nova paper #2 on bio-based economy 2013-07 Food or non-food: Which agricultural feedstocks are best for industrial uses? Authors: Michael Carus (Dipl.-Physicist) and Lara Dammer (M.A. Pol. Sci.), nova-Institut GmbH nova papers on bio-based economy are proposals to stimulate the discussion on current WRSLFVRIWKHELREDVHGHFRQRP\E\FUHDWLQJQHZSHUFHSWLRQVEDVHGRQVFLHQWL¿FIDFWVDQG by inviting relevant stakeholders to participate in decision-making processes and debates. Contents Page 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................... 2 2 Introduction & Objectives ...................................................................................... 2 3 Biomass use in the European Union and worldwide ............................................. 2 4 Current frameworks for the industrial use of biomass ...........................................4 5 A differentiated approach to finding the most suitable biomass for industry ........ 4 6 Facts about food and non-food crops ................................................................... 5 7 Level playing field for industrial material use and bioenergy/biofuels .................... 7 8 Impacts on policy – what are we asking for? ........................................................ 8 9 Literature ................................................................................................................ 9 Download this paper and further documents at: www.bio-based.eu/policy/en V.i.S.d.P.: Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Industriestrasse 300, 50354 Huerth, Germany, E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.nova-institut.eu nova paper #2 on bio-based economy 2013-07 DQGWKDWWKHTXRWDV\VWHPIRUSURGXFLQJVXJDULQWKH(XURSHDQ8QLRQ should be revised in order to enable increased production of these Food or non-food – which feedstocks for industrial uses. $QGZHDVNIRUDOHYHOSOD\LQJ¿HOGEHWZHHQLQGXVWULDOPDWHULDOXVHV agricultural feedstocks are of biomass and biofuels/bioenergy in order to reduce market distortions best for industrial uses? in the allocation of biomass for uses other than food and feed. Authors: Michael Carus (Dipl.-Physicist) and 2 Introduction & Objectives Lara Dammer (M.A. Pol. Sci.), nova-Institut GmbH This paper aims to make a contribution to the recent discussion about food vs. non-food crops for industrial uses. We want a framework that 1 Executive Summary supports the use of feedstocks that are truly the most advantageous LQWHUPVRIVXVWDLQDELOLW\DQGUHVRXUFHHI¿FLHQF\DQGKHQFHLQWHUPV This position paper is a contribution to the recent controversial debate RIIRRGVHFXULW\7RGRWKLVZHQHHGWR¿QGRXWZKLFKUHDOO\DUHWKH about whether food crops should be used for other applications than best biomass feedstocks for industrial uses, and in this paper we will IRRGDQGIHHG,WLVEDVHGRQVFLHQWL¿FHYLGHQFHDQGDLPVWRSURYLGH SURYLGH DQVZHUV WR WKLV TXHVWLRQ EDVHG RQ VFLHQWL¿F HYLGHQFH DQG a more realistic and appropriate view of the use of food-crops in bio- detailed logical arguments. based industries, taking a step back from the often very emotional 7KHWRSLFLVFRPSOH[DQGFRQWURYHUVLDO8QIRUWXQDWHO\SXEOLFGHEDWH discussion. RIWHQVHWWOHVIRUWRRPDQ\VLPSOL¿HGDQGSROHPLFDODQVZHUVVXFKDV Our position is that all kinds of biomass should be accepted for “using food crops is bad per se”. This paper will look into the manifold industrial uses; the choice should be dependent on how sustainably DVSHFWVWKDWLQÀXHQFHELRPDVVXVDJHDQGLWVLPSDFWRQIRRGVHFXULW\ DQGHI¿FLHQWO\WKHVHELRPDVVUHVRXUFHVFDQEHSURGXFHG &RQVHTXHQWO\WKHSDSHUDQDO\VHVWKHODWHVWGDWDIRUELRPDVVXVHDQG 2IFRXUVHZLWKDJURZLQJZRUOGSRSXODWLRQWKH¿UVWSULRULW\RI ELRPDVVDYDLODELOLW\XQGHUWKHFXUUHQWIUDPHZRUNVJLYHVGH¿QLWLRQVIRU biomass allocation is food security. The public debate mostly focuses crops, and estimates the huge potential for biomass use (see Sections on the obvious direct competition for food crops between different uses: DQG 2QWKHEDVLVRIWKHVH¿QGLQJVZHGH¿QHRXUSRVLWLRQRQ food, feed, industrial materials and energy. However, we argue that the use of biomass for industry (see Chapter 5) and derive policy the crucial issue is land availability, since the cultivation of non-food recommendations. crops on arable land would reduce the potential availability of food just as much or even more, as will be discussed below. :HWKHUHIRUHVXJJHVWDGLIIHUHQWLDWHGDSSURDFKWR¿QGLQJWKHPRVW 3 Biomass use in the European Union and suitable biomass for industrial uses. worldwide ,QD¿UVWVWHSZHPXVWDGGUHVVWKHLVVXHRIZKHWKHUWKHXVHRI ELRPDVVIRUSXUSRVHVRWKHUWKDQIRRGFDQEHMXVWL¿HGDWDOO7KLVPHDQV With an increasing world population, ensuring food security is the taking the availability of arable land into account. Several studies show ¿UVWSULRULW\RIELRPDVVXVDJH$WWKHHQGRIWKHUHZHUHDERXW that some areas will remain free for other purposes than food production 7 billion people on our planet. The global population is expected to HYHQDIWHUZRUOGZLGHIRRGGHPDQGKDVEHHQVDWLV¿HG7KHVHVWXGLHV UHDFKPRUHWKDQELOOLRQSHRSOHE\7KLVDORQHZLOOOHDGWRD also show potential for further growth in yields and arable land areas 30% increase in biomass demand. Increasing meat consumption and worldwide. higher living standards will generate additional demand for biomass. 