From its humble beginning in the late 19th century when Henry
Ford s first car was designed to run on ethanol biofuel production
has been on the rise with more than 26 billion liters produced in
the U.S. in 2007. Ethanol made from biomass (rather than grains)
holds great promise, including numerous economic and environmental
benefits. However, the adverse interactions of energy, climate,
food, and soil quality cannot be ignored.
In eight concise chapters, Soil Quality and Biofuel Production
presents a state-of-the-knowledge review of soil properties and
processes negatively impacted by crop residue removal. It outlines
the ecological consequences of biofuels and evaluates land use in
the production of raw material for biofuel. The book then
spotlights pressing issues related to corn and cellulosic ethanol
and also soil erosion. It offers advice for achieving economic
balance in the competition for arable land between food and biofuel
along with residue harvest management techniques. A
thought-provoking discussion of the opportunities and challenges
that biofuel presents rounds out the book s coverage.
The logistics of producing biomass in a sustainable manner
remain a major challenge and will continue to be so for the
foreseeable future. Serious questions linger concerning viable
sources of biofuel feedstock, competition for resources needed to
produce biomass, and energy output/input ratios. Soil Quality and
Biofuel Production provides environmental scientists and
agricultural engineers with the knowledge they need to address
them.
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