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Biofuels

Oil-derived petroleum and diesel are currently the main resources to fuel transport vehicles. Oil is also one of the key materials used to produce chemicals, heating and electricity. However concerns over the adverse environmental impacts of using fossil fuels and increasing uncertainty over price and availability have driven the search for alternatives. Biofuels are one of the principal alternatives to fossil fuels in the transport sector.

What are biofuels?

Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuels derived from renewable biomass. Depending upon the biomass feedstock and the technology used, biofuels can be broadly classified as being first generation or advanced biofuels.

First generation biofuels typically use food-based feedstocks such as sugar cane, corn, wheat, oil seed rape, used cooking oils or sugar beet. Ethanol is produced through the fermentation of plant-derived sugars using a similar process to that used in alcohol production, while biodiesel is produced by converting plant and animal-oils.

Advanced biofuels (also called second or third generation biofuels) may be derived from waste, agricultural residues, non-food cellulosic materials, lignocellulosic biomass, algae and food based crops. Advanced biofuels are at varying stages of development around the world: they have the potential to avoid or minimize competition for agricultural land and thus overcome the food versus fuel debate. Also, they can be produced in significant quantities so they have the potential to become cost-competitive.

Advanced biofuels can be produced by two main routes

• A thermochemical route where the biomass is treated at high temperature and/or pressure to release carbon compounds which are then converted to biofuels,
• A biochemical route where enzymes are used to break down the biomass to sugars which are then fermented with the aid of microorganisms.

In 2011, 14 Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent (MTOE) of biofuels were used in Europe. Biodiesel made up 77% of this total, bioethanol reached 21.5%, whilst vegetable oils made up only 0.5% of the total.

Currently, biomethane, produced through anaerobic digestion, is the only advanced biofuel produced on a commercial scale in the EU, making up 0.5% of total biofuels use, but its use is largely restricted to Sweden. Other advanced biofuels are expected to become available commercially from 2013 onwards.

Biofuel targets to 2020 have been set by each EU member state and are outlined in their National Renewable Energy Action Plan. This data shows that biofuels will continue to make up over 90% (around 28.9 MTOE) of renewable energy demand in 2020, with the remaining 3.1 MTOE being met by renewable electricity.

Biofuels used in the EU must conform to strict criteria to ensure that their production and use do not cause any harm to the environment or negative social effects. These criteria incentivize a shift from first generation biofuels to advanced biofuels where the environmental impacts are more favourable.

What are the advantages of biofuels?

Biofuels present many advantages over the fossil fuels which they replace.

Biofuels contain carbon which has been recently taken from the atmosphere. So when the biofuels are burnt, it does not add to the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels.

In most cases, advanced biofuels using wastes and residues have considerable greenhouse gas (GHG) savings, for example in fossil-based biofuels used for transport, and even first generation biofuels. However, depending upon the feedstock and conversion technology used, the magnitude of these advantages can greatly depend upon the biofuel in question, as shown in the diagram below.

Based on JEC - Joint Research Centre-EUCAR-CONCAWE collaboration Well-to-wheels Analysis of Future Automotive Fuels and Powertrains in the European Context. WTW Appendix 1. Summary of WTW Energy and GHG Balances 2011.

In the future it is likely that even greater GHG and energy savings may occur as production technologies are optimized and new feedstock and energy sources become available. The use of biofuels can improve air quality as the combustion process is cleaner than burning fossil-derived fuels, releasing fewer toxins and less carbon. In the future, it is expected that biofuels will be significantly cheaper than fossil fuels which will become increasingly scarce, with a consequent peak in price.

Biofuels are derived from biomass materials. The sale of residual biomass derived from the land, for example waste wood and straws, can increase farmer and landowner incomes and increase rural employment. Where waste materials are used, for example municipal solid wastes, this can help avoid landfill and generate added value.

What is the role of biotechnology?

Industrial biotechnology has a crucial role to play in the biofuels industry, both in producing feedstock but also in converting biomass to biofuels.

Biotechnology can develop crops with increased biomass yield. It can also help reduce potential biomass losses in crops from biotic (insect, viruses, etc.) and abiotic (environmental such as drought, wind, salinity) natural threats and it helps to reduce inputs of polluting fertilizers and pesticides.

Biotechnology can aid the development of novel crops which are able to grow in more challenging environments such as degraded land. It can improve crop quality, for example by increasing yields of desirable compounds such as cellulose content.

Industrial biotechnology has a key role in the development of biochemical advanced biofuels, developing novel microorganisms and enzymes which are able to maximize the efficiency of biomass breakdown and sugar release. It also contributes to develop microorganisms capable of converting these sugars to biofuels. Industrial biotechnology also plays a crucial role in the improvement of hybrid thermochemical/biochemical systems where a syngas, produced through a thermochemical route, is converted via microorganisms to a biofuel.

The increased focus of the EU on the sustainability and GHG balance of biofuels favours the rapid development of advanced biofuels from waste and residue materials. Industrial biotechnology is one of a series of vital technologies facilitating the development of advanced biofuels, and improving their already impressive environmental friendliness.

More information on

Innovation Union (2013) Next-generation biofuels– Babethanol Project
AFP (2012) Biofuels: the Green Alternative
UFOP (2012) Sustainabilityof Biofuels
University of Minnesota (2009) Biofuels: The next generation
Joint Bioenergy Institute (2013) Breakthrough: Using Microbes to Make Advanced Biofuels
EuropaBio (2013) Fuel from Agricultural Residues