Special Issue on Pan American Biofuel and Bioenergy Sustainability

Abstract

This editorial will introduce a set of seven articles appearing in this Special Issue on Pan American biofuel and bioenergy sustainability. We will discuss the importance of sustainability in biofuel and bioenergy development and rationale for a focus on the Pan American region. These articles are one outcome of a US National Science Foundation-funded project, and we will list the project goal, objectives, and activities. We will also provide short overviews of the articles.The implications of large-scale biofuels and bioenergy production on environmental systems and social conditions are largely unknown. Yet despite this lack of fundamental sustainability knowledge, there is sustained interest in development of biofuels and bioenergy production systems that will concomitantly lead to changes in extant human and natural systems. These changes may be beneficial or detrimental, and may involve: land ownership and management, creation of new employment opportunities, occupational safety, unforeseen transportation and logistical challenges, impacts on water availability and quality, potential competition with food production, among others.The Pan American region is of interest to study for biofuel and bioenergy sustainability because of its dominance in global biofuel production, its large biofuel production capacity because of abundant land area and favorable soils and climate, its possession of a significant fraction of the world's biodiversity, large agricultural sectors, and rich policy experience. The articles in this Special Issue are organized into two main categories: natural and social sciences; and systems analyses. et al. (2015) review the current state of knowledge and highlight gaps in research on biogeochemical processes related to biomass production. The article discusses biomass production from both agricultural and forest sites, including short rotation woody crops. It analyzes overarching biogeochemical cycling issues as well as on-site and off-site impacts. Research gaps in field experiments and modeling domains are thoroughly examined and the article concludes that researchers should engage across inter-disciplinary, inter-agency, and international lines to better ensure the long-term soil productivity across a range of scales, from site to landscape. et al. (2015) argue that large-scale bioenergy production will affect the hydrologic cycle in multiple ways from plot scale to watershed and regional scale. The article identifies key factors affecting water yield from the landscape and the potential influences that bioenergy crops could have on streams flow, water quality, and water availability for other uses. Four Pan American case studies explore energy-related water conflicts and tradeoffs. The article ends with a call for further case specific research. Natural and Social Sciences Biogeochemical Science Gollany Hydrological Science Watkins

Effects of Coproduct Uses on Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Hydrocarbon Biofuel from One- and Two-Step Pyrolysis of Poplar

“…The three different allocation methods, displacement, energy and value, were analyzed due to the different requirements from various renewable fuel standards 46 requires that biofuels achieve 50% lower lifecycle GHG emissions compared with a fossil fuel baseline to be certified, using an economic (value) allocation method. All three initiatives require energy content of the fuel to be the functional unit.…”

Short Rotation Wood Crops in Latin American: A Review on Status and Potential Uses as Biofuel

“…Although SRWCs are extensively implemented in many regions of the world [14], their use has been expanded very little in Latin America [7,[15][16][17]. However, Latin America has an extension from Mexico to the southern part of Chile, where there are diverse habitats and climates, therefore different SRWCs are going to vary in how well they perform in these environments.…”