Best Management Practices for Biofuels

The Oregon Environmental Council offers these best management practices for producing biofuels feedstocks and refining biofuels. It’s essential for the sustainability of the biofuels industry and the health of the planet that producers employ these practices wherever possible.

These best management practices are intended to be used as broad guidelines in areas such as soil management, water use, waste generation, and energy use.  They are not intended to be prescriptive and detailed measures by which producers will gauge the sustainability of their operations. Ideally, a producer would employ all listed criteria. Realistically, a producer will take steps toward achieving best practices in their operations. The most important aspect of this journey is transparency, whereby anyone interested in producers’ operations can determine how closely aligned they are with these guidelines.

Oregon companies SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel and HM3 Ethanol have pledged to follow best management practices for biorefinery operations and to procure feedstocks that have been produced sustainably.

Madison Farms & K.S. Madison, Inc., a producer of oilseed for biodiesel production out of Echo, Ore., has pledged to follow best practices for biofuel feedstock producers.

Best Practices for Biofuel Feedstock Producers

Agricultural Practices

Soil quality and conversation

• Use conservation tillage, cover crops and rotations to cut down on soil erosion and runoff.
• Plant tree buffers or native vegetation along streams to cut down on soil erosion and keep streams cool.
• Build healthy soil through compost or cover crops, thus reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Apply the principles of integrated pest and weed management so that synthetic pesticide and herbicide use is minimized.
• Apply nutrient management planning, where care is taken not to apply more fertilizer than the plants can take up. This will reduce nitrogen runoff and maintain soil health.
• If crop residues are sold as feedstock, leave enough on the field to preserve soil quality and prevent erosion. Use of crop residues should not lead to an increase in fertilizer use.
  

Food crop preservation and land use practices

• Do not displace critical food crops, and rotate biofuel crops with food crops when possible.
• Do not clear native vegetation for biofuels feedstock production. Focus on marginal lands, already cleared land or the diversion of existing production on already cultivated land. Avoid conversion of forests, grasslands or pristine ecosystems for feedstock crops.
• Protect wetlands, woodlands, and other natural areas.
• Avoid the use of genetically modified organisms. If GMOs are used, this practice must be made transparent, so that producers and consumers can make informed decisions.
  

Management practices

• Utilize the highest biofuel blend practical or available in all equipment.
• Optimize and minimize distance from farm to processing facility (e.g., seed crushing) and market.
• Determine baseline energy usage and monitor efficiency to achieve the maximum net energy balance.
• Provide safe and fair working conditions.
• Continuously improve management practices.
  

Water use

• Prioritize selection of crops that do not need irrigation.
• Adopt water-conserving strategies such as mulching, soil moisture monitoring and efficient irrigation systems, based upon weather conditions, soil moisture, and plant need.
• Place buffer strips around waterways to help prevent migration of soil and farm chemicals into surface waters.
• Implement water use planning to help track and monitor water usage and eliminate waste.
  

Oregon is home to three third-party sustainable agriculture certification programs: the Food Alliance, Oregon Tilth and Salmon-Safe. These third-party programs employ certification criteria that align with these best practices.  However, an individual certification may not ensure all best management practices listed here are being followed.

Biomass and Forestry Practices

• Maintain and build soil structure and fertility and conserve water quantity and quality. Perennial biomass crops that enhance and protect soil quality, promote water retention, and reduce nutrient and chemical run-off should be prioritized.
• Collect and utilize residues from timber harvesting (branches, tree tops, small diameter trees, underbrush) wherever possible, while respecting state and federal forest management rules and land use policies.
• Collect and utilize primary mill residuals (sawdust, wood chips, bark and other wood by-products) wherever possible.
• Obtain third-party certification, when feasible, for forest products and management practices.
• Forest management practices must not decrease biodiversity, soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat.
• Do not source biomass from old growth or high conservation value native forests or woodlands, or natural areas of regional and cultural importance.
• Do not declassify or appropriate protected areas for feedstock production and prevent conversion of native ecosystems.
• Do not convert mid- and old-growth natural forests to plantation-style management or short-rotation woody crops.
• Minimize, and eliminate whenever possible, the use of harmful agrochemicals.
• Municipal solid waste should not be used as a biomass resource for biofuels production. In no event should solid waste be combusted to produce fuels and energy products.
  

Best Practices for Biorefineries

Feedstock

• Source feedstocks ideally from third-party certified farmers and foresters or from other sources trusted to follow best management practices. Use guidelines in this document for agriculture, biomass, and forestry practices.
• Design the biorefinery with flexibility to handle multiple feedstocks.
• Locate the biorefinery in close proximity to primary feedstock(s). 
• Locate the biorefinery near efficient transportation to markets, such as rail and barge transport.
  

Coproducts

• Produce economically viable, environmentally friendly coproducts.
• If possible, don’t dry the distiller’s grains, but rather sell wet distiller’s grains directly to nearby markets.
  

Energy

• Use the cleanest, most efficient source of energy to power the biorefinery, ideally renewable energy. Utilize on-site generation where possible, and purchase green power from the utility or third-party provider to the extent feasible. By no means use coal to power the biorefinery.
• Audit energy use and establish a baseline for continued improvement.
• Increase plant efficiency to reduce energy consumption.
• Employ cogeneration (combined heat and power) using waste energy from a third party (co-locating to use waste steam, landfill gas) whenever possible.
• Use passive solar, day lighting, and energy efficient lighting.
• Monitor energy consumption (Kwh/gallon output, BTU/gallon output) and energy balance actively.
  

Water conservation, quality, and effluent management

• Maximize efficient water use by recycling water and using production processes that minimize water use.
• Protect water quality by discharging only pollutant-free wastewater that does not disturb the temperature of the receiving waters.
• Monitor effluent for acceptable levels, including, but not limited to,

1. fats, oils, grease
2. biological oxygen demand
3. total suspended solids
4. chemical oxygen demand
5. pH levels
   

• Discharge process water to municipal waste treatment facilities, treat and apply to land, send to commercial composting facilities, treat and re-use, evaporate on site, or handle in another environmentally responsible manner.
  

Waste and Emissions

• Eliminate waste where possible,
• Inventory and analyze solid and liquid waste.
• Handle waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
• Measure methanol efficiency and reduce fugitive emissions (applicable to biodiesel production).
• Eliminate off gassing from solid and liquid waste products.
• Establish measures for continued improvement.
  

Materials sourcing

• Operate efficient used equipment when possible.
• Use LEED certification as a guideline for construction where applicable.
• Use renewable chemicals such as bio-methanol or bio-ethanol when available.
• Use recycled methanol or ethanol from other industrial sources when available.
• Source materials as well as office supplies from local businesses. When unavailable, use regional and finally domestic resources.
  

Social equity and sustainable economy

• Ensure fair wages and a safe work environment for workers at biodiesel production facilities.
• Integrate local communities into the development of the biofuel industry.
• Communities and farmers producing biodiesel should have, to the greatest extent possible, ownership of biodiesel production and processing facilities.
• Retain income generated from biodiesel production, to the greatest extent possible, within local producing communities from the feedstock to processing.
  

Product quality

• Ensure biofuels are produced to meet or exceed the highest applicable quality standards.

OEC would like to thank the following organizations for their work on certification processes and best practices.  Many of their principles are reflected in this document.

• Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance
• Food Alliance
• Salmon-Safe
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Friends of the Earth U.S.