THE ETHICS
BEHIND
BIOTECHNOLOGY
IN A SUSTAINABLE BIOFUEL FUTURE
MARIAH CUSHMAN
B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST LOUIS 2015
JUNE 5, 2012 UNICAMP, BRAZIL
OVERVIEW
• Ethics of biofuels
• Food versus Fuel
• Environment versus Fuel
• Biotechnology’s role in a sustainable biofuel future
• Ethics of biotechnology
ETHICS IN BIOFUELS
There are 1.02 billion hungry people
US Census Bureau
FOOD VERSUS FUEL
Points of Concern
• Food prices
• 2008 USA: Price of oil seeds and food
prices proportional
• Land competition
• Corn belt increase by 1.6 million acres
by 2016
• Environmental impact
• Conversion of land, fertilizers
• Farmer welfare
United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/march09/features/biofuels.htm
FOOD VERSUS FUEL
“It depends on the feedstock”
2011: Farmers grew 92.3 million acres of
corn in the USA
USA corn production for ethanol
• 2001: 7.5%
• 2007: 22.6 %
• 2016: predicted to be 35%
Cellulosic feedstock
• Miscanthus 18 million acres vs. Corn
grain 70 million acres
Biofuels Digest and
US Department of Agriculture
ENVIRONMENT VERSUS FUEL
Professor Tang: “Some-sense” of Biofuels
• Good profit – bio separation process
• Three US Department of Research
Bioenergy Research Centers
• GLBRC
• BESC
• JBEI
JBEI: http://www.jbei.org/about/
OVERVIEW
• Ethics of biofuels
• Food versus Fuel
• Environment versus Fuel
• Biotechnology’s role in a sustainable biofuel future
• Ethics of biotechnology
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN BIOFUELS
Biotechnology: Involves use of living organisms and bioprocesses in
engineering and other fields requiring bio-products
Agricultural Bio Forum
BIOTECHNOLOGY
cellulose
lignin
hemicellulose
Focus on biotech
• Pretreatment
• Break down cell wall
• Open lignin shield
• Break down crystalline cellulose
• Genetic modification of plants
OVERVIEW
• Ethics of biofuels
• Food versus Fuel
• Environment versus Fuel
• Biotechnology’s role in a sustainable biofuel future
• Ethics of biotechnology
GMO BENEFITS
• Pesticide reduction
• 3 million cases of poisoning in
2000 (WHO)
• 2.6 million metric tons used (WRI)
• HT Canola ~ max 54% weed
control savings (DGA)
• Reduced maturation time
• Efficient processing
• 2008: GM corn planted in ~ 80%
US fields (WRI)
• Bt Corn: Overall 9% increased
yield (DGA)
• Food security
World Resource Institute
Human Genome Project
Directorate General for agriculture
ETHICS OF BIOTECH
• Genetically Modified Plants/GMOs
• 2006: 252 million acres planted in 22
countries
• Farmer Welfare
•
•
Seed sterility
300,000 farmers vs Monsanto
• Superweeds
•
Cross contamination
• Health Effects & Safety
•
•
•
•
Unknown effects
Loss of biodiversity
Allergens
Antibiotic resistance marker transfer
Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association
Human Genome Project
ETHICS IN BIOTECH
• Solves large problems of
biofuel ethics
• Environment versus Fuel
• Food versus Fuel
BIOFUELS OR NO BIOFUELS?
-
“It depends on the feedstock”
-
GM Plants for fuel crops vs food crops are different
-
Need an alternate source of energy