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  • © 2010

Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy

  • Presents the latest research on the economics of land allocation between food and fuel and the current state of knowledge about feedstocks and technology
  • Examines bioenergy from a global perspective
  • Discusses the impact of bioenergy production on international trade and the environment
  • Puts forward the welfare and environmental effects of alternative policy interventions to support biofuel production
  • Offers not only fresh empirical research on controversial issues, but provides implications for industry and policy
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Natural Resource Management and Policy (NRMP, volume 33)

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Table of contents (24 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. Introduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Bioenergy Economics and Policy: Introduction and Overview

      • Madhu Khanna, Jürgen Scheffran, David Zilberman
      Pages 3-13
    3. Are Biofuels the Best Use of Sunlight?

      • Gerald C. Nelson
      Pages 15-25
    4. Perennial Grasses as Second-Generation Sustainable Feedstocks Without Conflict with Food Production

      • Frank G. Dohleman, Emily A. Heaton, Stephen P. Long
      Pages 27-37
  3. Interactions Between Biofuels, Agricultural Markets and Trade

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 53-53
    2. Price Transmission in the US Ethanol Market

      • Teresa Serra, David Zilberman, José M. Gil, Barry K. Goodwin
      Pages 55-72
    3. The Global Bioenergy Expansion: How Large Are the Food−Fuel Trade-Offs?

      • Jacinto F. Fabiosa, John C. Beghin, Fengxia Dong, Amani Elobeid, Simla Tokgoz, Tun-Hsiang Yu
      Pages 113-132
  4. Designing the Infrastructure for Biofuels

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 149-149
    2. Optimizing the Biofuels Infrastructure: Transportation Networks and Biorefinery Locations in Illinois

      • Seungmo Kang, Hayri Önal, Yanfeng Ouyang, Jürgen Scheffran, Ü Deniz Tursun
      Pages 151-173
    3. The Capital Efficiency Challenge of Bioenergy Models: The Case of Flex Mills in Brazil

      • Peter Goldsmith, Renato Rasmussen, Guilherme Signorini, Joao Martines, Carolina Guimaraes
      Pages 175-192
  5. Environmental Effects of Biofuels and Biofuel Policies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 193-193
    2. A Simple Framework for Regulation of Biofuels

      • Deepak Rajagopal, Gal Hochman, David Zilberman
      Pages 219-231
    3. Market and Social Welfare Effects of the Renewable Fuels Standard

      • Amy W. Ando, Madhu Khanna, Farzad Taheripour
      Pages 233-250

About this book

Concerns about energy security, uncertainty about oil prices, declining oil reserves, and global climate change are fueling a shift towards bioenergy as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Public policies and private investments around the globe are aiming to increase local capacity to produce biofuels. A key constraint to the expansion of biofuel production is the limited amount of land available to meet the needs for fuel, feed, and food in the coming decades. Large-scale biofuel production raises concerns about food versus fuel tradeoffs, about demands for natural resources such as water, and about potential impacts on environmental quality.

The book is organized into five parts. The introductory part provides a context for the emerging economic and policy challenges related to bioenergy and the motivations for biofuels as an energy source. The second part of the handbook includes chapters that examine the implications of expanded production of first generation biofuels for the allocation of land between food and fuel and for food/feed prices and trade in biofuels as well as the potential for technology improvements to mitigate the food vs. fuel competition for land. Chapters in the third part examine the infrastructural and logistical challenges posed by large scale biofuel production and the factors that will influence the location of biorefineries and the mix of feedstocks they use. The fourth part includes chapters that examine the environmental implications of biofuels, their implications for the design of policies and the unintended environmental consequences of existing biofuel policies. The final part presents economic analysis of the market, social welfare, and distributional effects of biofuel policies.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Dept. Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, U.S.A.

    Madhu Khanna

  • ACDIS, University of Illinois, Champaign, U.S.A.

    Jürgen Scheffran

  • College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, U.S.A.

    David Zilberman

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access