Planting the seeds of an advanced biofuels economy

The authors advocate for a bio-based economy where agriculture and biotechnology provide both food and fuel. They highlight that advanced biofuels, derived from agricultural residues, can replace over 50% of forecasted gasoline demand by 2030 without interfering with the food chain. The text asserts that the technology is currently ready for scale, citing projects in Italy and the USA, and suggests that biomass can eventually replace all oil-derived products, including plastics and chemicals.

• Advanced biofuels, also known as second generation or cellulosic biofuels, can be produced from agricultural residues—such as wheat straw, corn crop, sugarcane residues, and sugar beet leaves—without altering land use or impacting the food chain.
• Based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance data, the global supply potential for agricultural residues will exceed 900 million tonnes by 2030. Utilizing 17.5% of produced residues as feedstock could replace more than 50% of the projected demand for gasoline.
• A bio-based economy can extend beyond fuels to include the production of chemicals and plastics from municipal solid waste, forestry residues, and agricultural residues, potentially replacing all products currently derived from oil.
• The technology for advanced biofuels is currently available and being implemented in large-scale projects, specifically the Crescentino project in Italy (M&G and Novozymes) and Project Liberty in Iowa, USA (POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels).

APA

Sijbesma, F., & Riisgaard, S. (2013). Planting the seeds of an advanced biofuels economy. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/planting-the-seeds-of-advanced-biofuels-economy/

Chicago

Sijbesma, Feike, and Steen Riisgaard. Planting the seeds of an advanced biofuels economy. World Economic Forum, 2013. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/planting-the-seeds-of-advanced-biofuels-economy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Sijbesma |first1=Feike |last2=Riisgaard |first2=Steen |title=Planting the seeds of an advanced biofuels economy |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=24 January 2013 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/planting-the-seeds-of-advanced-biofuels-economy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{sijbesma2013planting, author = {Sijbesma, Feike and Riisgaard, Steen}, title = {{Planting the seeds of an advanced biofuels economy}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/planting-the-seeds-of-advanced-biofuels-economy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }