The Capital Efficiency Challenge of Bioenergy Models: The Case of Flex Mills in Brazil

Peter Goldsmith (), Renato Rasmussen (), Guilherme Signorini (), Joao Martines () and Carolina Guimaraes ()
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Peter Goldsmith: University of Illinois
Renato Rasmussen: University of Illinois
Guilherme Signorini: University of Sao Paulo
Joao Martines: University of Sao Paulo
Carolina Guimaraes: University of Sao Paulo

Chapter Chapter 11 in Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy, 2010, pp 175-192 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Bio-based energy sources have received increasing interest in recent years as petroleum prices have risen, geo-political instability has increased, and climate change has been in evidence. Extensive farming systems producing bio-based feedstocks, such as maize and sugarcane, are the models most widely used. Similar models are planned for dedicated cellulose crops such as miscanthus and eucalyptus. Bioenergy feedstock production that follows the current commercial agricultural model may inefficiently employ capital as the spatial density of the system, and the relative gravimetric density of the feedstock and volumetric density of the fuel products are low. The example of ethanol production in Mato Grosso, Brazil demonstrates the key concepts of density and capital intensity that are so critical to the efficient use of capital.

Keywords: Ethanol Production; Wheat Straw; Capital Cost; Feedstock Production; Real Estate Asset (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-0369-3_11

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