Net energy balance of small-scale on-farm biodiesel production from canola and soybean

Biomass and Bioenergy

Volumn 35, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 2234-2244

  Fore, Seth R ^a   Porter, Paul ^a   Lazarus, William ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA   (United States)

Author keywords

Biodiesel; Biofuels; Energy balance; Net energy ratio; Small scale

Indexed keywords

BIODIESEL FEEDSTOCK; BIODIESEL PRODUCTION; BRASSICA NAPUS; CROP PRODUCTION; EMBODIED ENERGY; ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY; ENERGY REQUIREMENTS; FARM PRODUCTION; GLYCINE MAX; NET ENERGY; NET ENERGY RATIOS; OIL CONTENTS; OIL EXTRACTION; PETROLEUM FUELS; PROCESSING EQUIPMENT; SMALL-SCALE; SYSTEM BOUNDARY;

AMINO ACIDS; CULTIVATION; ENERGY BALANCE; FARMS; FEEDSTOCKS; NITROGEN FERTILIZERS; NITROGEN FIXATION;

BIODIESEL;

ALTERNATIVE FUEL; BIOENERGETICS; BIOFUEL; CANOLA; CROP PRODUCTION; ENERGY BALANCE; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; FERTILIZER APPLICATION; PETROLEUM; SOYBEAN; VEGETABLE OIL;

MIDWEST; UNITED STATES;

BRASSICA NAPUS; BRASSICA NAPUS VAR. NAPUS; GLYCINE MAX;

EID: 79953285601     PISSN: 09619534     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.02.037     Document Type: Article

References (59)

