Biofuel Options for India—Perspectives on Land Availability, Land Management and Land-Use Change
India's energy dependence on oil imports has led to energy security becoming a prime concern for policy makers and has thus warranted an exploration of alternative energy sources. Globally rising oil prices have led to greater interest in the development of bioenergy from plant based systems. This paper examines various policy options and mechanisms with respect to biofuel oilseed crops like Jatropha curcas and Pongamia pinnata, the potential of the expansion of sugarcane as a source of bioethanol and the emergence of the increased inclination towards afforestation of wastelands and associated implications and challenges. Historical land use data indicates that the agricultural area in India has stabilized over the last decades and has little opportunities of expansion. Considering India's still fast growing population, it is expected that land use conversions due to new bioenergy cropping systems are likely to intensify the already existing competition between residential/industrial land, and land required for food and energy generation. The paper reviews national and sub-national scale case studies, which are addressing a number of different topics related to bioenergy production, such as intensity of land use, crop yields, potential land demands or scenarios blending petrol with bioethanol.
Keywords: AGROFUELS; BIOENERGY; LAND-USE MODELING; SITE MODEL
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 September 2010
- The goal of the creation of a biobased economy is challenging to agriculture, forestry, academia, government and industry. The extractable resources of the Earth are finite, regardless of the quibble over when they will be depleted. The economic, political and social demands for biobased chemicals, materials and energy are expected to radically transform the materials industries, particularly the plastics industry as well as the biofuel industry. These changes will be based on the principles of sustainability, eco-efficiency, industrial ecology, and green chemistry and engineering. In keeping with the growth of knowledge in this field, there is a strong need for a forum to share original research related to biobased materials and bioenergy. The Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy (JBMB) has been created as an international peer-reviewed periodical to fulfill the need for communication in these research areas. This journal will encompass related research activities in all fields of science, engineering and the life sciences.
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