Environmental Comparisons of Croton Megalocarpus as a BioFuel

1 Environmental Comparisons of Croton Megalocarpus vs. Other Tropical Feedstocks Dr. Lenard Milich Director, Research and Development Aren’t All Biofuels By Definition “Green”? By no means can all biofuels be considered “green,” or environmentally... More

1 Environmental Comparisons of Croton Megalocarpus vs. Other Tropical Feedstocks Dr. Lenard Milich Director, Research and Development Aren’t All Biofuels By Definition “Green”? By no means can all biofuels be considered “green,” or environmentally benign. There are three aspects to consider: (1) What was the land use/land cover prior to the planting of the biofuel feedstock; (2) How much fossil fuel is used during the growing of the feedstock, and in the production of the final biofuel; and (3), Linkages to and/or competition with food stocks. An example of each of the above points will prove illustrative. Biodiesel from palm oil is the worst infraction for point (1), in that oil palm plantations are supplanting what remains of tropical rainforests, particularly in the lowlands, across Indonesia and Malaysia. While the palm oil lobby claims that carbon stored in the palm trees is equivalent to the carbon content of a standing rainforest, not only is this difficult to substantiate Less