(BIAS) of Ethanol Production from Sugar Cane in Tanzania Case Study
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47 Monitoring and Assessment Bioenergy Environmental Impact Analysis (BIAS) of Ethanol Production from Sugar Cane ioenergy in Tanzania Case Study: SEKAB/Bagamoyo B Climate Change Bernd Franke, Sven Gärtner, Susanne Köppen, Guido Reinhardt – IFEU, Germany Mugassa S.T. Rubindamayugi - University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Andrew Gordon-Maclean – Consultant, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Environment Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome 2010 The conclusions given in this report are considered appropriate at the time of its preparation. They may be modified in the light of further knowledge gained at subsequent stages. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Communication Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] © FAO 2010 Environment and Natural Resources Management Series 47 iii Abstract This case study demonstrates strengths and weaknesses of the Bioenergy Environmental Impact Analysis framework (BIAS) in its draft form of 2009. The evaluation was conducted on the 21 000 ha bioethanol project of SEKAB near Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The study shows that the BIAS framework is a useful tool in guiding the analysis of biofuel projects. It also underlines evidence that substantial site-specific data are required to sufficiently evaluate impact on all environmental areas: biodiversity, water, soil and greenhouse gases (GHG), especially soil carbon. Specific indicator values for thresholds are missing, but may be of limited usefulness in specific cases, due to necessary adaptation to local conditions. Biodiversity Module The BIAS module for Assessment of biodiversity impacts requires thorough analysis of information which may or may not be available in sufficient detail. There need to be ways to credit and evaluate mitigation strategies that are implemented by project developers. Water Module The BIAS framework provides suitable methodologies to address the impact on water availability. However, better accounting of the needs of existing and future competing users is essential for meaningful strategic planning. Also the year-to-year fluctuations of water availability need to be addressed with detailed site-specific data. Soil Module Clear guidance for the evaluation of impacts on soil is given for: erosion risk, compaction risk, nutrient loss risk and carbon loss risk, with carbon stock evaluation in existing soil and future scenarios being the most prominent issue. Guidance to determine the reliability of the carbon stock value in existing soils and its change after conversion is not clear enough. Greenhouse Gas Module Comprehensive guidance for evaluating GHG balances for biofuels indicates options for different methodologies, for which calculations can be adapted to the needs of the respective users. Both substitution and allocation methods should be used. In this particular case study the most intensive and expensive data need is local carbon stock (above and especially below ground), for which the determination and use are not clearly enough indicated, particularly in relation to land use change (direct and indirect). General project recommendations As a lesson learned from this report, thorough site-specific assessments of the natural resources are suggested before concessions are made for large-scale plantations. Bioenergy Environmental Impact Analysis (BIAS) of Ethanol Production from Sugar Cane in Tanzania Case Study: SEKAB/Bagamoyo by: Bernd Franke, Sven Gärtner, Susanne Köppen, Guido Reinhardt – IFEU Heidelberg, Germany Mugassa S.T. Rubindamayugi - University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Andrew Gordon-Maclean – Consultant, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 103 pages, 38 figures, 32 tables FAO Environmental and Natural Resources Service Series, No. 47 – FAO, Rome, 2010 Keywords: Environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, evaluation and assessment methodology and tools, bioenergy, bioethanol, sustainability, biodiversity, greenhouse gas (GHG), water and soil quality, quantity and availability, land use change, models, databases, sugar cane, Tanzania This series replaces the following: Environment and Energy Series, Remote Sensing Centre Series, Agrometeorology Working Papers A list of documents published in this FAO series and other information can be found at the Web site: www.fao.org/nr Environment and Natural Resources