Monnin 1

Pamela Monnin

Professor Barnes

19.SP.ENG.1201

16 March 2019

Biomass & Renewable Energy Resources vs. Their Environmental Impact:

An Annotated Bibliography

In researching how biomass technologies will impact the environment compared

to existing renewable energy resources, I hope to be able to learn how to become a

more informed consumer about all types of energy resources. I started my research by

using Sinclair’s Library database to find as much information I could on the subject.

Then I visited several websites from scholarly articles that I hoped would gain enough

knowledge to add to my topic. I also viewed a few online books on the subject. Lastly, I

looked up some articles that I may be able to use to counterargue my research. All in

all, I was able to get a good variety of resources to be able to start my argumentative

research subject on biomass technologies and how they will impact our environment

compared to the existing renewable resources available.

Brennan, L., and P. Owende. "Biofuels from Microalgae-A review of technologies for

production, processing, and extractions of biofuels and co-products." Renewable

and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 14, no. 2, 2010, pp. 557-577. OhioLINK

Electronic Journal Center, doi: 10.1016/J.RSER.2009.10.009. 10 March 2019.

 Monnin 2

In this scientific review article written by Liam Brennan and Philip Owende, found

in the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center in 2010, the authors discuss and review

multiple renewable and sustainable energy sources and provide information on the

environmental impact they have had up until that time. The review goes on to talk about

our reliance on fossil fuel energy resources and how unsustainable they have become,

depleting our reserves along with the increasing greenhouse gas emissions that come

with their constant use. It also gives good details in the many types of alternative energy

resources and first-generation biofuels from multiple biomass crops like sugarcane,

sugar beets, maize, rapeseed, and microalgae and their impact on the world’s food

markets, water shortages, and the destruction of natural forest habitats. This review was

intended for a wide variety of audiences since it touches base on environmental issues

associated with alternative energy resources and the benefits of their usage, so it

weighs the good with the bad for environmentalists and scientists alike. The only bad

thing, I could see, was that it was written a decade ago, so a lot of new advancements,

good and bad, have occurred since this article was written. Authors Brennan and

Owende were Ph.D. students from the School of Biosystems Engineering at the

University College Dublin (2008-2012) when they wrote this review on Biofuels. They

had been using this article as part of their own research. I will be able to use their

research information, along with some of their data collected to be able to show the

environmental impact that occurs when harvesting the biomass as an alternative fuel

source.

Chartier, Philippe, and G. L. Ferrero. “Biomass for Energy and the Environment:
 Monnin 3

Proceedings of the 9th European Bioenergy Conference”, Copenhagen, Denmark

24-27 June 1996; Pergamon, 1996.

In this book by Philippe Chartier, G.L. Ferrero, and four other

prominent authors from Europe, written in 1997, the subject of Biomass being used as

an energy source and how it affects the environment is its main message. More than

two decades ago the concerns for the environment were an issue when it came to

searching for new types of alternative energies and many people were talking about it,

from large power producers to political figures, and this book covered those rising

concerns and what their commitments were to the environment during a Conference

held in Copenhagen in 1996. Although the information is dated, the concerns are the

same. These same issues arise today among political leaders, activists, and

environmentalists. Each of the authors from this book all wrote their own chapter in the

book concerning their own expertise in the field of their background. The information

from this book can be useful to my research paper by giving some political and scientific

views to balance my topic and give it some credible insights to demonstrate the different

aspects of bioenergy and I will also be able to use some of their counter-arguments

against the topic of alternative energies and their environmental impacts on the earth.

Hill, J., et al. “Environmental, Economic, and Energetic Costs and Benefits of Biodiesel

and Ethanol Biofuels.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol.

103, no. 30, 2006, pp. 11206–11210., doi:10.1073/pnas.0604600103. Accessed

09 March 2019.
 Monnin 4

This science publication by Jason Hill, Erik Nelson, and three other authors, was

published in 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences, where they proceeded to

compare and contrast information on the costs of biofuels versus fossil fuels, weighing

benefits and impacts, both environmentally and economically. Even though the studies

show that both ethanol (from corn grain) and biofuels (from soybeans) are better as far

as fewer pollutants and less greenhouse gas emissions, and fewer costs all around,

they will still have a huge impact on the world’s food supplies and there won't be enough

to supply both needs. That is why biomass from non-food sources is so important as an

alternative energy fuel source. This is a good article to inform consumers about the pros

and cons of alternative fuel and how it will impact the environment. The authors were all

funded by U.S. Grants to survey and determine the costs and the benefits that

alternative fuels have over fossil fuels. They all worked for the University of Minnesota

in the Departments of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior and Applied Economics, and the

Department of Biology. This is very important material that can still be useful to my

research paper and answer questions of how these biofuels will impact the

environment, even though the data is thirteen years old. It may also give data for

counter arguments that can balance out my paper.

