Comparison of Brazilian and U.S. Biofuel Demand: The Role of Vehicle Fleets and Prices in Meeting Policy Targets

Green ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simla Tokgoz ◽  
Prapti Bhandary
Keyword(s):  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Alternative Fuel Vehicles ◽  
Relative Prices ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Vehicle Fleet ◽  
Policy Targets

AbstractThe two largest producers of biofuels in the world, Brazil and U.S., both have various policy initiatives designed to meet a significant portion of their need for transportation fuels from biofuels. However, the structure of bio biofuel demand and vehicle fleets varies widely between these two economies, affecting the level of absorption of biofuels by the refiners and final consumers of each country. The relative prices of biofuels to conventional fuel prices (gasoline and diesel) determine consumers' demand not only for biofuels and but also for alternative fuel vehicles. The vehicle fleet structure, in turn, determines the ability of the transportation sector to absorb biofuels. Brazil, with its low costs of production, can sell ethanol at a competitive level with gasoline, which allows ethanol demand to expand and vehicle fleet to transform. U.S., on the other hand, cannot sell ethanol competitively. This limits market expansion and vehicle fleet transformation in the U.S., which, in turn, hinders its ability to achieve policy targets. With many countries taking initiatives to meet a large share of their transportation fuel needs from biofuels, the experiences of U.S. and Brazil provide valuable lessons for policy makers, where an in-depth analysis of the inter-linkages among relative prices, biofuel demand, and vehicle fleet structure prove to be crucial for successful and effective policy making.

1993 Soichiro Honda Lecture: The Challenges of Change in the Auto Industry: Why Alternative Fuels?

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Auto Industry ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Alternative Fuel Vehicles ◽  
The Past ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Difficult Transition

Development of vehicles to operate on nonpetroleum fuels began in earnest in response to the energy shocks of the 1970s. While petroleum will remain the predominant transportation fuel for a long time, petroleum supplies are finite, so it is not too soon to begin the difficult transition to new sources of energy. In the past decade, composition of the fuel utilized in the internal combustion engine has gained recognition as a major factor in the control of emissions from the tailpipe of the automobile and the rate of formation of ozone in the atmosphere. Improvements in air quality can be realized by using vechicles that operate on natural gas, propane, methanol, ethanol, or electricity, but introduction of these alternative fuel vehicles presents major technical and economic challenges to the auto industry, as well as the entire country, as long as gasoline remains plentiful and inexpensive.

scholarly journals The potential of forest-derived bioenergy to contribute to China's future energy and transportation fuel requirements

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (05) ◽  
pp. 547-552
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Sergios Karatzos ◽  
Jack Saddler
Keyword(s):  
Cellulosic Ethanol ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Marginal Land ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Energy Dependent

Increasing concerns of oil security, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainability have encouraged nations to consider the contribution that agriculture/forestry for bioenergy (and biofuels in particular) could make as alternatives to current fossil-based energy and transportation fuels. Despite China's large population and geographical size, it has only relatively recently developed into a highly industrialized and energy-dependent economy. Coal is, and will remain, China's dominant energy source. However, over the last few years with China's growing middle class, increasing growth in production and sale of cars/trucks and a growing chemical based sector, oil and its derivatives are predicted to experience the fastest fossil fuel growth. China's ability to produce so-called “first-generation” or conventional biofuels from sugar, starch or vegetable oil based plants is very restricted because of “food vs. fuel” issues. Thus, biomass-based and forest-based biofuels, in particular, can form a medium-to-long-term solution that could contribute to China's national biofuels targets. Oilseed trees have been suggested as an initial forest-based biodiesel strategy with about 13 million ha of marginal land identified for possible plantation. It is also estimated that 17 million tonnes of cellulosic ethanol per annum could be derived from forest biomass that is currently available in China.

scholarly journals Transportation and Air Quality. Perspectives and Projections in a Mediterranean Country. The Case of Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios C. Spyropoulos ◽  
Panagiotis T. Nastos ◽  
Konstantinos P. Moustris ◽  
Konstantinos J. Chalvatzis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Mediterranean Country ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Integrated Methodology ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Simple Exponential Smoothing ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Vehicle Fleet ◽  
Exponential Smoothing Technique ◽  
Of Greece

