Biofuel - a way to have a greener planet.

Since the beginning of the XXI century, biofuel production and consumption is constantly growing. The desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to be less dependent on fossil fuel even further promotes biofuel development. Meanwhile, different biomaterials suitable for biofuel production make biofuel production attractive worldwide. However, Russia, as a main leader in fossil fuel export, had not been developing a bioenergy sector. Nonetheless, the availability of land and biomass resources creates favorable conditions for biofuel development. The introduction of an innovative product is always a challenge for producers and the government. Biofuel is a new fuel for the Russian market and it is very important to properly present it to consumers. Currently, Russia has a relevant task to improve energy efficiency and find alternative sources of energy. Biofuel use is one possible way to reduce fossil fuel consumption in Russia. The government has already started to pay attention to biotechnology; however Russia still does not have a strong biofuel strategy. New biofuel facilities are established each year but the legal framework of the country creates barriers to local use.
This research is an attempt to find out what real benefits Russia can achieve with the help of using different types of biofuel and also to find out the opinions of biofuel experts about this problem – why the strategy of using biofuel in Russia goes on so slowly.



FOSSIL FUELS

Fossils fuels are the driving force of our technological progress. However, the depleting reservoirs of fossil fuels, as well as the disastrous effects of their over-consumption have forced the mankind to rethink about uses of fossil fuels as energy resources.
There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. All three were formed many hundreds of millions of years ago before the time of the dinosaurs – hence the name fossil fuels. The age they were formed is called the Carboniferous Period. It was part of the Paleozoic Era. "Carboniferous" gets its name from carbon, the basic element in coal and other fossil fuels.
The Carboniferous Period occurred from about 360 to 286 million years ago. At the time, the land was covered with swamps filled with huge trees, ferns and other large leafy plants. The water and seas were filled with algae – the green stuff that forms on a stagnant pool of water. Algae is actually millions of very small plants.
Some deposits of coal can be found during the time of the dinosaurs. For example, thin carbon layers can be found during the late Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago) . But the main deposits of fossil fuels are from the Carboniferous Period.
As the trees and plants died, they sank to the bottom of the swamps of oceans. They formed a material called peat. Over many hundreds of years, the peat was covered by sand and clay and other minerals, which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary.
More and more rock piled on top of more rock, and it weighed more and more. It began to press down on the peat. The peat was squeezed and squeezed until the water came out of it and it eventually, over millions of years, it turned into coal, oil or petroleum, and natural gas.
The discovery of fossils for energy purpose has turned the wheel of revolution in the history of mankind. Fossil fuels have the capacity to satisfy the energy demands of the entire world for several hundred years. They have provided a great impetus to the industrial revolution that took place in the twentieth century. The modern world owes its technological and mechanical progress to fossil fuels. However, the irrational consumption of fossil fuels led to several problems worldwide.
The burning of fossil fuels produces around 21.3 billion tonnes (21.3 gigatonnes) of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, but it is estimated that natural processes can only absorb about half of that amount, so there is a net increase of 10.65 billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide per year (one tonne of atmospheric carbon is equivalent to 44/12 or 3.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide).[6] Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that enhances radiative forcing and contributes to global warming, causing the average surface temperature of the Earth to rise in response, which the vast majority of climate scientists agree will cause major adverse effects.
So we can identify advantages and disadvantages of using fossil fuel nowadays:
Advantages
Simple combustion process can directly heat or generate electricity
Easily distributed
Disadvantages
Pollution is a major disadvantage of fossil fuels. This is because they give off carbon dioxide when burned thereby causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the main contributory factor to the global warming experienced by the earth today.
Questionable availibility of some fuels major price swings based on politics of oil regions
Cause of acid rain
THE PROBLEM- GLOBAL WARMING
"Global warming is the biggest and most serious problem faced by us in this century. Climate change is happening and its effects are real. If we do not take seriously, it will have serious consequences that will affect the generations to come,"
(Sir David Anthony King, Chief Scientific Adviser to the U.K. Government)

