The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Targeted Research Project: Assessments and Guidelines for Sustainable Liquid Biofuel Production in Developing Countries, aims to identify and assess sustainable systems for the production of liquid biofuels both for transport and stationary applications. Jointly lead with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the project will specifically provide policy recommendations to the GEF by filling in the knowledge gaps on sustainable biofuel pathways for developing countries.

The Research

Recognizing that biofuel pathways differ considerably, the research has been framed and is undertaken using a settings approach. These "settings" have been defined as a generic representation of combining fuel chains ("life-cycles") with socioeconomic (e.g. ownership structure, intensity and scale of production) and environmental (geo- and biophysical, climatic) categories. The following feedstocks (with reference between parentheses to the liquid fuels they will be converted to) were selected, as they are considered to be the most dominant for developing countries:

• Sugarcane (1st and next generation EtOH);
  
  
• Cassava (EtOH);
  
  
• Palm (FAME, SVO);
  
  
• Energy grass (next generation EtOH, BTL);
  
  
• Soy (FAME, SVO);
  
  
• SRC: short rotation coppice (BTL);
  
  
• Jatropha (FAME, SVO);
  
  
• Organic waste such as rice straw (next generation EtOH).
  

The study is comprised of several in-depth research components including: methodology & work plan, life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment, economics, environment, social / food, next generation liquid biofuels, fuel/vehicle compatibility, stationary applications, scale up and integration. Each of these research components will be made available to the public in the Fall 2011.

A GEF Project Screening Tool

Beyond the research project, the project team has worked to develop a biofuels screening tool for GEF project proposals. The objective of the project screening tool is to enable the GEF and its Implementing Agencies (IA) to assess rapidly whether or not Project Identification Forms (PIF) (i.e. a brief project proposal to the GEF) meets the goals set forth by the GEF. These goals are called Global Environmental Benefits (GEB) and indicate whether or not a project will provide positive, concrete benefits to the environment. The tool can also be used by applicants in GEF eligible countries to improve their applications and PIFs. The GEF project screening tool can be found here.

Partner Institutions

Both the project and the project screening tool benefitted considerably from several world-renowned research institutes including:

• Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU)
  
  
• Oeko-Institut (Institute for Applied Ecology)
  
  
• Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation

Related Documents

Project Screening Tool
(PDF - 703 KB)