1. USDA-ERS Farm income: data files 2008, Economic Research Service, USDA, Accessed 20.11.08. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Features/FarmIncome/.
2. Pimentel D., Hurd L.E., Bellotti A.C., Forrster M.J., Oka I.N., Sholes O.D., et al. Food production and the energy crisis. Science 1973, 182(4111):443-449.
3. Naylor R.L. Energy and resource constraints on intensive agricultural production. Annu Rev Energ Environ 1996, 21(1):99-123.
4. Matson P.A., Parton W.J., Power A.G., Swift M.J. Agricultural intensification and ecosystem properties. Science 1997, 277(5325):504-509.
5. Duxbury J.M. The significance of agricultural sources of greenhouse gasses. Nutr Cycling Agroecosyst 1994, 38(2):151-163.
6. Usda US agriculture and forestry greenhouse gas inventory: 1990-2005 2008, USDA, Washington DC, Bulletin no. 1921.
7. Lardy G. Biodiesel benefits for cattle producers: feeding byproducts of biodiesel production 2008, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Billings.
8. Ikerd J. Economic analysis and multiple impact valuation strategies. Developing and extending sustainable agriculture: a social contract 2006, Haworth Press. C.A. Francis, R.P. Poincelot, G.W. Bird (Eds.).
9. Hill J., Nelson E., Tilman D., Polasky S., Tiffany D. Environmental, economic, and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and ethanol biofuels. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2006, 103(30):11206-11210.
10. Pradhan A., Shrestha D.S., Van Gerpen J., Duffield J. The energy balance of soybean oil biodiesel production: a review of past studies. Am Soc Agric Biol Eng 2008, 51(1):185-194.
11. Liska A., Yang H., Bremer V., Walters D., Erickson G., Klopfenstein T., et al. BESS: biofuel energy systems simulator; life cycle energy and emissions analysis model for corn-ethanol biofuel 2007, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
12. Hammerschlag R. Ethanol's energy return on investment: a survey of the literature 1990-Present. Environ Sci Technol 2006, 40:1744.
13. Farrell A., Plevin R.J., Turner B.T., Jones A.D., O'hare M., Kammen D.M. Ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals. Science 2006, 311(5760):506-508.
14. Tilman D., Hill J., Lehman C. Carbon-negative biofuels from low-input high-diversity grassland biomass. Science 2006, 314:1598.
15. Ahmed I.J., Decker J., Morris D. How much energy does it take to make a gallon of soydiesel 1994, National Soydiesel Development Board.
16. Wang M. The greenhouse gasses, regulated emissions and energy use in transportation (GREET) model. Version 1.8b 1999, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.
17. Hou H., Wang M., Putsche V. Life-cycle assessment of energy and greenhouse gas effects of soybean-derived biodiesel and renewable fuels 2008, Argonne National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Report no. anl/esd/08-2.
18. Usda-NASS US & all state data: crops 2007, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Available at:, Accessed 02.09.08. http://www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/Quick_Stats/index.asp.
19. Franzen C., Lukach J. Fertilizing canola and mustard 2007, North Dakota State Extension Service, Bulletin no. sf-1122.
20. Zollinger R.K., Glogoza P., MuMullen M.P., Bradley C.A., Dexter A.G., Knopf D., et al. Pesticide use and pest management practices in North Dakota 2004.
21. USDA-NASS Agricultural chemical usage 2006 field crops summary 2007, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Available at:, Accessed 01.12.08. http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/AgriChemUsFC//2000s/2007/AgriChemUsFC-05-16-2007_revision.pdf.
22. Lazarus W. Machinery cost estimates 2009, University of Minnesota Extension Service, Available at:, Accessed June, 2009. http://www.apec.umn.edu/faculty/wlazarus/documents/mf2009.pdf.
23. Helsel Z. Energy in farm production. Energy in farm production 1992, Elsevier, New York, NY. R. Fluck (Ed.).
24. Sheehan J., Camobreco V., Duffield J., Grabowski M., Shapouri H. Life cycle inventory of biodiesel and petroleum diesel for use in an urban bus 1998, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO.
25. Hanson B.K., Johnson B.L., Henson R.A., Riveland N.R. Seeding rate, seeding depth, and cultivar influence on spring canola performance in the northern Great Plains. Agron J 2008, 100(5):1339-1346.
26. USDA-ERS Crop production practices: ARMS 2002, Economic Research Service, USDA, Available at:, Accessed 01.12.08. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/ARMS/.
27. Doering O.C. Accounting for energy in farm machinery and buildings. Handbook of energy utilization in agriculture 1980, CRC Press, Florida. D. Pimentel (Ed.).
28. Wang M., Burnham A., Wu Y. The greenhouse gasses, regulated emissions and energy use in transportation (GREET) model. Version 2.7 2007, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.
29. USDOE Energy efficiency and renewable energy 2006, Federal Energy Management Program, USDOE, Available at:, Accessed 13.10.08. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/electric-motors-draft-2.pdf.
30. Goyum Screw Press. Goyum screw press - Oil expeller division; 2008. Available at: Accessed 13.05.09. http://www.oilmillmachinery.com/seed-cleaners.html.
31. Van Gerpen J., Shanks B., Pruszko R., Clements C., Knothe G. Biodiesel production technology 2004, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USDOE, Golden, CO.
32. Kim S., Dale B.E. Allocation procedures in ethanol production system from corn grain. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2002.
33. Bernesson S., Nilsson D., Hansson P. A limited LCA comparing large- and small-scale production of rape methyl ester (RME) under Swedish conditions. Biomass Bioenergy 2004, 26(6):545-559.
34. Smith E., Janzen H., Newlands N. Energy balances of biodiesel production from soybean and canola in Canada. Can J Plant Sci 2007, 87(4):793-801.
35. Pimentel D., Patzek T. Ethanol production using corn, switchgrass, and wood; biodiesel production using soybean and sunflower. Nat Resour Res 2005, 14(1):65-76.
36. Strange A., Park J., Bennett R., Phipps R. The use of life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of growing genetically modified nitrogen use-efficient canola. Plant Biotechnol J 2008, 6:337-345.
37. Gan Y., Malhi S.S., Brandt S., Katepa-Mupondwa F., Stevenson C. Nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen uptake of juncea canola under diverse environments. Agron J 2008, 100(2):285-295.
38. Barbash J.E., Thelin G.P., Kolpin D.W., Gilliom R.J. Major herbicides in ground water. J Environ Qual 2001, 30:831-845.
39. Bexfield L.M. Decadal-scale changes of pesticides in ground water of the United States, 1993-2003. J Environ Qual 2008, 37(5):S226-S239.
40. Freemark K., Boutin C. Impacts of agricultural herbicide use on terrestrial wildlife in temperate landscapes: a review with special reference to North America. Agric Ecosyst Environ 1995, 52(1-2):67-91.
41. Relyea R.A. The impact of insecticides and herbicides on the biodiversity and productivity of aquatic communities. Ecol Appl 2005, 5(2):618-627.
42. Altieri M.A., Nicholls C.I. Biodiversity and pest management in agroecosystems 2004, The Hawthorn Press, New York, NY.
43. Swenson A., Haugen R. Projected 2009 crop budgets for North Dakota 2008, North Dakota State Extension Service, Available at:, Accessed 21.01.09. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ecguides.html.
44. United Soybean Board Soybean processing 2003, United Soybean Board, Available at:, Accessed 30.01.09. http://www.soymeal.org/.
45. Kammen D., Jones A., Farrell A., Nemet G., Plevin R., Delucchi M. Energy and greenhouse gas impacts of biofuels: a framework analysis 2008, University of California, Davis, CA.
46. Weidema B. Avoiding co-product allocation in life-cycle assessment. J Ind Ecol 2008, 4(3):11-33.
47. Demirbas A.H., Demirbas I. Importance of rural bioenergy for developing countries. Energy Convers Manage 2007, 48(8):2386-2398.
48. Nations United Small-scale production and use of liquid biofuels in Sub-Saharan Africa: perspectives for sustainable development 2007, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations.
49. Sarantopoulos I., Che F., Tsoutsos T., Bakirtzoglou V., Azangue W., Bienvenue D., et al. An evaluation of a small-scale biodiesel production technology: case study of Mango'o village, Center province, Cameroon. Phys Chem Earth 2009, 34:55-58.
50. National Biodiesel Board Fuel quality policy 2009, National Biodiesel Board, Available at:, Accessed 25.02.09. http://www.biodiesel.org.
51. Weber J. The economic feasibility of community-based biodiesel plants. Thesis. Columbia, University of Missouri; 1993.
52. Bender M. Economic feasibility review for community-scale farmer cooperatives for biodiesel. Bioresour Technol 1999, 70:81-87.
53. Haas M., McAlloon A., Yee W., Foglia T. A process model to estimate biodiesel production costs. Bioresour Technol 2006, 97(4):671-678.
54. Fore S.R., Lazarus W., Porter P., Jordan N. Economics of small-scale on-farm use of canola and soybean for biodiesel and straight vegetable oil biofuels. Biomass Bioenergy 2011, 35:193.
55. EIA Monthly energy review - petroleum 2009, DOE-EIA, Available at:, Accessed 26.03.09. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html.
56. Energy Improvement Act of 2008 - HR 1424. Section 101; 2008.
57. Internal Revenue Service Biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels credit - form 8864 2008, IRS, Available at:. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8864.pdf.
58. Chang D., Van Gerpen J., Lee I., Johnson L., Hammond E., Marley S. Fuel properties and emissions of soybean oil esters as diesel fuel. J Am Oil Chem Soc 1996, 73(11):1549-1555.
59. Schumacher L., Marshall L.W., Krahl J., Wetherell W., Grabowski M. Biodiesel emissions data from series 60 DDC engines. Trans ASAE 2001, 44(6):1465-1468.