Biodiesel is a renewable energy source made mainly from vegetable oils and animal fats that is expected to grow globally as a substitute for fossil fuels in the transport sector. The potential of biodiesel lies in the fact that it can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to conventional fuels. On the other hand, biodiesel is associated with a number of negative environmental impacts: deforestation and drainage of peatlands to make way for crop cultivation; loss of biodiversity as a result of land use change; the high water footprint of biodiesel can lead to water scarcity in regions with low water availability; and eutrophication and acidification as a result of the use of fertilisers to grow oil crops and the associated emissions of acid gases and nutrients to air and water.
Environmental impacts of biodiesel
Biodiesel is a renewable energy source made mainly from vegetable oils and animal fats that is expected to grow globally as a substitute for fossil fuels in the transport sector. The potential of biodiesel lies in the fact that it can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to conventional fuels. On the other hand, biodiesel is associated with a number of negative environmental impacts: deforestation and drainage of peatlands to make way for crop cultivation; loss of biodiversity as a result of land use change; the high water footprint of biodiesel can lead to water scarcity in regions with low water availability; and eutrophication and acidification as a result of the use of fertilisers to grow oil crops and the associated emissions of acid gases and nutrients to air and water.
- Chemicals & Waste
- Transport Emission Reduction
- Promotion of Biofuels
Yes
Environmental impacts of biodiesel
Despite Indonesia’s current position as the world’s third largest producer of biofuels, the country still faces significant deforestation challenges, ranking among the top three countries in terms of forest loss. The expansion of palm oil plantations is the main driver of this problem. While there are efforts to produce biodiesel from palm oil in Indonesia, these initiatives conflict with the underlying problems associated with palm oil production, including deforestation, land degradation, the expansion of agriculture on peatlands and the threat to biodiversity in ecologically diverse regions.
- Frustrated the efforts to address the initial problem
- Cascading (far-reaching effects following each other)
Adiatma, J. C., & Prasojo, H. (2021). Critical review on the biofuel development policy in Indonesia. IESR.
Stallard, E., & Song, W. (2021, December 8). Indonesia’s biodiesel drive is leading to deforestation. BBC News. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/59387191
Jeswani, H. K., Chilvers, A., & Azapagic, A. (2020). Environmental sustainability of biofuels: a review. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 476(2243), 20200351. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2020.0351
Živković, S., & Veljković, M. (2018). Environmental impacts the of production and use of biodiesel. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25, 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0649-z
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