BERN, Switzerland, May 22 (UPI) -- A new Swiss study is likely to add fuel to the debate over biofuels because it suggests that the fuels may not be as eco-friendly as believed.
The study, which was commissioned by Swiss authorities, says though biofuels emit fewer greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, their production may be more environmentally harmful than their traditional counterparts, Swissinfo reported Tuesday.
The study was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Environment Office, the Federal Energy Office and the Federal Agriculture Office.
The team that wrote the report studied the production cycles of bioethanol, biomethanol, biodiesel and biomethane. It said producing biofuels was generally more stressful on the environment, and though they emitted up to one-third less carbon dioxide than gasoline or diesel, it was not to call them eco-friendly.
"The energetic efficiency and the resulting reduced emissions of greenhouse gases cannot be the sole criteria for assessing the environmental friendliness of biofuels," said Rainer Zah, one of the authors. "The prefix 'bio' doesn't necessarily mean environment friendly."
The comments were reported by Swissinfo.
The spike in global demand for biofuels has resulted in an increase in demand for crops such as corn that make them. The report says this increased demand for crop will likely mean increased fertilizer use, which hurts soil quality.
It said that slash-and-burn techniques used to clear land for cultivation resulted in increased carbon dioxide emissions.
The report noted, however, that unlike fossil fuels, the production techniques used to make biofuels can be improved to make it more eco-friendly.
