Second generation biofuels needed - Carotino

13 June 2007 08:57  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Second generation biofuels need to be developed as converting existing vegetable oils will meet only a fraction of total transport needs, U.R. Unnithan, Executive Director Of Carotino Malaysia, said on Wednesday.

Even if all the 150m tonnes of vegetable oil produced globally is converted to biofuel, it would only meet 4% of total transportation fuel requirements of the world, he said in response to a question of the importance of developing new feedstocks at the Asia Biofuels Markets conference.

Second generation biofuels are those where biomass like waste from plant and food use, fibres and shells of plant material would be used as feedstock.

For biofuels to contribute to global fuel pool in a significant way, second generation fuels would have to be developed, said several attendees at the conference.

However, most agreed that it was all a matter of getting the economics right through developing efficient technology for this conversion.

Several upcoming biodiesel facilities are building integrated supply feedstock options in their design which can use new crops like jatropha and newer second generation feedstocks like biomass, some said.

By: Anu Agarwal
+65 6780 4359

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