Feedstocks and challenges to biofuel development

Bioenergy features prominently in most recent scenarios for addressing climate change alongside its accelerated growth in demand for the coming three decades. This requires reliable and consistent supplies of feedstocks. This chapter reviews the different type of biomass and the importance in both liquid and gas biofuel development. The chapter focuses on current feedstocks used in industry and their economical and sustainability challenges as well as emerging feedstocks and their potential. Key challenges associated with first-, second-, and third-generation feedstocks are discussed in the different sections including discussion of emerging technologies that might improve the sustainability or economic viability of certain processes.