Future prospects for biofuels

Abstract In recent years, global production of biofuels has increased dramatically, mainly due to a combination of government policy initiatives and increasing oil prices. This phenomenon has been most marked in highly energy consuming regions such as the European Union and North America, and in primary producer regions such as Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia. In this artic e the nature of major existing biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel, and their agricultural sources will be discussed. The future prospects for 2nd generation' fuels such as biohydrogen and feedstocks such as lingo-cellulosic biomass will then be examined. Finally, the broader aspects of biofuels and their long-term future will be critically examined in the context of global food production, population growth, fossil carbon substitution, and climate change.