White Biotech TP is funded by FP6
Today's applications
Biofuels
Being the cheapest fuel available, petrol derived from oil has until now been the prevailing means to fuel motor vehicles. However, it accounts for 90% of the transport sector CO2 emissions thereby contributing to the greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause global warming, and known reserves of oil continue to decrease.
We currently use fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal for most of our energy needs for transport (road/rail/air) as well as heating and electricity generation. Instead of decreasing the earth’s resources of fossil fuels, biomass can be used as a renewable energy source to produce biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel.
What is a biofuels?
Biofuels can be defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from renewable biomass.
First generation biofuels is produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars to ethanol, using a similar process to that used in beer and wine-making, or by converting plant-oils to biodiesel. Typically feedstock such as sugar cane, corn, wheat, oil seed rape or sugar beet is used. The production of first generation biofuels has increased significantly over the last decade with production quadrupling in volume. Leading countries in the production of first generation biofuels are Brazil and the US.
Advanced biofuels (also called second or third generation biofuels) are those biofuels that have the potential to be produced in significant quantities, deliver a significant lifecycle GHG emission saving, avoid / minimise competition for agricultural land and that have the potential to be economically viable / become cost competitive with conventional fossil fuels. This may include biofuels from waste, agricultural residues, non-food cellulosic materials, ligno-cellulosic biomass, crops grown on marginal land and algae. Second generation biofuels are at varying stages of development. As of today, around 100 installations around the world produce second generation biofuels based on varying technologies. Ethanol based second generation biofuels are at a very advanced stage. It is expected that they will be available at a commercial scale by 2010 and full scale commercialization looks likely to happen in 2011-2012.
Biofuels to replace oil - A video of the European Commission
What is the role of biotechnology?
Industrial biotechnology with its competitive, clean and clever use of bio-based technologies can play a key role in making biofuels more sustainable.
Biotechnology is today one of the most effective and innovative tools we have to meet European targets for biofuel use, while reducing the adverse environmental impacts of transport, and limiting the impact of the increased cultivated land. Biotechnological techniques can help to:
- Increase biomass yield per hectare while reducing the needs for production inputs;
- Improve crop quality (higher biofuels yields);
- Reduce land-use competition through higher productivity and reduced losses from biotic (insect, viruses, etc) and abiotic (environmental such as drought, wind, salinity) stresses;
- Contribute to the cultivation of energy crops in areas with marginal conditions;
- Develop efficient micro-organisms and enzymes to convert the (hemi)cellulose to sugars, which can then be fermented into biofuel.
Biofuels CO2 profile by feedstock (Source: McKinsey; Eucar/Concawe/JRC well-to-wheels study, 2003, 2005)