If the Biofuels Platform focuses primarily on issues relating to biodiesel and bioethanol, these are not the only liquid biofuels. The figure below presents an overview of biomass-to-energy conversion pathways.
Figure: Biomass-to-energy conversion pathways
Biofuels such as Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FT-diesel), dimethyl ether (DME), biohydrogen (H2) and to a lesser extent, biomethanol, are among the most promising liquid biofuels in the medium-to-long term. The associated production pathways offer the advantage of being based on the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (wood, grass, agricultural wastes and residues, etc.), available in larger amounts, usually less expensive and with no direct competition with food.
These biofuels (often referred to as "synthetis biofuels" or "synfuels") are today limited to pilot scale applications, or even research and development (R&D) activities, and it will most probably take several years before they can play a significant role on the biofuels market. However, several large-scale projects are currently under way, aimed at developing the first commercial production plants. One of the most ambitious projects iR&Dhis field is the RENEW project, with partners such as Volkswagen, BP and Total.
In parallel to the research on synthesis biofuels, significant R&D activities are also concerned with the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (often referred to as "second generation bioethanol"). In the past few years, several projects of so-called "second generation" (or "cellulosic") bioethanol have been launched, in the European Union (mainly in Scnadinavia), but also and mostly in the United States and in Canada.