What is global warming? Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts many people, animals, and plants. Many cannot take the change, so they die.
What is the greenhouse effect? The greenhouse effect is when the temperature rises because the sun’s heat and light is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result, the temperature rises.
What are greenhouse gasses? Greenhouse gasses are gasses are in the earth’s atmosphere that collect heat and light from the sun. With too many greenhouse gasses in the air, the earth’s atmosphere will trap too much heat and the earth will get too hot. As a result people, animals, and plants would die because the heat would be too strong.
Also we have a question :what causes global warming? Many things cause global warming. One thing that causes global warming is electrical pollution. Electricity causes pollution in many ways, some worse than others. In most cases, fossil fuels are burned to create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants and animals. Some examples of fossil fuels are oil and petroleum. Many pollutants (chemicals that pollute the air, water, and land) are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.
There are many negative effects of global warming:

1.Rising sea levels
2.Salt water intrusion
3.Soil erosion
4.Extreme weather
5.Increased rainfall
6.Destabilization of local climates
7.Acidic Oceans
8.Drought

So today lots of people are talking about the biofuels as the alternative energy that does not influence the environment so dramatically and don’t cause so much pollution . There are many reasons for the people to use biofuels instead of fossil fuels.


WHAT IS BIOFUEL?

Let’s consider biofuel as alternative source of energy.
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases.
Biofuels are mainly derived from biomass or bio waste. These fuels can be used for any purposes, but the main use for which they have to be brought is in the transportation sector. Most of the vehicles require fuels which provide high power and are dense so that storage is easier. These engines require fuels that are clean and are in the liquid form.
The most important advantage of using liquid as fuel is that they can be easily pumped and can also be handled easily. This is the main reason why almost all the vehicles use liquid form of fuels for combustion purpose. For other forms of non transportation applications there are other alternative solid biomass fuel like wood. These non transportation applications can bring into use these solid biomass fuels as they can easily bear the low power density of external combustion. Wood has been brought into use since a very long period and is one of the major contributors of global warming.
Biofuels are the best way of reducing the emission of the greenhouse gases. They can also be looked upon as a way of energy security which stands as an alternative of fossil fuels that are limited in availability. Today, the use of biofuels has expanded throughout the globe. Some of the major producers and users of biogases are Asia, Europe and America. Theoretically, biofuel can be easily produced through any carbon source; making the photosynthetic plants the most commonly used material for production. Almost all types of materials derived from the plants are used for manufacturing biogas. One of the greatest problems that is being faced by the researchers in the field is how to covert the biomass energy into the liquid fuel.
Today, biofuels are often considered to be a more environmentally responsible type of fuel compared to oil and other fossil fuel products because biofuels have many advantages in terms of ecological sustainability. Different biofuels have pros and cons, which I want to show you :

Advantages:
1.It takes thousands of years for fossil fuels to be produced, but biofuels are much more easily renewable as new crops are grown and waste material is collected.
2.Are cheaper than fossil fuels. Many governments are now offering tax incentives to buy greener cars that run on biofuels.
3.Ethanol is very inexpensive to produce.
4.When biofuels are burned, they produce significantly less carbon output and fewer toxins, making them a safer alternative to preserve atmospheric quality and lower air pollution.
5.By reducing dependence on foreign fuel sources, countries can protect the integrity of their energy resources and make them safe from outside influences.

Disadvantages:

1.As demand for food crops such as corn grown for biofuel production, it could also raise prices for necessary staple food crops.
2.Massive quantities of water are required for proper irrigation of biofuel crops as well as to manufacture the fuel, which could strain local and regional water resources.
3.Not many gas stations have biofuels available at the moment. This discourages people from buying cars that are not reliant only on gas.

