CHILE: Biofuels Head to the Forests
By Daniela Estrada*
SANTIAGO (Tierramérica) - Chile has set its sights on
producing second-generation plant-based fuels from forest biomass
within the next five years. But before that it must consider the
environmental and socioeconomic impacts of such an endeavour, warn
experts and activists.
Chile's heavy energy dependence and its continued increase in
emissions of climate-changing gases have led this South American
country to pursue renewable energy options like solar, wind,
geothermal and biomass.
Biomass - renewable organic material from plants and animals -
serves to generate electricity, for thermal energy production and
the output of liquid fuels like bioethanol or biodiesel.
A law passed in April 2008 requires that as of 2010 at least five
percent of Chile's electricity must come from non-conventional
renewable sources, including biomass. Beginning in 2015, the
proportion must increase 0.5 percent annually until reaching a full
10 percent in 2024.
Two consortiums were created in October for research and development
of lignocellulosic biofuels, that is, fuels based on woody fibres.
The goal is to "surpass the expansion limits and the grave conflicts
that the current crop-based fuels (made from foods like maize or
sugarcane) can create," said Guilherme Schuetz, coordinator of the
regional biofuels group of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO).
Germany, United States and Sweden lead the world in researching
these products in the laboratory or pilot project phase. In three to
five years, Europe could be using second-generation biofuels on an
important scale, "though some countries may be on the verge of doing
so," Schuetz told Tierramérica.
The International Energy Agency estimates that production costs of
second-generation bioethanol and biodiesel today run 80 cents to one
dollar per litre.
That would be 100 to 130 dollars per 159-litre barrel, noted Schuetz
- expensive given current petroleum prices. "However, those costs
could be cut in half by 2030 if the new generation of biofuels is
produced commercially," he said.
According to the 7th National Agricultural and Forestry Census
2006-2007, in Chile there are 15.8 million hectares used in farm
production and 15.9 million hectares of forest: 2.7 million planted
and 13.2 million of native forest.
"With the premise of reconciling agroforest production" for the
domestic and foreign market, and "maintaining sustainable farming
activity that is also sustainable over time, preserving water and
soil," producing second-generation biofuels is "a viable option" for
Chile, Iván Nazif, director of the governmental Office for Agrarian
Policy and Research, said in a Tierramérica interview.
They would be generated from farming and forest waste and from
plantations of poplar, paulownia and acacia trees or maiden grass.
Also considered important sources are the microalgae found in
northern Chile and the animal fats from livestock in the south,
noted Schuetz.
But the species of fast-growing plants would be cultivated at high
density so would quickly use up soil nutrients in addition to
requiring a great deal of water, warns Daniela Escalona, of the
non-governmental Latin American Observatory for Environmental
Conflicts, and the Action Network for Social and Environmental
Justice.
They also contain high caloric value and are the most appropriate
for energy use.
According to Nazif, "the production of second generation biofuels
necessarily should include the experience of the first generation
fuels," which is why the market has been regulated and there are
pilot experiments under way in some regions, mainly with biodiesel.
Second generation crop-based fuels "only bring good news" to a
country with a consolidated forest industry, says Aldo Cerda,
forestry expert with the Chile Foundation, a public-private
institution dedicated to innovation and development of the country's
human capital.
"We will have more demand for wood fibre, with benefits for all
owners, and more demand for management of native forests," and the
recovery of degraded areas, Cerda told Tierramérica. He believes the
industry will have "sophisticated actors" who will work with
certified plots to avoid criticism from the environmental sector.
The Chile Foundation is participating in Bioenercel, one of the two
consortiums promoted by the government, along with the country's
leading forestry companies - Masisa, CMPC and Arauco - and two
public universities.
With a five-year budget of 10 million dollars, the consortium is
developing protocols to produce "cheap and competitive" bioethanol.
However, activist Escalona expressed concern about the effects that
these fuels would have on the environment and on the peasant and
indigenous communities of Chile's forested regions.
For Schuetz, the risks "depend on the scale of production and the
availability of raw materials," which is why he sees advantages in
biodiesel made from agricultural and forestry waste.
"With respect to native forest, it is very important that
legislation only permits using lignocellulosic waste that is
obtained through forest maintenance," he stressed.
The loss of natural habitat as a result of monoculture and the
possible spread of genetically modified trees with unknown impacts
are other potential dangers to be studied, he said.
The country needs to "carefully weigh the pros and cons" of this
activity, including "the balance of carbon dioxide throughout the
cycle, the repercussions on biodiversity, the nutrient cycle of the
soils and the hydrological cycle," as well as its socioeconomic
impacts, said Schuetz.
(*This story was originally published by Latin American newspapers
that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a
specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the
United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment
Programme and the World Bank.) |
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