This study provides a thorough review and analysis of the evolution of the Greek vehicle fleet over the last ~30 years, which is next used for the generation of high granularity fleet projections and for the estimation of relevant environmental benefits by 2030. The integrated methodology developed takes also into account vehicle clustering and the Brown’s Double Simple Exponential Smoothing technique that together with the adoption of COPERT based emission factors allow for the estimation of the anticipated emissions in 2030. Expected 2030 emissions levels suggest a reduction across all pollutants in comparison to 2018, ranging from 3.7% for PM10 to 54.5% for NMVOC (and 46% for CO, 14% for SO2, 28% for NOX and 21% for CO2). We find that Greece is on track with national goals concerning the reduction of air pollution from the transportation sector, stressing the positive contribution of EVs and new, "greener" vehicles, and setting new challenges for the further improvement of the sector beyond the 2030 outlook.

Feasibility Analysis of Refuelling Infrastructure for Compressed Renewable Natural Gas Long-Haul Heavy-Duty Trucks in Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wahiba Yaïci ◽  
Michela Longo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Selling Price ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Heavy Duty Truck ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Harmful Emissions ◽  
Renewable Natural Gas ◽  
The Cost

Abstract With environmental concerns and limited natural resources, there is a need for cleaner sources of energy in the transportation sector. Renewable natural gas (RNG) is being considered as a potential fuel for heavy-duty applications due to its comparable usage to diesel and gasoline in vehicles. The idea of compressed RNG vehicles is being proposed especially because it will potentially significantly reduce harmful emissions into the environment. This initiative is taken in order to decrease vehicle emissions and support Canada’s commitments to the climate plans reinforcing active transportation infrastructure, in concert with new transit infrastructure, and zero emission vehicles. This study examines the feasibility of implementing a nationwide network of compressed RNG refuelling infrastructure in order to accommodate a conversion of Canada’s long-haul, heavy-duty truck fleet from diesel fuel to RNG. Two methods, Constant Traffic and Variable Traffic, along with data about compressed RNG infrastructure and vehicles, were developed and used to predict fuelling requirements for Canada’s long-haul, heavy-duty truck fleet. Then, a detailed economic analysis was conducted on various test cases to estimate how different variables impact the final selling price of RNG. This provided insight with the understanding of what factors go into pricing RNG and if it can compete against diesel in the trucking market. Results disclosed that the cost to purchase RNG is the greatest factor in the final selling price of compressed RNG. Due to the variability in RNG production however, there is no precise cost, which makes predictions difficult. However, results revealed that it is possible for compressed RNG to be competitive with diesel, with the mean compressed RNG price being 16.5% cheaper than diesel, before being taxed. Future studies should focus on the feasibility of the production of RNG and the associated costs, with emphasis on the Canadian landscape. An in-depth analysis on operational and maintenance costs for compressed RNG refuelling stations may also provide predictions that are more accurate.

scholarly journals A Simulated Annealing Heuristic For The Green Vehicle Routing Problem

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Moch Yasin ◽  
Vincent F. Yu
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Annealing ◽  
Vehicle Routing ◽  
Vehicle Routing Problem ◽  
Alternative Fuel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Routing Problem ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Alternative Fuel Vehicle ◽  
Driving Range ◽  
Vehicle Fleet

Nowadays, the encouragement of the use of green vehicle is greater than it previously has ever been. In the United States, transportation sector is responsible for 28% of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2009. Therefore, there have been many studies devoted to the green supply chain management including the green vehicle routing problem (GVRP). GVRP plays a very important role in helping organizations with alternative fuel-powered vehicle fleets overcome obstacles resulted from limited vehicle driving range in conjunction with limited fuel infrastructure. The objective of GVRP is to minimize total distance traveled by the alternative fuel vehicle fleet. This study develops a mathematical model and a simulated annealing (SA) heuristic for the GVRP. Computational results indicate that the SA heuristic is capable of obtaining good GVRP solutions within a reasonable amount of time.

scholarly journals Enhancement of Isobutanol and 3-Methyl-1-Butanol Production Yields in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae without Genetic Modification

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Azah Ramli ◽  
Roshanida A. Rahman ◽  
Rosli Md. Illias
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Fermentation Broth ◽  
Fermentation Medium ◽  
Higher Alcohols ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Future Production ◽  
Lower Vapor Pressure