HISTORY OF BIOFUEL

Biofuels in the solid form has been in use ever since man discovered fire. Wood was the first form of biofuel that was used even by the ancient people for cooking and heating. With the discovery of electricity, man discovered another way of utilizing the biofuel. Biofuel had been used since a very long time for the production of electricity. This form of fuel was discovered even before the discovery of the fossil fuels, but with the exploration of the fossil fuel like gas, coal, and oil the production and use of biofuel suffered a severe impact. With the advantages placed by the fossil fuels they gained a lot of popularity especially in the developed countries. Liquid biofuel have been used in the automotive industry since its inception.
One of the first inventors to convince the people of the use of ethanol was a German named Nikolaus August Otto. Rudolf Diesel is the German inventor of the diesel engine. He designed his diesel engine to run in peanut oil and later Henry Ford designed the Model T car which was produced from 1903 to 1926. This car was completely designed to use hemp derived biofuel as fuel. However, with the exploration of huge supplies of crude oil some of the parts of Texas and Pennsylvania petroleum became very cheap and thus lead to the reduction of the use of biofuels. Most of the vehicles like trucks and cars began using this form of fuel which was much cheaper and efficient.
In the period of World War II, the high demand of biofuels was due to the increased use as an alternative for imported fuel. In this period, Germany was one of the countries that underwent a serious shortage of fuel. It was during this period that various other inventions took place like the use of gasoline along with alcohol that was derived from potatoes. Britain was the second country which came up with the concept of grain alcohol mixed with petrol. The wars frames were the periods when the various major technological changes took place but, during the period of peace, cheap oil from the gulf countries as well as the Middle East again eased off the pressure.
With the increased supply the geopolitical and economic interest in biofuel faded away. A serious fuel crisis again hit the various countries during the period of 1973 and 1979, because of the geopolitical conflict. Thus (OPEC), organization of the petroleum Exporting countries made a heavy cut in exports especially to the non OPEC nations. The constant shortage of fuel attracted the attention of the various academics and governments to the issues of energy crisis and the use of biofuels. Modern farming techniques have resulted in increased yields and efficiency, making these fuels competitively priced with petroleum based fuels. The twentieth century came with the attention of the people towards the use of biofuels. Some of the main reasons for the people shifting their interest to biofuels were the rising prices of oil and emission of the greenhouse gases.

TYPES OF BIOFUEL
First generation biofuels
The most well-known first-generation biofuel is ethanol made by fermenting sugar extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets, or sugar extracted from starch contained in maize kernels. Examples of first generation biofuels: sugar cane, corn, palmoil, rape.
Ethanol fuel is the most common biofuel worldwide, particularly in Brazil. Alcohol fuels are produced by fermentation of sugars derived from wheat, corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, molasses and any sugar or starch that alcoholic beverages can be made from (like potato and fruit waste, etc.). Ethanol can be used in petrol engines as a replacement for gasoline; it can be mixed with gasoline to any percentage.
Biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced from oils or fats using transesterification and is a liquid similar in composition to fossil/mineral diesel. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine when mixed with mineral diesel. Biodiesel is also safe to handle and transport because it is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt. In the USA, more than 80% of commercial trucks and city buses run on diesel.
Biogas is methane produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of organic material by anaerobes.[22] It can be produced either from biodegradable waste materials or by the use of energy crops fed into anaerobic digesters to supplement gas yields. Farmers can produce biogas from manure from their cows by using an anaerobic digester.
Solid biofuels, for example, include wood, sawdust, grass trimmings, domestic refuse, charcoal, agricultural waste, non-food energy crops, and dried manure. One of the advantages of solid biomass fuel is that it is often a by-product, residue or waste-product of other processes, such as farming, animal husbandry and forestry. In theory this means there is no competition between fuel and food production, although this is not always the case


Second generation biofuels
Second-generation biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass, enabling the use of lower-cost, non-edible feed stocks, thereby limiting direct food vs. fuel competition. Second-generation biofuels can be further classified in terms of the process used to convert the biomass to fuel: biochemical or thermochemical. Examples of second generation biofuels are fuelwood, charcoal, pellets, residues, waste. Many second generation biofuels are under development such as Cellulosic ethanol, Algae fuel, biohydrogen, biomethanol, DMF, BioDME, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, biohydrogen diesel, mixed alcohols and wood diesel.


