The Benefits of Biofuels

Biofuels help reduce the carbon footprint of transportation and other industries, by making the most of our planet’s carbon cycle. Every gallon of biofuel that replaces a gallon of fossil fuel helps reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Biofuels work best when they make carbon reduction a priority, meaning the carbon intensity of the processes needed to make them and deliver them to market is recorded and carefully tracked. Only then can the real impact of switching from fossil fuels to biofuels be measured.

A key aspect of tracking biofuels is to review the life-cycle assessment or LCA of each fuel, based on the carbon intensity of its production method, from feedstock to energy intensity of its production process, to the carbon footprint of its delivery, and more.

Advantages of Biofuel

Reviewing the advantages of biofuels compared to fossil fuels, the carbon intensity can be drastically reduced. This is a key consideration, since the historic impact of infrastructure investment and delivery systems for petro-based fuels are based on delivering fossil carbon.

Gevo goes a step further, focusing on decarbonizing the entire process at every step.

• We start by using corn produced using sustainable farming methods that capture carbon and sequester it in the soil.
• Other feedstocks are in our sights, but we examine the carbon intensity of their origins carefully to make sure to optimize the LCA of the biofuel that will result, be it sustainable aviation fuel, isooctane, isobutanol, renewable gasoline or renewable biodiesel.
• To further reduce our carbon intensity we have devised a program to use existing ethanol plants, converting them to our proprietary methods for creating isobutanol.
• We constantly research additional next-generation fuels, and explore untried feedstocks and new production methods.
• Independent, global, multi-stakeholder organizations, including the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, ensure supply chains implement and uphold carbon and sustainability standards through review and certification.