OPTIMIZING SUSTAINABILITY with BIODIVERSITY RESERVES, LAND USE STRATEGIES
Minimizing Land Use Change and Biodiversity Impacts
A Highly Sustainable Biofuels Production Plan for Small and Large Producers
Outreach Effort to Small Farms to Enhance Local Farm Income & Reduce Poverty:
Promotional Opportunities in Conjunction with Offtake Agreements and Carbon Offsets:
Minimizing Land Use Change and Biodiversity Impacts
A Highly Sustainable Biofuels Production Plan for Small and Large Producers
Outreach Effort to Small Farms to Enhance Local Farm Income & Reduce Poverty:
Promotional Opportunities in Conjunction with Offtake Agreements and Carbon Offsets:
1) Minimizing Land Use Change and Biodiversity Impacts:
A key issue now affecting biofuels sustainability is the loss of biodiversity and the carbon and nitrous oxide emissions associated with formation or revitalization of farm land. An important objective of the Sustainable BioBrazil sustainability efforts is to identify one or more large sections of rainforest that can be put into a biodiversity reserve with contributions from transportation fuel producers and users. In connection with this objective, we have now found a 1 million acre piece of land that is available for putting into a biodiversity reserve. We are suggesting to a variety of partners including biofuel producers, auto companies, airline companies and petroleum producers the benefits of investing in carbon offsets to fund the saving of this jungle. We would like to coordinate this effort with appropriate agencies in the Brazilian government to insure it is consistent with your biodiversity plan.
Another important issue related to land use change is the loss of forest and schrub materials through burning of land when it is cleared. This has significant land use change negative impacts on the future carbon life cycle benefits of any biofuel production on this land. We believe it is possible to eliminate this negative land use change impact by defining a set of markets locally and internationally for wood chips that are produced from the small trees and schrubs when they are cleared. We are also planning to produce feed for ostrich from the leaves of the various trees, which will be separated prior to shredding and provided as a food supplement for ostrich. This will result in very few land use change impacts from converting land from abandoned cattle farms to biofuels production.
2) A Highly Sustainable Biofuels Production Plan for Small and Large Producers:
The project is relevant to the broader issue of sustainable biofuels production because the emphasis will be on demonstrating a strategy that can be used by both small and large producers to improve the economic returns and sustainability of production of feedstock for biofuels. This involves a combination of both full utilization of high biomass crops like sugar cane and intercropping of food products in between oil seed tree species. In the case of sugar cane, there is already very high biomass production per hectare in many regions of the country. This biomass output can be augmented through better agronomic practices and particularly through addition of bio-char to the ground from pyrolysis units (see below). Reduced sustainability impacts can be gained from eliminating burning of sugar cane fields prior to cutting through greater reliance on automated cutting machines. This then provides sugar cane leaves that can be used for paper production or as feed for ostriches. The results at a farm level can be further improved through the rotation of nitrogen fixing crops between sugar cane plantings such as soybeans. To improve biodiversity and diversify the farm output, utilization of a part of the farm for oil seed tree planting can also be valuable, particularly on the periphery of the areas preserved by law as wild forest reserve. Intercropping between trees with beans, pulse crops or other crops and full utilization of biomass by growing ostriches can further improve both the balance of income from the farm and utilize all biomass in a sustainable manner. The resulting farm will produce feedstock for 3-4 types of biofuels (alcohol, biodiesel, renewable diesel and biomass to liquid) while also providing increased supplies of meal for animals and animal production to utilize all biomass produced.
3) Outreach Effort to Small Farms to Enhance Local Farm Income & Reduce Poverty:
One of the biggest problems in Brazil with the current agricultural dynamics is that there are a lot of small producers who have no investment income for their own farm and spend all of their time working for a sugar cane or other large farm as laborers. The result is continued cycle of poverty. While providing outside employment for small farmers is important, it is equally important to optimize the value of their small farm through an independent investment effort directed at small farms. Here the interest of large carbon emitters to offset their emissions can provide an important investment mechanism for planting of oil seed trees. If the same farmers also plant various crops between the trees and use the biomass from these plants for ostrich production, they will have a substantial source of food for their own or community consumption while producing oil seeds for production of biodiesel or renewable diesel for Brazilian or export energy demands. This is important in the bigger picture of improving the sustainability of Brazilian biofuels because it shows that the country is addressing the balance between large volume monoculture farms that can meet biofuel demands and smaller integrated production efforts that produce a wide variety of products. This also allows for the production of both food and fuel with an optimum carbon and sustainability outcome. Finally, it provides a development plan for any individuals displaced from stopping of deforestation of the Amazon by their inclusion in this program.
