Biofuels are fuels made from biological materials. Depending on the feedstock and production method, these fuels can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil fuels. But biofuels are still in their infancy, and there is a risk that crop production for biofuels leads to deforestation or food insecurity.
That is why biofuels should be prioritized for sectors for which decarbonization options are limited, for example shipping, aviation, and chemicals.
“For road as well as heavy transport, electrification makes more sense than using biofuels, because electrification is more cost efficient, and also reduces noise and air pollution” says FCA’s Senior Cleantech Analyist René Severens in a new article in Handelsblatt, the largest and most-cited business and financial newspaper in the German language.
But innovations are giving the bioefuels industry new hope, as Handelsblatt’s Laurin Meyer reports.
“We have seen a lot of progress in recent years in the area of biofuels that are not derived from crops, but rather from cellulosic material or cover crops, for example,” explains Severens.
“These biofuels are currently still in very limited supply. But if deployed efficiently, optimistc voices in industry think such fuels could suffice to meet the demand for sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.”
Learn more about the potential of biofuels, their possible use cases, and the opportunities arising in Handelsblatt (in German, paywall) here.
This article is the latest in the series “Green ideas that might change the world” that Handelsblatt and Future Cleantech Architects co-developed to shed light on some of the most intensively debated cleantech innovations. We are pleased to provide scientific guidance to the series. Stay tuned for new releases!