Page 40 - Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment

Ecofuel feedstocks and their prospects 17

Fig. 2.1 2010–17 biodiesel production trend in selected EU countries [6].
(3) Reaching 40% of the total fuel use in aviation with low CO 2 emission fuels by 2050. By the
same date, cutting 40% of maritime navigation CO 2 emissions.
Biodiesel is and will be, according to the European Commission, the main biofuel
source (66% of total renewable energy for transport in 2020), followed by bioethanol.
Other biofuels (e.g., biomethane, biohydrogen) will likely have little to almost no con-
tribution. This chapter analyzes the current role of biofuel (biogas, biodiesel, and bio-
ethanol, in particular) feedstocks, considering the social and environmental
sustainability of current policies and their future prospects.

2.2 Different feedstocks for different biofuel-generations

Feedstock, the primary “ingredient” of biofuels, has undergone some drastic transfor-
mations since the first attempts at biofuel production. A biofuel is ultimately derived
from the starch, sugar, cellulose, and animal or vegetable fats and oils provided by
various feedstocks. Differentiation between first-, second-, and third-generation
biofuels is now commonly adopted to indicate the original feedstock provenance.
However, the general structure of the biofuel itself does not change according
to-generations, but rather by the specific sources from which it is derived. Corn,
wheat, soybeans, vegetable oils, and sugar cane were the most commonly used
first-generation biofuel feedstocks, consisting of, or directly derived from, food crops.
These feedstocks were expensive, requiring intense growth specifications, competing
directly with food supply and arable land for that purpose, and raising ethical and sus-
tainable development issues, such as unbearable staple food price increases in devel-
oping countries and land use transformation from old growth forest. In addition, their
use led to other environmental problems such as soil and water contamination,
increased GHG emissions (when planted outside traditional agricultural settings),