BIOFUEL AS A VISIBLE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM
Biofuels are a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Many varieties exist and they vary significantly. Some examples are that of biodiesel, which entails growing crops that contain high amounts of natural oil then through a process of hydrogenation or refining a more compatible bio diesel, substitute is created. This creates a biodiesel, which can be mixed with mineral diesel then used in any diesel-powered automobile.
It had been found that a considerable contribution to the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is attributed to burning natural gas, coal and oil -including gasoline for automobile engines. One of perspective solutions is to protect the climate by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels.
The truth is that bio fuels technology is still young. In the next twenty years, we look set to see biofuel research expand exponentially as we get close to the day when fossil fuels are exhausted.
It is possible to name some benefits in using buofuel:
1. Availability - It is renewable. Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels can be easily produced from raw agricultural materials. These facts ensure that the reservoir of fuel will never end, and that we can keep producing it, like we produce our food.
2. Price - since the reservoir is virtually unlimited, we can assure that as time goes by, the oil prices will increase duo to the increase in demand/production ratio, while the biofuels prices will decrease duo to the progress in agriculture science and techniques. In a few years from now, it is almost certain that biofuels prices will be much lower than fossil fuels, so the sooner you start using it, the better.
3. Independence –Biofuel sare easy to produce, and propose a new prospect to fuel consumers – unlike today's when huge company controls the fuel industry and supply, making the small consumer a slave to their will, biofuels will allow individuals and small manufacturer to get into this business and increase the competition. This is good both to the manufacturers and to the clients.
4. Healthier – biodiesel and ethanol are much safer than biofuels – they are much better to the environment, and have a great implication regarding global warming and air quality. If you care about the air that you and your children are breathing, you must take it under consideration.
5. Better to the engine. Biofuels are not only healthier to the environment, but also much better to the engines. Much research done by the automobile industry shows that biodiesel and ethanol increase the efficiency of the engine and it life span.
6. Have good political implications. At present, oil producing countries enclose a huge power in their hands, allowing them to take advantage of their power to harm other countries, and jeopardise world peace. Crossing to a different fuel source will dramatically reduce the pressure of oil deficiency, allowing many suppressed countries to flourish.


