ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the results of two studies; first, the best known and most cited is the work done by M. A. DeLuchi entitled Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from the Use of Transportation Fuels and Electricity. The second was conducted by an interlaboratory (IL) group that comprises the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory entitled Fuel Cycle Evaluations of Biomass-Ethanol and Reformulated Gasoline. Substituting biomass ethanol for reformulated gasoline in light-duty vehicles has substantial environmental benefits. Greenhouse gas emissions are best characterized by the DeLuchi study, which found a reduction of approximately 2.2 million t of carbon dioxide equivalents per 1 billion L of ethanol. Biomass products that become wastes were originally produced from biomass that utilized atmospheric carbon for growth. The interlaboratory study completed in 1992 compared the emissions for the year 2010 from using reformulated gasoline (RFG) and biomass ethanol in light-duty vehicles.
