Environmental Issues: Biomass

Land Use:
Significant areas of land are required for energy crops, and
some authorities question whether energy crops are in fact
net producers of energy in view of significant quantities of
fossil fuels used for machinery for transport etc.
Area of 10 000 sq km could provide around 5% of transport
requirements

Environmental Issues: Biomass continued

Use:
Energy Crops can be harvested and burnt or transformed into other fuels (e.g.
ethanol a petrol substitute, biodiesel as a diesel substitute).
There are emissions including CO2, although in sustainable use, this is neutral on the
overall CO2 balance.
Reduced SO2 but increased NOx can be expected from plant.
Other emissions can include aromatic compounds such as benzene which are
carcinogenic.
Areas of crops need to be cleared and this can have a temporary visual impact, but such
changes can lead to adverse changes in soil erosion characteristics and also soil
chemistry and biology.
Managed crops would reduce likelihood of fire damage to forests, but climate and
ground water flow may be affected.