Industrial Perspectives of the Three Major Generations of Liquid and Gaseous-based Biofuel Production

Abstract

Different generational approaches towards producing biofuels have been established over the years as there is an urgent need to find an alternative to fossil fuels. Most of the developing nations and the countries prioritizing agriculture have achieved commercial production and consumption of biofuels instead of non-renewable resources and therefore significantly avoid serious environmental impacts. But this is not applicable globally, the cheap cost of fossil fuels has been a barrier in the industrial part of biofuel production and its wide-scale application. In order to overcome this barrier, bioprospecting of potential bioenergy sources and research on producing better, convenient, and cost-effective biofuels are the goals set by researchers as we move towards an eco-friendly world. This chapter will provide some insights into the commercial production process including the upstream and downstream parameters involved in the first three generations of biofuels. These biofuels comprise of liquid-based fuels, i.e., bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel, and gaseous-based fuels which includes biomethane and biohydrogen. Second-generation biofuel is the most sustainable generation of all currently, as cellulose is widely available. Selection and pretreatment are the key processes in second-generation biofuel as they have an impact on the cost of production. Third-generation biofuel has a major advantage as it can be coupled to treat wastewater and produce biofuel as well. Studies have shown that microalgae growing in wastewater generate more biomass and it is economical.