Management Series 47 iv Acknowledgements The authors appreciate the confidence expressed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome by contracting IFEU to conduct this study. We particularly express our thanks to Rainer Krell (FAO Rome) and Rommert Schramm (FAO Dar es Salaam) for their support and helpful discussions. A number of experts have contributed to the success of this study. We would especially like to express our gratitude to all who have actively supported the study by participating in technical discussions as well as submitting written and oral comments. Special thanks go to our co-authors, Dr. Mugassa Rubindamayugi and Andrew Gordon- Maclean, who both provided extremely valuable insights and input from the Tanzanian perspective. Heidelberg, Germany, 2010 Bernd Franke Sven O. Gärtner Susanne Köppen Guido Reinhardt ifeu - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg Wilckensstr. 3, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany Tel.: +49-(0)6221-4767-0, Fax: -19 E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.ifeu.de Environment and Natural Resources Management Series 47 v Table of Contents 1 Goal and scope 1 2 The BIAS Analytical Framework 1 3 The SEKAB Bioethanol project in Bagamoyo 3 3.1 Tanzanian bioenergy strategy elements 3 3.2 The SEKAB project 3 4 Biodiversity impacts 6 4.1 Vegetation 6 4.2 Wildlife 11 4.3 Mitigation strategies to reduce the impact on wildlife 13 5 Agricultural water use 15 5.1 Impact on water availability 15 5.2 Impact of sugar cane cultivation on water quality 18 5.3 Mitigation strategies impact of sugar cane cultivation on water pollution 18 5.4 Impact of sugar cane processing and ethanol production on water quality 19 5.5 Mitigation measures to control impact of ethanol production processes 20 5.6 Other activities likely to impact water quality 20 6 Impact on soil 21 6.1 Information on soil conditions and properties 21 6.2 Feedstock farming practices likely to impact the environment 23 6.3 Impacts of sugar cane production or farming practices on the soil quality 24 6.4 Good farming practices for soil carbon management and to minimize soil erosion 25 6.5 Environmental impact on soil of the processing of sugar cane feedstock 26 6.6 Conclusions 26 7 Greenhouse gas balance 27 7.1 Introduction 27 7.2 Methodology 28 7.2.1 Methodological details 28 7.2.2 General specifications for this study 30 7.2.3 Data sources and quality 30 7.3 Existing carbon stock 31 7.3.1 Estimate based on SEKAB field data 31 7.3.2 Estimate of carbon in biomass using global carbon map data 31 7.4 Land use change 34 7.5 Compliance with EU-RES Directive criteria using default values for GHG savings 35 7.6 Description of life cycle scenarios 36 Environment and Natural Resources Management Series 47 vi 7.6.1 The SEKAB Bioethanol production system 36 7.6.2 Allocation 36 7.6.3 Substitution 37 7.6.4 Land use change 38 7.7 Results 39 7.7.1 Allocation 39 7.7.2 Substitution 41 7.7.3 Variation of subsequent land use 43 7.7.4 Variation of carbon stock in existing biomass 44 7.8 Conclusions 45 8 Applying the BIAS framework to other bioenergy projects in Tanzania 46 9 Conclusions and recommendations 47 9.1 SEKAB specific conclusions and recommendations 47 9.2 General recommendations for Tanzania 49 9.3 Lessons learnt with respect to the BIAS framework 49 10 References 51 11 Glossary 55 Appendix Biofuel companies in Tanzania 56 Environment and Natural Resources Management Series 47 1 1 Goal and scope The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) commissioned the ifeu-Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, Germany, to conduct a case study to determine the workability of the Bioenergy Environmental Impact Analysis framework (BIAS) in its draft form (BIAS 2009) and to identify potentials for improvements. The bioethanol project of SEKAB near Bagamoyo, Tanzania was agreed with FAO as a suitable case study. 2 The BIAS Analytical Framework The potential role of biomass within sustainable national energy systems is under discussion globally, and liquid biofuels for transport have received primary attention in the debate. In general, the overall environmental impacts of bioenergy are considered smaller than those of conventional (fossil and nuclear) energy systems, as renewable biomass is CO2-neutral when burnt, the resource base can be maintained if harvested biomass is re-grown, and residues easily decompose or can be recycled. Still, land use is an important issue for biomass supply from energy crops, and land-use change can cause severe environmental impacts, e.g.