Page 374 - Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

338 Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

Crude petroleum Coal and Lignite Natural gas Electricity
3%
8%
42%

47%

Figure 15.2 Source-wise energy consumption during 2014 15.
Source: Energy Statics 2016. (accessed 12.01.19).

and supply of energy. The available natural resources are getting used up at a faster
rate, and moreover, it is creating pressure on the minds of a future generation.
Apart from energy requirement, other problems associated with fossil fuels are the
release of harmful toxic gases to the environment which is responsible for global
warming (Soltes and Milne, 1988).
It is estimated that the population of the world will be around 10 billion by the year
2050 and the energy requirement will also be doubled. The present energy resources
will be unable to meet the future energy needs and thus there is a need to search for a
cleaner, renewable, recyclable, and environment-friendly energy resource for the
upcoming generation. In today’s world, renewable energy (biofuels) is gaining impor-
tance (Kim and Dale, 2015) and biomass is being well thought-out to be a most poten-
tial resource because of its availability in plenty, less, or negligible cost, clean and
sustainable. Main constituents of biomass are mainly cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin,
and other organic extractives which are the elements of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
and have high-energy value. Among the available energy sources, biomass ranks fourth
after coal, petroleum, and natural gas that alone provide 14% 15% of the world’s
energy requirement including 38% 43% to the developing nations (Ertas and Alma,
2010). Other benefits of biomass cover carbon neutral, low sulfur, and nitrogen content
that account for lesser SO x and NO x productions as compared to fossil fuels.
Different forms of biomass are available in India. They are classified based on
their availability in the environment. The different sources of biomass include food
crops, vegetables, energy crops, lignocellulosic wastes, manures, algae, municipal
solid wastes, etc. Classification of different types of biomass in India is presented
in Fig. 15.3.
The production of biofuels from these biomasses has been divided into four dif-
ferent generations.
First generation: Different food crops, such as sorghum, wheat, rice, and corn,
are utilized directly as feedstock for biofuel generation. The major drawback with
this generation is the fight between fuel versus food as it increases the food prices.
Second generation: To overcome the drawbacks of first-generation biofuels and
lignocellulosic wastes, such as organic wastes, wood, crop residues, and sugarcane
bagasse, were used for the generation of biofuels using different techniques.