Advances in biofeedstocks and biofuels

Abstract

Increasing population and urbanisation combined with depleting fossil fuel reserves have resulted in the need for the development of an alternative transport fuel source. Additionally, climate change associated with fossil fuels has resulted in the need for a greener energy source. Biofuels are fuels that are derived from biological sources to be used alone as transport fuel or as part of a fuel blend. Biofuels may provide a solution to the current fuel crisis and their need and potential is well-recognised. Bioethanol is a biofuel produced via the fermentation of sugars. Second generation bioethanol is produced from lignocellulosic biomass found in abundance in agricultural wastes. The complex structure of lignocellulose results in the necessity of a multi-step process encompassing: pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation, and distillation. Process integration is currently the most promising prospect in second-generation technologies, and efforts should now focus more on the optimisation of such integrated processes.