The burning of sugarcane fields prior to harvest for ethanol production can create air pollution that detracts from the biofuel\u2019s overall sustainability, according to research published recently by a team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, Merced.<\/b><\/p>\n
UC Merced graduate student Chi-Chung Tsao was the lead author on the paper and was aided in the study by UC Merced professors Elliott Campbell and Yihsu Chen. The study \u2014 published online this week in the Nature Climate Change journal \u2014 focused on Brazil, the world\u2019s top producer of sugarcane ethanol and a possible source for U.S. imports of the alternative fuel.<\/p>\n
“There is a big strategic decision our country and others are making, in whether to develop a domestic biofuels industry or import relatively inexpensive biofuels from developing countries,\u201d Campbell said. “Our study shows that importing biofuels could result in human health and environmental problems in the regions where they are cultivated.\u201d Ethanol is seen as an alternative to fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gasses when used and are a major contributor to air pollution and climate change. But despite some governments encouraging farmers to reduce field burning \u2014 which is done in part to protect farmworkers by removing sharp leaves and harmful animals \u2014 more than half of sugarcane croplands in Brazil continue to be burned.<\/p>\n
A new UC Merced study shows the burning of sugarcane crops prior to harvest for ethanol production can cause significant air pollution. That leads to a reduction in air quality that can offset the benefits of ethanol over petroleum fuels that emit more greenhouse gases during their use, something Campbell said the U.S. should consider when determining whether to import inexpensive ethanol from Brazil or continuing to invest in domestic corn ethanol production. “Unlike petroleum production, the potential to produce biofuels is relatively evenly distributed across many countries, and this is a big plus from an energy security perspective,\u201d Campbell said. “However, agriculture practices in some regions result in biofuels that lead to even more intense air pollution than petroleum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Satellites are currently used to measure air pollution in Brazil, but the study shows actual pollution caused by sugarcane field burning could be four times greater than satellite estimates. The researchers believe this is due to the relatively small scale of individual fires. Other researchers involved in the study were Scott Spak and Greg Carmichael of the University of Iowa and Marcelo Mena-Carrasco of the Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello in Chile.<\/p>\n
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