Bio-based fuel produced from the renewable resources is efficiently overcome the shortcomings of fossil fuels. Several factors such as the increasing awareness on environmental problems, fossil fuel prices  and the sustainability of energy has encouraged the initiative in finding another source of transportation fuels. Higher alcohols have proved to be a better candidate to replace gasoline as vehicle fuel due to characteristics of higher energy content, low solubility in water, lower vapor pressure and higher blending ability with gasoline. Biologically, isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol are produced through the fermentation of renewable feedstock with microorganism. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known to be able to produce isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol titers naturally without heterologous pathways. However, the production of these alcohols by Saccharomyces cerevisiae is only in a small quantity, thus several efforts in enhancing the isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol yields have been conducted. In this study, the amino acids (valine and leucine) and amino acid precursor (2-ketoisovalerate) were added into the fermentation medium prior to the fermentation. The results obtained show that the supplementation of 2-ketoisovalerate and leucine individually into the fermentation broth leads to the increased in isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol titers by 3.3 folds and 1.9 folds, respectively. The combination of 2-ketoisovalerate and valine increased the isobutanol yield by 4.3 folds while the 3-methyl-1-butanol was increased by 2.5 folds when supplemented with 2-ketoisovalerate and leucine. These results portray that the isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol titers can be improved by manipulating several factors which is important for future production of higher alcohols.

Can India Meet Biofuel Policy Targets? Implications for Food and Fuel Prices

2012 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhu Khanna ◽  
Hayri Önal ◽  
Christine L. Crago ◽  
Kiyoshi Mino
Keyword(s):  
Biofuel Policy ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Policy Targets

Spatial Differences in Price Elasticityof Demand for Ethanol

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayk Khachatryan ◽  
Jia Yan ◽  
Ken Casavant
Keyword(s):  
Price Elasticity ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Household Composition ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Elasticity Of Demand ◽  
Price Elasticity Of Demand ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Price Demand

Increased public environmental awareness, concern for national energy security, and high transportation fuel prices have all served to heighten interest in alternative fuels. A fundamental issue influencing economic viability of the ethanol industry is understanding consumers’ demand responsiveness to both gasoline and ethanol price changes. In this paper we present an alternative approach to studying this problem by estimating geographically varying price elasticity of demand for E85 ethanol fuel across the study area. This is a departure from previous studies of ethanol demand, in which price elasticity of demand is spatially identical. Considering spatial heterogeneity in household composition and demand preferences, using stationary estimates to explain price-demand relationships over a large geographic area may lead to biased results and inference. Resulting price elasticity estimates for ethanol demand revealed significant geographic variation (ranging from 0.5 to 5.0), suggesting that use of spatially disaggregated data provides more detailed empirical results and, therefore, a more thorough understanding by policymakers.

scholarly journals The Utilisation of Palm Oil and Oil Palm Residues and the Related Challenges as a Sustainable Alternative in Biofuel, Bioenergy, and Transportation Sector: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3110
Author(s):  
Sivabalan Kaniapan ◽  
Suhaimi Hassan ◽  
Hamdan Ya ◽  
Kartikeyan Patma Nesan ◽  
Mohammad Azeem
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Biomass Waste ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Biomass Resources

The importance of energy demands that have increased exponentially over the past century has led to the sourcing of other ideal power solutions as the potential replacement alternative to the conventional fossil fuel. However, the utilisation of fossil fuel has created severe environmental issues. The identification of other renewable sources is beneficial to replace the energy utilisation globally. Biomass is a highly favourable sustainable alternative to renewable resources that can produce cleaner, cheaper, and readily available energy sources in the future. The palm oil industry is essentially ideal for the availability of abundant biomass resources, where the multifaceted residues are vital for energy production through the conversion of biomass waste into value-added products simultaneously. This article discusses the utilisation of palm oil and its residues in the energy and transportation sector. Assessment and evaluation on the feasibility of palm oil and its residues were made on the current valorisation methods such as thermochemical and biochemical techniques. Their potential as transportation fuels were concurrently reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on future challenges of palm oil industries that will take place globally, including the prospects from government and nongovernment organisations for the development of palm oil as a sustainable alternative replacement to fossil fuel. Hence, this review aims to provide further insight into the possibilities of palm oil and its residues towards sustainable development with reduced environmental-related issues.

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