7KHVHFRQGVWHSLVWKHQWR¿QGRXWKRZEHVWWRXVHWKHVHDYDLODEOH 7KH(XURSHDQ&RPPLVVLRQFDPHWRWKHFRQFOXVLRQLQ³*OREDO areas. Recent studies have shown that many food crops are more land- SRSXODWLRQJURZWKE\LVHVWLPDWHGWROHDGWRDLQFUHDVHLQ HI¿FLHQWWKDQQRQIRRGFURSV7KLVPHDQVWKDWOHVVODQGLVUHTXLUHGIRU food demand, which includes a projected twofold increase in world the production of a certain amount of fermentable sugar for example meat consumption. […] As global demand for biomass for food and – which is especially crucial for biotechnology processes – than would LQGXVWULDOSXUSRVHVJURZVRYHUWKHFRPLQJGHFDGHV(8DJULFXOWXUH be needed to produce the same amount of sugar with the supposedly IRUHVWU\¿VKHULHVDQGDTXDFXOWXUHFDSDFLW\ZLOOQHHGWREHVXVWDLQDEO\ “unproblematic”, second generation lignocellulosic non-food crops. increased.“ $OVRWKHORQJWLPHLPSURYHPHQWRI¿UVWJHQHUDWLRQSURFHVVFKDLQVDV Food and feed clearly are the supply priorities for biomass use, well as the food and feed uses of by-products make the utilization of IROORZHGE\ELREDVHGSURGXFWVELRIXHOVDQGELRHQHUJ\)LJXUHVKRZV IRRGFURSVLQELREDVHGLQGXVWULHVYHU\HI¿FLHQW WKHXVHRIWKHELOOLRQWRQQHVRIELRPDVVKDUYHVWHGZRUOGZLGHLQ Another very important aspect that argues in favour of industrial $QLPDOIHHGSUHGRPLQDWHVZLWKDVKDUHRIZKLFKZLOO XVHRIIRRGFURSVLVWKHÀH[LELOLW\RIFURSDOORFDWLRQLQWLPHVRIFULVHV increase even further due to increasing meat consumption. If grazing If a food crisis occurs, it would be possible to reallocate food crops land is taken into account as well as arable land, the share of biomass that were originally cultivated for industry to food uses. This is not XVHGIRUIHHGH[FHHGV VHH)LJXUH possible with non-food crops – they can only ensure supply security $OWKRXJKDJULFXOWXUDO\LHOGVFDQEHVLJQL¿FDQWO\LQFUHDVHGLQPDQ\ for industrial applications. developing countries and arable land can still be expanded by a few :HWKHUHIRUHUHTXHVWWKDWSROLWLFDOPHDVXUHVVKRXOGQRWGLIIHUHQWLDWH hundreds of millions of hectares worldwide without touching rainforest simply between food and non-food crops, but that criteria such as land RUSURWHFWHGDUHDV HYHQLQWKH(8WKHUHDUHEHWZHHQDQGPLOOLRQ DYDLODELOLW\UHVRXUFHDQGODQGHI¿FLHQF\YDORUL]DWLRQRIE\SURGXFWV hectares arable land that are not currently in use), arable land and and emergency food reserves are taken into account. ELRPDVVDUHOLPLWHGUHVRXUFHVDQGVKRXOGEHXVHGHI¿FLHQWO\DQG 7KLVDOVRPHDQVWKDWUHVHDUFKLQWR¿UVWJHQHUDWLRQSURFHVVHVVKRXOG sustainably. be continued and receive fresh support from European research agendas nova paper #2 on bio-based economy 2013-07 nova-Institute 2 Huge potential for increasing biomass availability Use of harvested agricultural biomass worldwide (2008) As the numbers above show, the industrial material use of biomass makes up for only 4 % 4 % a very small share of biomass competition. Food Other factors have a much greater impact on food availability, as will be discussed below. 32 % Animal feed Due to increasing demand for food and feed Material use as well as bioenergy and industrial material XVHWKHFUXFLDOTXHVWLRQLVKRZWRLQFUHDVH Energy use the biomass production in a sustainable way. Increasing yields: Tremendous potential for increasing yields in developing 60 % countries is hampered by a lack of Total biomass investment in well-known technologies ca. 10 billion tonnes and infrastructure, unfavourable agricultural policies such as no access Notes: Shares of food an feed based on FAOSTAT; gap of animal feed © -Institute.eu | 2013 demand from grazing not included (see Krausmann et al. 2008) WRFUHGLWVLQVXI¿FLHQWWUDQVPLVVLRQRI price incentives, and poorly enforced land rights. Figure 1: Worldwide allocation of harvested biomass by production target (main product) in 2008. Respective ([SDQVLRQ RI DUDEOH ODQG 6RPH amounts include raw materials and their by-products, even if their uses fall into different categories. million hectares could be added to the FXUUHQW ELOOLRQ KHFWDUHV ZLWKRXW touching rainforest or protected areas. Most estimates calculate up to 500 Use of agricultural biomass worldwide, million hectares. These areas will including grazing (2008) UHTXLUHDORWRILQIUDVWUXFWXUHLQYHVWPHQW before they can be utilized. (Dauber et 3 % 3 % Food DO=HGGLHVHWDO 23 % Animal feed Both aspects mean that political reforms and huge investment in agro-technologies and Material use infrastructure are necessary. Energy