Passage-1
Biomass as fuel for power, heat, and transport has the highest mitigation potential of all renewable sources. It comes from agriculture and forest residues as well as from energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is a long-term reliable supply delivered to the power plant at reasonable costs; the key problems are logistical constraints and the costs of fuel collection. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may have undesirable impacts on food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to the physical impacts of a changing climate. Projections of the future role of biomass are probably overestimated, given the limits to the sustainable biomass supply, unless breakthrough technologies substantially increase productivity. Climate-energy models project that biomass use could increase nearly four-fold to around 150 – 200 exajoules, almost a quarter of world primary energy in 2050. However, the maximum sustainable technical potential of biomass resources (both residues and energy crops) without disruption of food and forest resources ranges from 80 – 170 exajoules a year by 2050, and only part of this is realistically and economically feasible. In addition, some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions and to buy some time during the first half of the century.
Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol, mainly for transport, may aggravate rather than ameliorate carbon emissions on a life-cycle basis. Second generation biofuels, based on lignocellulosic feedstocks – such as straw, bagasse, grass and wood – hold the promise of sustainable production that is high-yielding and emit low levels of greenhouse gases, but these are still in the R and D stage.
In the context of using biomass, which of the following is/are the characteristic/ characteristics of the sustainable production of biofuel ?
1. Biomass as a fuel for power generation could meet all the primary energy requirements of the world by 2050.
2. Biomass as a fuel for power generation does not necessarily disrupt food for forest resources.
3. Biomass as a fuel for power generation could help in achieving negative emissions, given certain nascent technologies.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer :
2 and 3 only
Solution :
The correct option is 2 and 3 only.
Let us analyze each statement based on the provided passage to understand why statements 2 and 3 are correct while statement 1 is incorrect:
Analysis of Statement 1:
Statement 1 claims that "Biomass as a fuel for power generation could meet all the primary energy requirements of the world by 2050."
The passage states that: "Climate-energy models project that biomass use could increase nearly four-fold to around 150 – 200 exajoules, almost a quarter of world primary energy in 2050."
Since 150 – 200 exajoules is only "almost a quarter" (approximately 25%) of the world's primary energy in 2050, biomass cannot meet all (100%) of the primary energy requirements. Therefore, Statement 1 is incorrect.
Analysis of Statement 2:
Statement 2 claims that "Biomass as a fuel for power generation does not necessarily disrupt food for forest resources."
The passage states: "However, the maximum sustainable technical potential of biomass resources (both residues and energy crops) without disruption of food and forest resources ranges from 80 – 170 exajoules a year by 2050..."
This indicates that it is possible to harvest and utilize a certain amount of biomass (80 – 170 exajoules) sustainably without causing disruption to food and forest resources. Thus, disruption is not an inevitable consequence of biomass utilization, making Statement 2 correct.
Analysis of Statement 3:
Statement 3 claims that "Biomass as a fuel for power generation could help in achieving negative emissions, given certain nascent technologies."
The passage states: "In addition, some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions..."
Here, "biomass-based carbon capture and storage" represents the nascent (unproven) technology, and the passage explicitly states it is relied upon "to achieve negative emissions". Therefore, Statement 3 is correct.
Since statements 2 and 3 are correct and statement 1 is incorrect, the correct option is "2 and 3 only".
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