Biomass feedstock includes various types of agricultural waste, livestock waste, industrial organic waste, municipal solid waste, and energy plants. All of these materials can be converted into various energy sources such as electricity, liquefied gas, solid and liquid fuels, among which biofuels are the most notable product. Many countries around the world have begun to develop the biofuel production industry, including processing industries and related sectors such as agricultural energy and forestry energy, with a common goal of securing petroleum sources.
The development of large-scale agricultural and forestry energy industries can effectively green barren land, minimize invasions, and prevent land loss. The use of a large amount of biofuels is a breakthrough in changing and protecting the environment in China. Compared to fossil fuels, biofuels produce very few pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. Due to the carbon absorption and emission of this type of oil, a natural carbon cycle is formed, resulting in carbon emissions that are consistently lower than the normal levels of other energy types.
Current Status and Development Trends
Since the early 1990s, China has begun researching and developing biofuel sources and biofuel conversion technologies, using traditional techniques to produce oil and alcohol products from food crops and oilseeds. However, these products were initially limited to the food industry and light industry.
In 2001, China implemented a decision to blend ethyl alcohol into gasoline, and the National Technical Quality Supervision Bureau issued national standards for “Alcohol Fuel Changes” and “Alcohol-blended Gasoline.” The Chinese government invested over 5 billion RMB to establish four enterprises specializing in alcohol fuel nationwide, with a total capacity exceeding 1 million tons.
From October 2004, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Henan, Anhui, Jilin, Liaoning, and some areas in Hubei, Shandong, Hebei, and Jiangsu were required to use alcohol-blended gasoline; by 2005, in these regions, all vehicles, except for military and state reserves, had to use this fuel instead of other fossil fuels.
The cost of producing biofuel from food crops is 3,000 RMB per ton, and after processing, the price of each ton of alcohol fuel exceeds 4,000 RMB.
China’s technology for growing and producing alcohol fuel is now highly developed, with annual production reaching 5,000 tons. Provinces such as Heilongjiang, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Shandong, and Liaoning have established industrial zones for growing and processing alcohol fuel from sorghum. The production cost of this fuel from sorghum is only 3,500 NTD per ton. Every 16 tons of sorghum can produce 1 ton of alcohol, and the remaining residue can extract 500 kg of biodiesel. Fuel is processed only from the stalks, while the sorghum seeds are preserved for food use. This plant is highly adaptable, resistant to drought and salt, and less prone to pests than other crops.
Sugarcane, an important sugar raw material in China, is often grown in southern provinces. Sugarcane has historically been a crop that alleviates poverty for local residents, but today, the demand for cane sugar has decreased due to the influx of synthetic sugars. Therefore, the sugarcane-growing areas in the south primarily produce alcohol, with an area of approximately 2,600 square meters capable of processing 1 ton of alcohol. Similar to sorghum, sugarcane residue can also produce biodiesel.
Economic Benefit Comparison
For instance, based on pilot experiences in Inner Mongolia, sorghum can yield an additional income of 140 RMB per mu (1 mu in China = 666.66 m2) compared to corn cultivation. Kenaf is another high-yield crop, with the lowest yield estimated at 450 kg per mu, generating 630 RMB.
Currently, the cost of biofuels is still slightly higher than that of fossil fuels, but with technological advancements, cost reductions are inevitable. For example, in Brazil, the production cost of alcohol was initially 800 USD per ton, but it has now decreased to 300 USD. Additionally, due to limited and non-renewable resources, the price of fossil fuels is expected to rise, making biofuels highly competitive.
In 2005, Anhui Province was the next to promote the use of alcohol-blended gasoline, and China’s alcohol production is expected to exceed 1 million tons annually.
Development Potential and Future of the Biofuel Industry
China’s biofuel feedstock primarily depends on cultivated land area. According to statistics, approximately 7.6 million hectares of land can be utilized for agricultural energy, which could yield about 28.5 million tons of alcohol and 14.25 million tons of biodiesel based on sorghum cultivation, without affecting agricultural land planning.
Land resources for agricultural energy are estimated at around 67.5 million hectares, which, if cultivated with plants like goldenrod and kenaf, could produce 200 million tons of biodiesel, with minimal impact on forestry land planning.
Moreover, China is also researching and developing a new type of feedstock – algae. If successful in producing bio-oil from algae, the production scale could reach tens of millions of tons. The United States has applied modern biotechnology, such as genetic research conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to create a new strain of algae with an oil content exceeding 60%, where one hectare can produce over 2 tons of biodiesel. Qingdao Ocean University in China has also taken responsibility for researching and cultivating marine algae, and they have experience developing both freshwater and saltwater algae as feedstock. If modern biotechnology can be combined with traditional cultivation techniques, high-yield oil-producing algae can be cultivated on a large scale.
Experts project that by 2010, China will produce approximately 6 million tons of biofuel, including 5 million tons of ethyl alcohol and 1 million tons of biodiesel; by 2020, biofuel production is expected to reach 19 million tons, consisting of 10 million tons of ethyl alcohol and 9 million tons of biodiesel.
Xue Nhung
