Comparing Renewable Fuels
California stands to reap the environmental, economic and security benefits of biofuels. Sustainable Conservation is contributing to this effort in several areas: biomethane, biodiesel and new alternatives to gasoline.
Biomethane has a much higher energy yield than ethanol or biodiesel. Energy yield is the ration of the energy output to the energy input (for producing the fuel). A higher ration indicates that the fuel is produced more efficiently. Biomethane yields 9 units of energy for every unit of energy used to process the fuel, compared with 3 for biodiesel and 1 for ethanol.
| Potential Calif. Feedstocks | Displaces | Approximate Energy Yield* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biomethane | Livestock manure, landfill gas, food-processing waste, other organic material | Diesel, compressed or liquified natural gas | 9:1 |
| Biodiesel | Sunflower, safflower, canola oils; used cooking oil/grease; crop waste such as walnut shells and orchard prunings | Diesel | 3:1 |
| Alcohols (ethanol, butanol, etc.) | Sorghum, sugar beets; sugar cane; potentially grasses, woody biomass and other plant-based sources | Gasoline | 1:1 |
| * Energy yield is the ratio of the energy output to the energy input for growing and producing a fuel. A higher ratio indicates a higher energy yield per unit of energy input. | |||