Biofuels: birth of the second generation

Many companies are investing in biofuel production and the UK is likely to meet its target for biofuels to make up 5% of fuel supplies by 2010 through domestic production. However the environmental benefits of first-generation biofuels have been questioned. There have been calls for a biofuels certification scheme to guarantee they produce carbon savings. The amount of agricultural land needed to produce first-generation biofuels would be too high on a large scale. Second-generation biofuels are made using cellulose rich, non-food crops such as straw or wood chips or energy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass. These second-generation biofuels have the potential for reducing transport carbon dioxide emissions. A table is presented of companies investing in the production of second-generation biofuels (biodiesel and bioethanol). The costs of producing biofuels are discussed. Political support for the production of biofuels in the USA, UK and EU is considered.