The Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) plans to partially finance two second-generation biofuel projects, approved last June by its Steering Committee. The decision worries environmental associations, while ADEME's expertise on the energy balance of first-generation biofuels has still not appeared. FNE calls for a freeze on all industrial development of biofuels, whether first or second generation, until their environmental and energy benefits have been demonstrated.
The Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) should partially finance second generation biofuel production projects (from the whole plant) GAYA and BioTFuel, validated last June by its Committee steering.
Supported by GDF SUEZ, GAYA aims to demonstrate on a pre-industrial scale the technical, economic, environmental and societal validity of the production of gaseous biofuels by thermochemical route. The project plans to build and operate a complete chain of demonstrators for 7 years. Labeled by the TENERRDIS competitiveness cluster, the dossier brings together research organizations (LGC, LSGC, RAPSODEE, UCCS), technical centers (CEA, CIRAD, CTP, FCBA), an operator in the resource sector (UCFF) and manufacturers (GDF SUEZ, Repotec).
The second project, BioTFuel, is carried out by a consortium gathered around SOFIPROTEOL, CEA, IFP, Axens, Total and a gasifying partner. Objective: to develop a process license for the thermochemical recovery of biomass of lignocellulosic origin and of fossil fillers (by adding coal), for obtaining biofuels of the biodiesel and biokerozene type. The process will take into account the entire biomass gasification chain: preparation and crushing of the biomass, roasting, gasification, gas purification train, Fisher Tropsch (FT) synthesis. The demonstrator will be carried out on a scale still far from an industrial infrastructure, but should make it possible to remove the technological obstacles in order to develop licenses for production units capable of eventually producing 200 to 000 liters of biofuel per year.
Worried environmentalists
The production of biokerozene is of particular interest to airlines, which have been singled out as one of the main sources of pollution in the transport sector. It could replace, at least partially, kerosene. Several test flights have already taken place in 2008 and 2009 to test the formula on Boeing-type aircraft with Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines and Japan Airlines. Each time, the mixtures behaved without affecting the operation of the engines.
It remains to know the objective advantages of biofuels on the environment. The expertise expected from ADEME on the energy balance of first generation agrofuels is still in demand. Postponed several times, the delivery of the results should be done in October. But environmental associations are already worried about large-scale development which would not be without consequences for agriculture. According to Jean-Claude Bévillard, responsible for agricultural issues at FNE, "you must not put the cart before the horse!". Before any industrial development of agro-fuels - which, by the way, is not “organic” - expertise on their energy, climate, environmental (water, soil, biodiversity) and health balance is essential ”. For France Nature environnement, “the primary vocation of agriculture is to nourish people healthily, not to fuel the engines of our cars! "
October 9, 2009, Patrick Cros
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