Effect of Agricultural Practices on Biofuels' Environmental Footprints

Biobased fuels from renewable resources has gained high research and development priority due to national security and environmental concerns. To ensure resilience and sustainability of the nation's agricultural and fuel sectors, it is essential to evaluate the effect of recent and foreseeable environmental effects from agricultural cultivation. This study examines the environmental impacts of fertilizers practices with the aim of improving environmental profile of corn-derived biofuel. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCAs) is conducted to elucidate overall environmental impacts of synthetic fertilizer and organic manure. Results show that using manure fertilizers as opposed to synthetic fertilizers requires less energy, however the use of manure generates significantly more CH4, N2O, CO2, and results in more variable concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from farmlands.