BIOFUEL IN RUSSIA

Biofuels have gained a lot of attention in recent years, global Biofuel production increased from 209 900 day in 2000 to 1,510 300 barrels per day nowadays. Modern technology makes it possible to produce biofuel in every part of the world, and Russia is no longer an exception.
Naturally rich in fossil fuels, Russia is the second largest oil exporter and the first largest natural gas exporter in the world; moreover Russia is also a large consumer. A strong and effective energy policy is a vital necessity for a compatible economy and the sustainable development of the country. A lot of attention is being paid recently to effective energy management in Russia. The new “Russia’s Energy Strategy up until 2030” establishes the goal of an efficient, environmentally'friendly and financiallydevelopment strategy.
The government started to pay attention for the biotechnological industry rather recently, until 2008 there were no attempts to develop or systematize a governmental strategy regarding biotechnology. In Russia the development of biotechnology and particularly the biofuel industry has a bottom'up approach. The tendency of an increasing interest in biofuel on a global scale made producers in Russia begin biofuel research and development on a country level.
Pellet production is the most developed in Russia, because of the possibility for local use and export. Local pellet use is now in the development stage and many power plants still
need upgrading but pellet producers are trying to introduce pellet fuel boilers in the local market.
Regarding the sources of biofuel, there are several possibilities for Russian producers. Russian ethanol producers are oriented on second generation biofuel from lignocelluloses biofuel from wood and agricultural waste to produce bioethanol and biobutanol. Wheat and corn are the most
energy containing crops which can be grown in Russia for bioethanol production. And, finally rapeseed is the most suitable oil crop for the Russian climate for biodiesel production.
Biofuel was introduced to the general public as an alternative to traditional fuel. Fossil fuel production is not environmentally friendly and is associated with risks for the
environment. Biofuels in its turn was seen as environmentally friendly and a safe option to replace fossils. Using biofuel production as a tool for waste management provides the economy with a suitable and efficient way to solve issues related to waste utilization and recycling. Pellets and ethanol production in Russia has been established to reuse wastes from forestry, the paper industry and agriculture. This is a sustainable approach, however nowadays there is little demand for biofuels, while there is a supply.
Another problem for biofuel production is environmental risks. Biofuel production based on agricultural products is highly dependent on natural factors, especially in Russia’s changeable weather conditions.
Biofuel was introduced to the general public in Russia only recently and still bioethanol and biobutanol are not publicly accessible due to the unprofitability of local markets and even biodiesel is not yet very popular. Only pellets are publically available. The delay of biofuel supply created by the legislation barrier can be used to establish an infrastructure to increase
accessibility, because it always takes time to make innovative products available and convenient to use. This factor would increase the attractiveness of biofuels for consumers and they would more likely accept biofuels.
On the other hand not only biofuel producers but also car manufacturers and infrastructure developers are interested to find out whether existing users are enough to make the decision to switch from conventional fuels to biofuels before investing. Customers, in turn expect a variety of the flexible'fuel vehicles in the market and accessible filling stations for biofuels.
This fact creates a delay for biofuel introduction into the market on a large scale, but pilot projects in regional cities like Irkutsk and Krasnodar could increase public awareness and
would make the process of biofuel integration into society milder.
Nowadays the majority of the biofuels produced in Russia is exported. The delay in the local market development provides the chance to avoid the problem of a lack of infrastructure and
the establishment of a high level of demand.
Resources for biofuel production can be found almost everywhere, however proper infrastructure and availability of land and water resources, and proper climate are requirements
for the establishment of a successful production cycle. Besides environmental constraints, there are some technological disadvantages of biofuel production as well as use. The main problem now in second generation bioethanol production is the conversion of cellulose and lignin in a way
so that the waste products from the chemical process would be environmentally friendly. Moreover, as was mentioned before, biobutanol production requires technological enhancement to increase the yield. Both processes require being less energy demanding which, in turn; will make biofuels more economically attractive.
Biodiesel use in Russia might be obstructed by the biodiesel performance in the cold weather. Biodiesel requires preheating before pumping when the outside temperature is low. Consumers complain about the reduction of power of the engine and more frequent maintenance of cars.
But in spite of it Russia lags behind the rest of the world in production and consumption of biofuels. The share of biofuels in Russian renewable energy production is now about 0.3%. Experts make a joke that, if wood would be considered as a biofuel, then Russia will be among the leaders.
Biofuels are very promising both in terms of efficiency and protection of the environment. For example, burning wood pellets releases the same amount of carbon dioxide that would have formed through natural decomposition of wood. The energy content of 1 kg of pellets is equivalent to 0.5 liters of diesel fuel. Biodiesel is more environmentally friendly, it halves emissions of particulates.
Unfortunately, biofuels have some disadvantages. It is believed to influence negatively global food availability and prices.
The Russian government stated its objective to make Russia 40 percent more energy-efficient by 2020.
While there has been vague attempts at the federal level to promote the production of biofuels, there are a growing number of activities at the regional level. The number of innovative projects aimed at production of alternative energies, such as from plant cellulose, including wood or oilseeds, and agricultural wastes has increased, along with production of biofuels raw materials for export (including fuel pellets, rapeseed, and rapeseed oil). The emerging Russian biofuels industry’s export orientation is driven by the growing demand for biofuels in Europe and other nations.
Despite some technological disadvantages, biofuels can still be used and produced in an efficient way and modern science can find solutions for the improvement of biofuel performance
and compatibility. The next section evaluates the environmental'economic performance of biofuel in order to reveal positive and negative sides of biofuel production and use.


POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE BIOFUEL IN RUSSIA

Russia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of fossil fuels, so biofuels don't receive particular attention by the government. However, commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and interest in producing biofuels for export, particularly to the European Union , could provide a platform for biofuels industry development.
The low interest in biofuel keeps equipment prices high, due to low demand. The unstable economical situation prevents the development of long'term loans at affordable rates.
The development of the local biofuel market is currently not a priority for the government. Ethanol production will be cost efficient, as soon as bioethanol tax exemption is introduced to state legislation.
While political and legislation problems are still in the negotiation process on the state level, the development process of the regional biofuel industry moves forward. This fact seems to be controversial but local producers want to be ready to provide biofuel when all regulation issues will be solved.
Wood pellets are already available for the local private and industrial use. The energy performance of Russian heat and electricity producers is highly inefficient due to the use
of outdated equipment. The introduction of biofuels to Russian industry will not only improve environmental performance, but also increase the energy efficiency of manufactures.
Bioenergy as one of the instruments of the federal Program “Increase of energy consumption efficiency” can promote the use of new technologies or upgrading of existing equipment and improve energy efficiency on a regional as well as state level.
Although it doesn't produce fuel ethanol, Russia has a well-developed ethyl alcohol industry. There are many distilleries producing ethanol for the alcohol, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries with a total capacity of 1 billion liters. There are two fuel ethanol plants under construction with about a dozen planned. Some sources report production of fuel ethanol in Russia, but no official data exists. Experts concede that most production is likely in the experimental stage.
Bioenergy use can solve several problems in Russia, such as increase accessibility of energy and electricity for remote locations and low'populated areas. It might also be useful for heating of the country houses and villages which do not have access to central heating.
The potential capacity of sustainable biofuel production has been calculated. Results are very approximate, because many assumptions were made during calculations and only two scenarios of biofuel development were taken into account. Nevertheless, the outcomes represent a tendency
and show the approximate amount of biofuel which makes it possible to make a comparison with total consumption. From waste products it is possible to produce bioethanol, biobutanol, biogas and pellets. Beside the waste sources for biofuels, rapeseed was chosen as a source for biodiesel
production due to the availability in current agricultural scheme of the country and the possibility to grow it in the majority of regions. Moreover rapseed will not compromise food needs of the Russian people as rapeseed oil is used only for technical purposes in Russia. Sunflower oil was not considered in this calculation due to its essential demand on a food market. Biogas production is hard to estimate based only on statistical data available for calculation and will not
be presented in this research. Biobutanol production is still in the development stage and data regarding yield and energy balance is currently unavailable, thus biobutanol was eliminated from the calculation as well.
Russia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of grains, particularly wheat, barley, and corn.
Also our beloved motherland, Russia, is the largest forest reserve in the world: more than 20% of the world’s forests are situated in Russia.
Forest is a renewable resource: trees grow again after they were cut. Since Russia has lots of forests, there will be opportunities to use wood as biofuel. International Energy Agency predicts that by 2020 Russia will become biofuel exporter in addition to exporting oil now. We have a country full of forests and plenty of sawdust; why not make biofuel from it as an alternative source of energy?


RESULTS OF THE SURVEY

I had an opportunity to be connect with some biofuel experts and I asked them a question “What are the possibilities of using biofuel in Russia?” Below there are their answers.

Mr. Walter Kollert, Planted Forests Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
«I think that Russia has plenty of (cheap) energy resources in form of oil, gas and forests. The available forests are a vast resource of solid fuelwood (e.g. from thinnings) and wood residues from the wood processing plants. I think that Russia should focus first on the mobilization of these available forest resources before embarking on the production of liquid biofuels, which requires investments into infrastructure and conversion technology. Further, I believe that the production of liquid biofuels cannot compete financially with the production of solid biofuels (fuelwood), at least not at the current market situation. I do not expect that this will change substantially until 2020.

I hope this information was useful. I wish you good success for your further work.»