4) Promotional Opportunities in Conjunction with Offtake Agreements and Carbon Offsets:
A final consideration is the opportunity to coordinate the announcement of any production efforts involving BTL, alcohol or biodiesel with corporate commitments from major transportation sectors to use the sustainable fuel. This can include having these entities plant trees in rural farms or preserve jungle areas in exchange for carbon credits. Sustainable BioBrazil is working with the non-profit Co2 Star on an effort to involve the major airlines, auto companies, petro-chemical companies and shippers in a program to plant trees and save forests and provide near term "carbon offsets" while providing future sustainable sources of fuel for their transportation industry.
Co2 Star recently attended the Aviation and Environment summit put on by ACEA and other international airline groups. At this meeting the main airline industry companies all committed to meet sustainability goals and have carbon neutral growth and achieve a future goal of zero carbon emissions. The organization agreed to set up an industry-wide carbon evaluation program with the aim to facilitate a future industry wide carbon trading program. Co2 Star is currently contacting both the individual airlines and the industry associations to suggest that they could offset all of their projected growth in the future (expected to be 50% growth or about 350 million tons) by taking steps now to invest in future jet fuels. The specific program will include algae production in Mexico and oil seed tree planting in Brazil as well as preservation of jungles in Brazil and Papua New Guinea as well as investment in production capacity that will provide future jet fuel.
The airline "Virgin Atlantic" has already used babacu oil to produce a renewable diesel that was used to power a jet engine in a demonstration flight in Europe. A letter is being sent to Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France, Delta and all of the major airlines globally suggesting they participate in the program above. In addition, we are suggesting they might want to participate in a meeting where the issue of sustainable jet fuel, carbon offsets and logical development of biofuels is a major topic of the meeting. Sustainable Bio-Brazil is one of the organizers of an annual conference in the Northeast that is planned in March, 2009 in Sao Luis. The major airlines will all be invited to this event. The outreach effort will not just be limited to airlines. We are planning to invite all of the major auto companies to the same event with the aim of getting them to commit to a similar initiative of "carbon offsets for future fuels" and sustainable biofuel production. One of our partner companies, Biodiesel Brasil, has been working with the major Brazilian auto companies on testing of biodiesel, including biodiesel from various tropical oil seed trees. Co2 Star has been in discussions with PSA Group, Renault, Ford and Toyota about participating in a sustainable biofuels initiative and an integrated strategy for carbon labeling. Similar contacts have been made with petroleum and petrochemical companies and others.
A key issue now affecting biofuels sustainability is the loss of biodiversity and the carbon and nitrous oxide emissions associated with formation or revitalization of farm land. An important objective of the Sustainable BioBrazil sustainability efforts is to identify one or more large sections of rainforest that can be put into a biodiversity reserve with contributions from transportation fuel producers and users. In connection with this objective, we have now found a 1 million acre piece of land that is available for putting into a biodiversity reserve. We are suggesting to a variety of partners including biofuel producers, auto companies, airline companies and petroleum producers the benefits of investing in carbon offsets to fund the saving of this jungle. We would like to coordinate this effort with appropriate agencies in the Brazilian government to insure it is consistent with your biodiversity plan.
Another important issue related to land use change is the loss of forest and schrub materials through burning of land when it is cleared. This has significant land use change negative impacts on the future carbon life cycle benefits of any biofuel production on this land. We believe it is possible to eliminate this negative land use change impact by defining a set of markets locally and internationally for wood chips that are produced from the small trees and schrubs when they are cleared. We are also planning to produce feed for ostrich from the leaves of the various trees, which will be separated prior to shredding and provided as a food supplement for ostrich. This will result in very few land use change impacts from converting land from abandoned cattle farms to biofuels production.
