Life cycle analysis (LCA) is the standard approach used to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of biofuels. However, it is increasingly recognized that LCA results do not account for some impacts including land use changes that have important implications on GHGs. Thus, an alternative...

We extend data envelopment analysis (DEA) to decompose the economic efficiency of a sample of ethanol plants into internal (technical and allocative) and boundary (marketing) sources. This decomposition allows us to evaluate the channels through which different plant characteristics affect plant...

In the corn ethanol industry, the ability of plants to obtain favorable prices through marketing decisions is considered important for their overall economic performance. Based on a panel of surveyed of ethanol plants we extend data envelopment analysis (DEA) to decompose the economic efficiency...

Life cycle analysis (LCA) is the standard approach used to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of biofuels. However, it is increasingly recognized that LCA results do not account for some impacts including land use changes that have important implications on GHGs. Thus, an alternative...

Life cycle analysis (LCA) is the standard approach used to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of biofuels. However, it is increasingly recognized that LCA results do not account for some impacts-including land use changes-that have important implications on GHGs. Thus, an alternative...

This article examines the cost of reducing CO2 emissions in a sample of recently built dry-grind corn ethanol plants. The analysis estimates a translog minimum value function that represents both the minimum cost and the minimum CO2 emissions for given levels of ethanol production. The results...

This article examines the cost of reducing CO2 emissions in a sample of recently built dry-grind corn ethanol plants. The analysis estimates a translog minimum value function that represents both the minimum cost and the minimum CO2 emissions for given levels of ethanol production. The results...

Life cycle analysis (LCA) is the standard approach used to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of biofuels. However, it is increasingly recognized that LCA results do not account for some impacts—including land use changes—that have important implications on GHGs. Thus, an...

Although challenges like global climate change and oil depletion will increasingly drive fuel selection, increasing bioenergy use is only one of many possible responses to these problems. Present biomass liquid fuels are almost all derived from food crops, but their potential for further...

The passage of U.S. laws mandating and subsidizing advanced cellulosic biofuels may spur the development of a commercial cellulosic biofuels industry. However, a cellulosic industry will only develop if the overall economics including government incentives render investment in the sector...