Lewis, Dyani. “Biofuels: Could Agave, Hemp, and Saltbush Be the Fuels of the Future?”

The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 May 2017,

www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/may/10/biofuels-could-agave-

hemp-and-saltbush-be-the-fuels-of-the-future. Accessed 09 March 2019.

This news article was written by Dyani Lewis of Australia, found in The Guardian
 Monnin 5

in 2017, which tells of alternative energy sources such as different types of biomass

materials like Agave, Hemp and Saltbush, and including newer techniques to extract

oils that will hopefully provide a better biofuel replacement for the future. There are so

many new technologies arising continually, all trying to find ways to save the

environment at a better cost. This news article is intended to inform consumers of new

alternative biomass energy sources. Lewis is a freelance science journalist based in

Melbourne, Australia, who has a Ph.D. in plant genetics and a Master’s in Journalism &

Professional Writing. She has articles in many scientific publications like Science,

Nature Medicine. Since the article has very up-to-date news, it will help to add new

information about the different types of alternative biomass energy sources are

available that are being researched for fuel.

Lozano-Moreno, Jairo Alexander, and François Maréchal. “Biomass Logistics and

Environmental Impact Modelling for Sugar-Ethanol Production.” Journal of

Cleaner Production, vol. 210, Feb. 2019, pp. 317–324. EBSCOhost, doi:

10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.310. 10 March 2019.

This scientific library journal, written by Jairo Alexander Lozano-Moreno and

François Maréchal in the Journal of Cleaner Production in 2018, is a study that explains

about the sugarcane-based ethanol production in Columbia and how it could create

different problems such as competition with food production, deforestation, water

scarcity, biodiversity loss and indirect social impact on the local population. This study

was done to show the effects that a sugarcane mill production can have on a specific

economy. It is targeted for the scientific community and for governmental purposes. The
 Monnin 6

authors are credible scientists hired by the Industrial Process and Energy Systems

Engineering Group based out of Switzerland. I can use some of the statistics from this

journal study to enhance my arguments on the environmental impact that certain

biomass production has on a specific area and economy.

Sipiora, Austin. “Tampa Bay Taps Into Renewable Energy from Biomass and Algae: An

Interview with Dr. George Philippidis USF Biofuels and Bioproducts Lab Director,

University of South Florida, ”Tampa Bay Clean City Coalition, 29 Jan. 2016,

www.usf.edu/pcgs/initiatives/tampa-bay-clean-cities-coalition/story-page7.aspx.

Accessed 09 March 2019.

This is an interview with Dr. George Philippidis at the Patel College of Global

Sustainability’s Biofuels and Bioproducts Lab at the University of South Florida (USF)

which took place in Tampa, Florida in 2016, where he talks about his speech at the

National Biodiesel Conference & Expo having to do with his research on algae and

biomass-derived biofuels and advances in the other renewable fuel sources. They are

trying to find ways to process with less pollution and impact on the planet by using

brackish water or wastewater to grow and cultivate algae, so they aren't depleting

freshwater sources. Florida has the perfect climate for this type of project. Dr. Philippidis

is an associate professor at USF and leads the research team in renewable resources

and is also Steering Committee member of the Tampa Bay Clean Cities Coalition

(TBCCC). The U.S. Department of Energy is funding his research projects in hopes to

reduce the cost of algae-based biofuel production. I will be able to use a good portion of

this interview to supplement my paper to show how new alternative energy sources can
 Monnin 7

have a positive impact on the environment if done with the intention of saving it.

“The Unlikely, Eccentric Inventor Turning Inedible Plant Life into Fuel.” CBS News, CBS

Interactive, 6 Jan. 2019 www.cbsnews.com/news/marshall-medoff-the-unlikely-

eccentric-inventor-turning-inedible-plant-life-into-fuel-60-minutes/. Accessed 20

January 2019.

In this online news article about a story that aired on a CBS segment of 60

Minutes at the beginning of 2019, where Lesley Stahl interviewed a man named

Marshall Medoff who is an eccentric inventor that found a way to turn inedible plant life

into fuel. This article was written the day the interview aired on CBS and it gave

accurate accounts, relevant interviews and reliable information, coming from scientists

and experts in the field like Robert Armstrong, who is the former head of MIT's chemical

engineering department, and joined Xyleco's board of directors after Medoff told him

about his process using the electron beam accelerator, which is Medoff’s invention of

breaking down biomass. The CBS broadcast and reporter, Lesley Stahl, both have

reputable reputations of reporting accurate and informative information and I trust this

venue. This article and interview will help in my research efforts by providing another

new biomass resource to compare with other alternative energies and how they will

impact our environment.