Study: Biofuels May Disperse More Greenhouse Gases Than Oil

[Woodmonkey]

Study: Biofuels May Disperse More Greenhouse Gases Than Oil

Corn-derived renewable energy sources create more greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, according to a study from an international team of scientists reported in the London Times.

Research findings published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics calculate that corn and rapeseed biodiesels produce up to 70 percent and 50 percent more greenhouse gases respectively than fossil fuels.

The study focues on nitrous oxide, which is 296 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Scientists found that the use of biofuels released twice as much as nitrous oxide as previously realised.

The research was performed by scientists from the U.S. Britain, and Germany and it included Professor Paul Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning ozone scholar.

Corn-based ethanol is the leading biofuel alternative in the US while rapeseed is used in 80 percent of biofuels created in Europe.

The Source