The graph below displays the global trends for biofuel production from 2007-2011. This study, done by EIA, lumps together biodiesel and ethanol to examine which countries are leading in production. Though North America, mainly the United States, produce the largest quantity of biofuel daily. The second and third biggest players are Central & South America followed by Europe. Consider two specific cases: Brazil and Germany.
Brazil
Globally, Brazil produces the second largest amount of ethanol. As of 2011, they produced 392 thousand barrels of ethanol per day. The Brazilians procure ethanol from sugarcane, a contrast to the American produced ethanol derived from corn. Using sugarcane requires less land and less fossil fuel during the production process, making it a more appealing option than American ethanol on the global market, if ethanol becomes in such high demand. Domestically, Brazilian cars typically run on a mixture of approximately 20% ethanol and 80% petroleum. There is a national desire to begin producing more ethanol, as there is still a great amount of Brazilian land that remains unused. Unfortunately, the government has placed a price ceiling on the price of ethanol in an attempt to keep petroleum prices low. In 2011, Brazil cut taxes on petroleum while neglecting to do the same for ethanol.
Germany
Globally, Germany is among the world’s leaders in biodiesel production. As of 2011, they produced approximately 52 thousand barrels of biodiesel per day. Recently, the German agriculture industry has been suffering. In 2009, biodiesel accounted for 4.2% of the fuel consumed nationally. In Germany, biodiesel is commonly derived from rapeseed oil. Biodiesel is almost exclusively sold in roadside stations in Germany, sold in over 1,400 across the country. Unfortunately there has been a decline as of late.
Primary Author: Harrison Congdon
Editor: John Marshall
References:
- http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=79&pid=79&aid=1
- http://www.economist.com/node/21542431
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19413408
- http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Bioenergy/Biodiesel_production_and_marketing_in_Germany.pdf
- http://www.iisd.org/gsi/sites/default/files/bf_awc_germany.pdf