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Environmental implications of higher ethanol production and use in the U.S.: A literature review. Part II – Biodiversity, land use change, GHG emissions, and sustainability

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  • Hoekman, S. Kent
  • Broch, Amber

Abstract

To address issues of energy security and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, substantial amounts of corn-derived ethanol are being used in U.S. gasoline. Currently, ethanol comprises 10% of the U.S. gasoline pool (E10), but there is interest in increasing this – possibly doubling the amount currently used. Production of corn ethanol raises several concerns with respect to environmental and ecological impacts. This paper reviews the available literature regarding impacts on biodiversity, land use change (LUC), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and overall sustainability. A companion paper addresses impacts on water, soil, and air quality. We emphasize recent information appearing since comprehensive reports on these topics were issued by the U.S. EPA and NRC/NAS in 2011.

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  • Hoekman, S. Kent & Broch, Amber, 2018. "Environmental implications of higher ethanol production and use in the U.S.: A literature review. Part II – Biodiversity, land use change, GHG emissions, and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3159-3177.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:81:y:2018:i:p2:p:3159-3177
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.052
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    2. Johansson, R. & Meyer, S. & Whistance, J. & Thompson, W. & Debnath, D., 2020. "Greenhouse gas emission reduction and cost from the United States biofuels mandate," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Tamás Mizik, 2021. "Economic Aspects and Sustainability of Ethanol Production—A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-25, September.
    4. Camille Jeandaux & Jean-Baptiste Videau & Anne Prieur-Vernat, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of District Heating Systems in Europe: Case Study and Recommendations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-32, October.
    5. Milovanoff, Alexandre & Posen, I. Daniel & Saville, Bradley A. & MacLean, Heather L., 2020. "Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas implications of mid-level ethanol blend deployment in Canada's light-duty fleet," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    6. García, Antonio & Monsalve-Serrano, Javier & Martínez-Boggio, Santiago & Rückert Roso, Vinícius & Duarte Souza Alvarenga Santos, Nathália, 2020. "Potential of bio-ethanol in different advanced combustion modes for hybrid passenger vehicles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 58-77.
    7. Linlin Dai & Zixin Zhan & Yeshuo Shu & Xiao Rong, 2022. "Land Use Change in the Cross-Boundary Regions of a Metropolitan Area: A Case Study of Tongzhou-Wuqing-Langfang," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, January.
    8. Robert Czubaszek & Agnieszka Wysocka-Czubaszek & Piotr Banaszuk, 2020. "GHG Emissions and Efficiency of Energy Generation through Anaerobic Fermentation of Wetland Biomass," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-25, December.
    9. Anna Raschke & J. Sebastian Hernandez-Suarez & A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi & Kalyanmoy Deb, 2021. "Multidimensional Aspects of Sustainable Biofuel Feedstock Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, January.
    10. Yang, Lan & Wang, Xue-Chao & Dai, Min & Chen, Bin & Qiao, Yuanbo & Deng, Huijing & Zhang, Dingfan & Zhang, Yizhe & Villas Bôas de Almeida, Cecília Maria & Chiu, Anthony S.F. & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & W, 2021. "Shifting from fossil-based economy to bio-based economy: Status quo, challenges, and prospects," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).

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    Keywords

    Ethanol; E20; Biodiversity; Land use change; GHG emissions; Sustainability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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