Timothy J. Killeen ,expert on the science side of biofuels
Executive Board of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
«Russia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of fossil fuels, so biofuels don't receive particular attention by the government. However, commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and interest in producing biofuels for export, particularly to the European Union , could provide a platform for biofuels industry development.
Russia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of grains, particularly wheat, barley, and corn. Therefore, feedstock availability is not a concern. Russia has ample sources of cellulosic biomass from its large wood-processing industry. So the total wood biomass available for production of energy at 800 million tons .»
Sergey Karchevskiy, Energy Director
International Paper, Russia:

"Today paper-making companies already produce a lot of energy from wood. There is a lot of potential in Russia to generate more energy from this renewable energy source".


Michael Kleine, Deputy Executive Director
the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO )

« It is very important that Russian governors started to speak about biofuels and pellets. To subsidize the construction of pellet mills in Russia is very important.
It is pity that pellets are exported from Russia mostly, but maybe one day the situation will be changed and we will have a huge number of biofuel power stations in Russia.
Russians should secure their biofuel supply to Europe by constriction of their own biomass cogeneration and power stations in Europe..»

So their answers show that Russia has a great potential for biofuel. But Russian government should create and develop special programmes and grants that will support producing and using biofuel in the country.


THE WAYS TO INCREASE USING BIOFUEL IN RUSSSIA

Biofuel was introduced to the Russian market recently and has not been favored yet. Political and legislative reasons prevent rapid growth of local markets, while the majority of biofuels produced in Russia goes to export, mainly to Europe. A long'term practice of fossil fuel use, confidence and reliance of the customers to petroleum makes biofuel promotion difficult in Russia. However global practice demonstrates significant changes in biofuel promotion.
As was mentioned earlier, a planning strategy must compliment the bioenergy strategy. Biofuel incentive as an alternative fuel should go hand in hand with a strategy for the
reduction of car use and the promotion of municipal transport. Biofuel itself cannot completely reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Only complex measures for fuel consumption
reduction can lead to sustainable biofuel use. Environmental advantages of all types of biofuels over fossil fuels are established, however as was mentioned biofuel production is not as cost efficient as fossil fuel production. European countries, such as Germany and Sweden actively
subsidize biofuel production, while Russian incentives still lack governmental support.
Apart from strategy for biotechnology development, develop a well'structured biofuel policy which foresees legal framework, financial mechanisms and promotional measures for biofuel production.
• Develop additional regional biofuel strategy and local policies based on the situation in the region.
• Develop complimentary action plans for popularizing biofuels and corresponding policies of waste management and agricultural changes.
• Create standardization and certification measures to establish competitiveness of biofuels in the market.
The success of policy implementation is defined by the level of commitment and willingness to make changes. Despite political and economical instability and the apparent fossil privileges that Russia has, there is room for alternative sources of energy. It is time to diversify the energy balance and accept environmentally friendly renewable technologies. The Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation announced recently that in five years Russia will start using biofuels. Only a couple of years ago Russia was an outsider in the global biofuel scheme, now the interest to biofuels has grown significantly therefore policy measures and governmental support should assist further developments.


CONCLUSIONS

Our planet is under a threat: global warming. To preserve the world’s climate, strong international actions are needed to reduce CO2 emissions. Replacement of fossil sources of energy by biofuels can deliver CO2 emissions reduction. Russia has about 5% of world’s oil reserves, and more than 20% of world’s forests. Therefore, Russia can contribute to preserving the world’s climate by exporting and using wood in Russia as biofuel.
Nowadays Russia is not known for being a country with any immediate interests in renewable energy or biofuels. The country still has a great deal of invested time and money in oil and coal based power plants are still a common sight in many parts of the country. Recently, however, it has been announced that Russia will be preparing for the construction of the country’s first biofuel production plant.
Considering the size of the country and the amount of resources they could use to start such a program, Russia could potentially become home to one of the world’s largest renewable energy programs to date. That, however, remains to be seen and we will have to wait and watch.

How we can save our planet ?

We have the answer - Biofuel!