Liquid transport biofuels - Technology status report |
Nov 2007
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Concerns over the environmental impact of fossil fuel use, security of supply and the increasing cost of oil have resulted in an increasing desire to develop advanced technologies which will ultimately require the use of biomass as a resource for the production of energy, fuel and chemicals. Increasing interest from both industrial and governmental institutions is evidenced by the rapid development of the biofuels/bioenergy industry throughout the world.
Biofuels currently used in the UK include ethanol produced via the fermentation of sugar / sucrose and biodiesel (FAME) produced via the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with methanol. A number of new UK ethanol facilities are currently under construction or are planned and these are expected to use wheat derived starch as the fermentation feedstock. Both ethanol and biodiesel are established biofuels and specifications exist which define their chemical compositions and blending limits within conventional diesel and gasoline fuels.
These first generation biofuels have the potential to make a significant contribution to greenhouse gas savings in the transport fuel sector. However, a number of factors are driving the development of advanced biofuels technologies which can use lower cost lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks.
In this study, progress in developing advanced liquid biofuel technologies has been reviewed with the aim of providing a technology status report. The study aim was to provide:
- A technology status report with pros and cons of various technologies.
- An indication of timescales.
- An indication of gaps in the technology.
The largest section of the report is a review of advanced technologies for large scale biofuel production.
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