Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The Energy Return of Investment (EROI) was determined for bioethanol and biodiesel from the raw materials with more production potential in Ecuador, making use of the methodology of the Life Cycle Analysis. Raw materials were selected according to the localization, production records, exportations and importations values, and historic yields. As a result, the analysis includes sugarcane, corn, and forest residues for ethanol and African palm, bovine fat, swine fat, and pinion for biodiesel. This latter is being used from 2012 in an ongoing project called “Zero Fossil Fuels in Galapagos.” Agricultural and livestock production data were collected, followed by a global energy aspects assessment of the biofuel production chain. This assessment used indices based on primary and secondary information obtained through the statistical processing of the data. The net calorific value of each biofuel was determined in the laboratory, wherewith the energy return was determined through the relationship between outputs and inputs of energy. The values of EROI obtained for bioethanol were: 1,797 for sugarcane, 1,040 for corn, and 0,739 for wood. Likewise, the values of EROI for biodiesel were: 3,052 for African palm, 2,187 for bovine fat, 2,891 swine fat, and 2,743 for the pinion. The results showed that, from the energy point of view, the production of biodiesel from palm, animal fat, pinion, and bioethanol from sugarcane are feasible at the national level.