Research must continue on biofuel technologies, says panel

Despite recent questions over the feasibility of biofuels, research into future biofuel technologies must go ahead. In order to reap the quickest and most sustainable results, an integrated approach involving all stakeholders should be taken. These were the resounding messages from a panel discussion on future research needs at an international conference on biofuels, which took place in Brussels on 6 July.

‘The feedstocks used to produce first generation fuels are not sustainable,’ said panellist Carlos Cabrera, President and CEO of UOP, a company specialising in refinery processing technology. ‘286,000 square kilometres, or the combined area of Belgium and Germany, would be required to cultivate the amount of feedstock necessary to make a penetration of 10% in existing fuel markets. This leads to emerging issues, like food supply, land and water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity and soil erosion.’
Given the serious charges levelled at them, are biofuels then really worth the effort? Mr Cabrera believes so. ‘These issues do not mean that the development of a biofuels industry is not something to pursue and these issues do not mean it is a bad thing for certain countries to do, what it does mean is that these products need to be understood on world impact basis and on a regional basis, and have to be put into the context of the other sectors which are so important to mankind,’ noted Mr Cabrera.

Panellists unanimously agreed that while research should focus on improving current first-generation biofuels and their management, ultimately these should not be perceived as the end to the solution. Instead they should be viewed as a stepping stone towards the next generation of biofuels. These so-called ’second generation fuels’ can be produced from non-food sources such as agricultural wastes (straw) and waste wood chippings. It is estimated that these fuels could have a much smaller carbon footprint than their ancestors.

‘The biofuels industry is a marriage between two sectors that historically had little to do with one another: agriculture and oil fuels,’ said panellist Fabrizio Barbaso, Deputy Director-General of Energy and Transport at the European Commission. ‘This marriage has lots of potential to produce exciting offspring. So far we have only explored a little of this potential. Many commentators are looking to so-called second generation biofuels to deliver better security of supply, by using new feedstocks like waste and cellulosic material, better greenhouse gas savings, and a lower environmental impact.’

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