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Large-scale production of crop based
(first generation) biofuels may not be feasible without
adversely affecting global food supply or encroaching on
other important land uses. Because alternatives to liquid
fossil fuels are important to develop in order to address
greenhouse gas mitigation and other energy policy
objectives, the potential for increased use of advanced
(non-crop, second generation) biofuel production
technologies has significant policy relevance. This study
reviews the current status of several advanced biofuel
technologies. Technically, it would be possible to produce a
large portion of transportation fuels using advanced biofuel
technologies, specifically those that can be grown using a
small portion of the world's land area (for example,
microalgae), or those grown on arable lands without
affecting food supply (for example, agricultural residues).
However, serious technical barriers limit the near-term
commercial application of advanced biofuels technologies.
Key technical barriers include low conversion efficiency
from biomass to fuel, limits on supply of key enzymes used
in conversion, large energy requirements for operation, and
dependence in many cases on commercially unproven
technology. Despite a large future potential, large-scale
expansion of advanced biofuels technologies is unlikely
unless and until further research and development lead to
lowering these barriers.
