefinery (Bouches-du-Rhône) appears to be against the grain of history. The catastrophic environmental consequences of intensive cultivation in Southeast Asia and the European decision to eliminate palm oil from biofuels by 2030 are all factors fueling public distrust. And the Federation of Oilseed Producers insists: 71% of French people are against the use of palm oil in fuels[1].

In our tanks

Derived from agricultural crops traditionally intended for food, biodiesel and bioethanol are first-generation biofuels. Widely criticized in recent years, these biofuels compete with food production and are not without impact on the prices and availability of food raw materials throughout the world. Biodiesel is produced from rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, and palm oils. However, per ton, palm oil is €100 cheaper on average than its competitors[2]. It's no surprise that its share increased by 36% in 2017[3] in biodiesel. For bioethanol, intended for gasoline vehicles, starch must be extracted from biomass (wheat, corn, sugar cane). The resulting sugar is transformed into ethanol, through fermentation, before being mixed with gasoline. SP95 and SP98 thus contain up to 5% ethanol. SP95-E10 (containing up to 10% vegetable ethanol) is currently the most consumed gasoline in France, unlike E85 (containing between 65% and 85% ethanol), which is still very limited.

Second generation

To replace the biofuels available at the pump, manufacturers and researchers are working on new solutions. The principle is to use crops to produce both food and energy. Thus, by using the inedible parts of the plant or even agricultural waste, it is possible to produce biofuels that solve the problems of competition with food production. The development of specific crops in areas of low fertility is also one of the avenues of research currently being pursued. In France, two government-supported projects are generating a lot of hope. BioTfuel and Futurol are in the advanced development phase. Each time, it involves using crop waste (such as wheat straw or wood scraps) to produce biofuels that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (the CO2 released during their combustion is offset by the CO2 absorbed by plants during their growth). Finally, the production of biofuels from algae is also another possibility being explored.

A solution for the future?

Biofuels of today or tomorrow? A future without agrofuels? We wanted to know what our readers thought. After four weeks, 121 people finally expressed their opinion on the blog and social networks. Two lessons emerge from the results of our surveys. First, 87 voters (72%) believe that second-generation biofuels are a viable solution for our energy future. This result may appear to be a very pragmatic position with a view to a gradual disengagement from fossil fuels and the depletion of global oil reserves. The second lesson is correlated with the first. The prospect of innovative and renewable solutions seems to reduce the systematic opposition to agrofuels. However, 31 votes (25.6%) were cast in this direction, proof that a significant portion of our readers are still far from being convinced by the promises of second-generation biofuels. Finally, three readers (2.4%) are in favor of the production of agrofuels based on all types of crops. One thing remains certain: it is very difficult to know what the future of biofuels will be.

Cyrille Arnoux, web editorial manager

[1] Odoxa survey, conducted on April 12 and 13, 2018.

[2] April 2018, source: ISTA, Mielke GmbH, US Department of Agriculture, World Bank.

[3] Press release from the AGPB (wheat), the AGPM (corn), and the CGB (beet) based on an annual Customs report, sent directly to the relevant sectors, source La France Agricole, July 5, 2018.