Biofuels for Transport
Luiz Augusto Horta Nogueira, Gláucia Mendes Souza, Luı́s Augusto Barbosa Cortez, C. H. Brito Cruz
Abstract
Biofuels for transport are extensively used in the world today. In 2017,143.3 billion liters of biofuels were produced across the globe, responding for a little over 3 EJ. The International Energy Agency affirms, in their analysis for a future scenario limiting Earth's average temperature rise to 2°C, that “modern bioenergy is an essential component of the future low carbon global energy system if global climate change commitments are to be met.” The two-degree scenario requires the use of 29.6 EJ of biofuels, along with several other renewable energy sources, by 2060, or 29% of the total world energy usage. While Brazil obtained impressive results using first generation bioethanol to substitute gasoline, not all countries have access to significant portions of agricultural land, so that new technologies for processing cellulosic biomass will be essential for the expansion of this type of renewable fuel. Large-scale use of biofuels requires appropriate sustainable technologies to avoid competition with food production and harm to the environment and environmental services.