New Report: Second Generation Biofuels: Companies, Technologies and Market Prospects

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New report: Second Generation Biofuels: Companies, Technologies and Market Prospects

Over the past few years, most of the alternative energy scenarios have nodded in the direction of biofuels as potential alternatives to petroleum as liquid fuels. The continued growth in the global extraction of petroleum – at a rate needed to maintain our lifestyles – is becoming increasingly unlikely. Energy demand will continue to grow, with the centre of gravity of global consumption shifting gradually to emerging economies, notably China and India. At the same time, global warming is increasingly perceived as a problem, discussed by experts and the general public alike. Biofuels could serve as a part replacement for petroleum in coming years.

However 'first-generation' bifuels are not without their problems - in particular expansion of agricultural capacity (meaning damage to rain forests and biodiversity, and loss of a natural carbon sink), and competition between food and biofuel crops (meaning higher food prices and potentially food shortages). So proponents are pinning a lot of hope on ‘second-generation biofuels’ produced from agricultural and forest residues and from non-food energy crops.

Authored by Andrea Marandino and Simon Sherrington, and edited by Danny Dicks, this Innovation Observatory report examines the technical and market challenges to the development of second-generation biofuels - in particular, ethanol derived from ligno-cellulosic feedstocks by both bio-chemical and thermo-chemical pathways. It evaluates the public policy agendas in the US and Europe that are pushing the cellulosic biofuel sector forward, and covers some of the challenges that remain to be overcome before wide-scale deployment is possible. These include: technical, economic and environmental issues; the complexity of impact analysis at this early stage of second generation biofuel development; scale and logistical challenges.

This report also looks at prospects for second-generation biofuel market development and projections for the date at which they will become commercial.

Finally, this report profiles some of the leading players worldwide, ranging from start-ups, funded by venture capital and corporate investors, to new divisions of established companies.

Table of Contents

1 Biofuel trouble
2 Cellulosic ethanol policy
2.1 Government support for cellulosic ethanol in the USA
2.2 Government policy affecting cellulosic ethanol in Europe
3 The direction of technological development
3.1 The bio-chemical pathway
3.2 The thermo-chemical pathway
4 Market prospects
4.1 Technical, economic and environmental issues
4.2 The complexity of impact analysis, and politics
4.3 Scale and logistics challenges
4.4 Second generation biofuels in the future energy mix
5 Market forecasts
6 Case Studies
6.1 Companies developing enzymes
6.1.1 Novozymes
6.1.2 Dyadic
6.1.3 Genencor
6.2 Companies investing in cellulosic ethanol
6.2.1 POET
6.2.2 Abengoa Bioenergy
6.2.3 Iogen Energy Corporation
6.2.4 DuPont Danisco
6.2.5 Verenium
6.2.6 Royal Nedalco
6.2.7 Coskata
6.2.8 Virent Energy Systems
6.2.9 Range Fuels
6.2.10 Mascoma
6.2.11 ZeaChem
6.2.12 Bluefire Ethanol
6.2.13 Qteros
6.2.14 Fulcrum BioEnergy
6.2.15 SEKAB

Second Generation Biofuels: Companies, Technologies and Market Prospects is priced at GBP500 (plus VAT if you are in the UK, plus £5 postage and packing) for a licence for up to five users. The report will be delivered by email as a .pdf file and a hardcopy will be posted to you.

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