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The objective of this paper is to give a comprehensive review of initiatives on biomass certification from different viewpoints of stakeholders, including national governments (such as The Netherlands, the UK, Belgium and Germany), the EC, NGOs, companies, and international bodies up until October 2007. Furthermore, opportunities and restrictions in the development of biomass certification are described, including international trade law limitations, lack of adequate methodologies, stakeholder involvement requirements and certification costs.

Indicators are needed to assess environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators will help in the quantification of benefits and costs of bioenergy options and resource uses. We identify 19 measurable indicators for soil quality, water quality and quantity, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, air quality, and productivity, building on existing knowledge and on national and international programs that are seeking ways to assess sustainable bioenergy.

The Biomass Energy Data Book is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Biomass Program in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program of the Department of Energy (DOE). Designed for use as a convenient reference, the book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize the biomass industry, from the production of biomass feedstocks to their end use, including discussions on sustainability.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 is an omnibus energy policy law designed to
move the United States toward greater energy security and independence. A key provision of EISA is the
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which requires the nation to use 36 billion gallons per year (BGPY) of
renewable fuel in vehicles by 2022.1 Ethanol is the most widely used renewable fuel, and increasing the
allowable ethanol content from 10% to 15% is expected to push renewable fuel consumption to 21BGPY.

This article summarises the compatibility of six elastomers – used in fuel
storage and delivery systems – with test fuels representing gasoline blended
with up to 85% ethanol. Individual coupons were exposed to test fuels for four
weeks to achieve saturation. The change in volume and hardness, when wetted
and after drying, were measured and compared with the original condition.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 was an omnibus energy policy law designed to move the United States toward greater energy security and independence.1 A key provision of EISA modified the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which requires the nation to increase the volume of renewable fuel blended into transportation fuels from 7.5 billion gallons by 2012 to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Ethanol is the most widely used renewable fuel, and increasing the ethanol content in gasoline to 15% offers a means of getting significantly closer to the 36 billion gallon goal.

This presentation provides an overview of biorefineries in the U.S. The presentation was given at the 1st Brazilian National Refinery Symposium (SNBr) At EMBRAPA
Brasilia, DF, Brazil. September 29, 2011.

Indicators are needed to assess environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators
will help in the quantification of benefits and costs of bioenergy options and resource uses. We identify
19 measurable indicators for soil quality, water quality and quantity, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, air
quality, and productivity, building on existing knowledge and on national and international programs
that are seeking ways to assess sustainable bioenergy. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized

This paper presents an overview of 67 ongoing certification initiatives to safeguard the sustainability of bioenergy. Most recent initiatives are focused on the sustainability of liquid biofuels. Content-wise, most of these initiatives have mainly included environmental principles. Despite serious concerns in various parts of the world on the socio-economic impacts of bioenergy production, these are generally not included in existing bioenergy initiatives. At the same time, the overview shows a strong proliferation of standards.

The paper discusses the importance of standards for sustainable bioenergy production. Sustainability of bioenergy production is crucial if bioenergy is supposed to contribute effectively to climate change mitigation. First, a brief overview of current bioenergy policies and of initiatives and legislation for bioenergy sustainability are given. Then, the authors show that under free market conditions undersupply of sustainable bioenergy will prevail. Two types of market failures are identified: information asymmetry and externalities in bioenergy production.

The biofuel boom has raised great expectations regarding renewable, domestic and carbon-free bioenergy sources but at the same time has led to concerns about the adverse environmental and socio-economic implications such as land-use competition, deforestation and market distortions. In this context, bioenergy systems have to demonstrate their environmental sustainability, economic viability and societal acceptability compared with fossil fuels and alternative energy sources.

Rising energy prices, geopolitics as well as concerns over increasing oil prices, national security, and the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on global climate change are driving large-scale efforts to implement bioenergy alternatives. Biomass fuels offer many new opportunities, but if not managed carefully, they may also carry significant risks. Biomass in this context is non-fossil material of biological origin from forest, energy crops, agriculture and different kind of wastes. Markets for energy generated from biomass are expanding at a fast pace.

Forest biomass is increasingly being considered as a source of sustainable energy. It is crucial, however, that this biomass be grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. International processes and certification systems have been developed to ensure sustainable forest management (SFM) in general, but it is important to consider if they adequately address specific impacts of intensified production and harvesting methods related to forest fuels.

Environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels, rising prices, potential limitations in supply and concerns about regional and national security are driving the development and use of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts. However, the use of biomass does not automatically imply that its production, conversion and use are sustainable. Conflicts between various ecosystem services (economic production of food, fodder and fuels, biodiversity, social and cultural values, etc.) that are provided by fertile land are increasing as well.

Spark-ignition (SI) engines with direct-injection (DI) fueling can improve fuel economy and vehicle power beyond
that of port fuel injection (PFI). Despite this distinct advantage, DI fueling often increases particle number emissions, such that SI
exhaust may be subject to future particle emissions regulations. In this study, ethanol blends and engine operating strategy are
evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing particle emissions in DI engines. The investigated fuels include a baseline emissions

Ethanol offers significant potential for increasing the
compression ratio of SI engines resulting from its high octane
number and high latent heat of vaporization. A study was
conducted to determine the knock limited compression ratio
of ethanol - gasoline blends to identify the potential for
improved operating efficiency. To operate an SI engine in a
flex fuel vehicle requires operating strategies that allow
operation on a broad range of fuels from gasoline to E85.
Since gasoline or low ethanol blend operation is inherently

The compatibility of elastomer materials used in fuel dispensers was assessed for a gasoline standard containing 0, 10, 17, and 25 volume percent of aggressive ethanol. Specimens of fluorocarbon, fluorosilicone, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), silicone rubber, neoprene and polyurethane were immersed in test fuels flowing at a rate of 0.8m/s for 4 weeks at 60oC and then dried for 20h at 60oC.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 was an omnibus energy policy law designed
to move the United States toward greater energy security and independence. A key provision of EISA is
the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which requires the nation to use 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel
in vehicles by 2022. Ethanol is the most widely used renewable fuel, and a significant portion of the
36 billion gallon goal can be achieved by increasing the ethanol in gasoline to 15%. In fact in March

Land-use change (LUC) estimated by economic models has sparked intense international debate. Models estimate how much LUC might be induced under prescribed scenarios and rely on assumptions to generate LUC values. It is critical to test and validate underlying