Biofuels are a viable substitution for oil-derived fuels in the transport sector. However, the substitution of fossil fuels with first generation biofuels raises many concerns with regards to their ecological and social sustainability, and to the net savings of greenhouse gases with respect to conventional fossil fuels. To become a real contributor to the energy market, second and third generation biofuels still have to overcome many barriers.
Decrease in costs can be obtained by increasing plants scale, enhancing the efficiency of the conversion, reducing feedstock costs, or developing entirely new conversion processes. As for feedstocks, there is a strong need to increase availability of biomass supply and to move from food-derived feedstocks to residues and non-food biomasses. The ICARUS survey aimed at investigating all these issues.
The report presents all the information and data collected through the interviews to 15 leading international experts. The report also provides relevant information for the policy making process and can be used as better input data in integrated assessment and energy models.
- Download the Report [pdf-95,2 Kb]