2) A Highly Sustainable Biofuels Production Plan for Small and Large Producers:
The project is relevant to the broader issue of sustainable biofuels production because the emphasis will be on demonstrating a strategy that can be used by both small and large producers to improve the economic returns and sustainability of production of feedstock for biofuels. This involves a combination of both full utilization of high biomass crops like sugar cane and intercropping of food products in between oil seed tree species. In the case of sugar cane, there is already very high biomass production per hectare in many regions of the country. This biomass output can be augmented through better agronomic practices and particularly through addition of bio-char to the ground from pyrolysis units (see below). Reduced sustainability impacts can be gained from eliminating burning of sugar cane fields prior to cutting through greater reliance on automated cutting machines. This then provides sugar cane leaves that can be used for paper production or as feed for ostriches. The results at a farm level can be further improved through the rotation of nitrogen fixing crops between sugar cane plantings such as soybeans. To improve biodiversity and diversify the farm output, utilization of a part of the farm for oil seed tree planting can also be valuable, particularly on the periphery of the areas preserved by law as wild forest reserve. Intercropping between trees with beans, pulse crops or other crops and full utilization of biomass by growing ostriches can further improve both the balance of income from the farm and utilize all biomass in a sustainable manner. The resulting farm will produce feedstock for 3-4 types of biofuels (alcohol, biodiesel, renewable diesel and biomass to liquid) while also providing increased supplies of meal for animals and animal production to utilize all biomass produced.
3) Outreach Effort to Small Farms to Enhance Local Farm Income & Reduce Poverty:
One of the biggest problems in Brazil with the current agricultural dynamics is that there are a lot of small producers who have no investment income for their own farm and spend all of their time working for a sugar cane or other large farm as laborers. The result is continued cycle of poverty. While providing outside employment for small farmers is important, it is equally important to optimize the value of their small farm through an independent investment effort directed at small farms. Here the interest of large carbon emitters to offset their emissions can provide an important investment mechanism for planting of oil seed trees. If the same farmers also plant various crops between the trees and use the biomass from these plants for ostrich production, they will have a substantial source of food for their own or community consumption while producing oil seeds for production of biodiesel or renewable diesel for Brazilian or export energy demands. This is important in the bigger picture of improving the sustainability of Brazilian biofuels because it shows that the country is addressing the balance between large volume monoculture farms that can meet biofuel demands and smaller integrated production efforts that produce a wide variety of products. This also allows for the production of both food and fuel with an optimum carbon and sustainability outcome. Finally, it provides a development plan for any individuals displaced from stopping of deforestation of the Amazon by their inclusion in this program.
4) Promotional Opportunities in Conjunction with Offtake Agreements and Carbon Offsets:
A final consideration is the opportunity to coordinate the announcement of any production efforts involving BTL, alcohol or biodiesel with corporate commitments from major transportation sectors to use the sustainable fuel. This can include having these entities plant trees in rural farms or preserve jungle areas in exchange for carbon credits. Sustainable BioBrazil is working with the non-profit Co2 Star on an effort to involve the major airlines, auto companies, petro-chemical companies and shippers in a program to plant trees and save forests and provide near term "carbon offsets" while providing future sustainable sources of fuel for their transportation industry.
Co2 Star recently attended the Aviation and Environment summit put on by ACEA and other international airline groups. At this meeting the main airline industry companies all committed to meet sustainability goals and have carbon neutral growth and achieve a future goal of zero carbon emissions. The organization agreed to set up an industry-wide carbon evaluation program with the aim to facilitate a future industry wide carbon trading program. Co2 Star is currently contacting both the individual airlines and the industry associations to suggest that they could offset all of their projected growth in the future (expected to be 50% growth or about 350 million tons) by taking steps now to invest in future jet fuels. The specific program will include algae production in Mexico and oil seed tree planting in Brazil as well as preservation of jungles in Brazil and Papua New Guinea as well as investment in production capacity that will provide future jet fuel.
The airline "Virgin Atlantic" has already used babacu oil to produce a renewable diesel that was used to power a jet engine in a demonstration flight in Europe. A letter is being sent to Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France, Delta and all of the major airlines globally suggesting they participate in the program above. In addition, we are suggesting they might want to participate in a meeting where the issue of sustainable jet fuel, carbon offsets and logical development of biofuels is a major topic of the meeting. Sustainable Bio-Brazil is one of the organizers of an annual conference in the Northeast that is planned in March, 2009 in Sao Luis. The major airlines will all be invited to this event. The outreach effort will not just be limited to airlines. We are planning to invite all of the major auto companies to the same event with the aim of getting them to commit to a similar initiative of "carbon offsets for future fuels" and sustainable biofuel production. One of our partner companies, Biodiesel Brasil, has been working with the major Brazilian auto companies on testing of biodiesel, including biodiesel from various tropical oil seed trees. Co2 Star has been in discussions with PSA Group, Renault, Ford and Toyota about participating in a sustainable biofuels initiative and an integrated strategy for carbon labeling. Similar contacts have been made with petroleum and petrochemical companies and others.
