This study is a comparative evaluation of three approaches to biofuel production from energy crops including biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel to ascertain which one is the most effective and more energy-efficient than the others. Moreover, the potential of biofuel production from the best option was studied. For this purpose, biogas generation from corn silage, bioethanol generation from corn, and biodiesel production from peanuts in Iran (as a case study) were studied. The results revealed that 10,683.36 m3 of biogas, 2.53 m3 of bioethanol and 0.70 m3 of biodiesel could be produced per each hectare of energy crops. The total greenhouse gas emissions for each MJ energy generation of biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel were 0.01, 0.04 and 0.03 kgCO2eq, respectively. Accordingly, the total annual biogas potential from corn silage (as the best option) in Iran is 3953.74 million m3, which is equivalent to 1515.94 million barrels of oil.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kurt_rosentrater/354/
This is a manuscript of an article published as Nikkhah, Amin, M. El Haj Assad, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Sami Ghnimi, and Sam Van Haute. "Comparative review of three approaches to biofuel production from energy crops as feedstock in a developing country." Bioresource Technology Reports (2020): 100412. DOI: 10.1016/j.biteb.2020.100412. Posted with permission.