Biofuels Innovation Callenge

4.
Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge

Our objective: To develop ways to produce, at scale, widely affordable, advanced
biofuels for transportation and industrial applications.
Use of fossil fuels in transportation and industrial production contributes up to 35% of global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although sustainable biofuels can have an important role to play in
tackling these emissions, many of the most exciting biofuels remain at the pre-commercial stage of
development. The Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge aims to accelerate biofuels research,
development and demonstration in order to achieve performance breakthroughs and cost reductions
with the potential to substantially lower GHG emissions.
The Issue
Advanced, or second generation, biofuels can be produced from non-food biological materials
(biomass) such as forest and farming residues and other waste materials, specially grown high yield
plants or algae, and refined into fuels for use in transportation or industry.
If managed sustainably, biofuels are a renewable energy resource that can contribute significantly less
GHG emissions and other air contaminants than fossil fuels.
If climate targets are to be achieved, especially in the short and medium terms, biofuels have an
important contribution to make. One role is the use of biofuels when zero-emitting electrification
cannot be implemented practically and at a reasonable cost. For some industrial applications which
require high operating temperatures and for some forms of transportation – such as long distance
shipping and aviation where the added weight of batteries makes electrification impractical – biofuels
are the best near term low-carbon renewable alternative to petroleum fuels.
A key challenge for some countries constraining wider adoption of biofuels is the limited availability
of inexpensive biomass, and the high costs of advanced conversion technologies that are at various
stages of development. Research and development aimed at accelerating advanced biofuels
availability must address key challenges ranging from the sustainable generation and supply of
biological feedstocks which takes into account life-cycle impacts and increasing competition for food,
feed and material production, to demonstrating the economic feasibility of technologies to produce
biofuels that meet current fuel specifications and that can be blended with existing fuels.
The Opportunity
The Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge is a key opportunity for governments, researchers and
industry to work together on rapidly accelerating research and development, with the goal of
achieving performance breakthroughs and cost reductions for large scale production of advanced
biofuels.
Increased use of biofuels in transportation and industrial applications will contribute to mitigating
climate change in key areas of the global economy. With global action, the International Energy
Agency (IEA) projects that biofuels could provide around 30% of all transportation fuels by 2050,
thereby avoiding around 2.1 gigatonnes of CO2 emission per year compared to continued use of
www.mission-innovation.net
petroleum-derived fuels. In addition to environmental benefits, biofuels can contribute to energy
security by diversifying the energy mix and by providing a renewable energy resource. Finally, the
Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge provides opportunities to: accelerate adoption of
sustainable practices in agriculture, forestry, and land management; take advantage of mitigation and
adaptation practices that are synergistic; and multiply opportunities for economic development by
growing the market share of advanced biofuels.
Figure: Production of liquid biofuels (barrels per day in 2012) for the largest producing Mission
Innovation countries.
Source: US Energy Information Administration
The Implementation
This Challenge will build on the existing work of individual countries and international institutions,
such as the IEA, to identify and prioritise innovation needs and collaboration opportunities where
research and development can result in significant advances in biofuel technologies. To achieve this,
participating countries will cooperate and collaborate to help governments, private investors, and
researchers accelerate technology development so that advanced biofuels reach global market
penetration in transportation and industrial applications.
www.mission-innovation.net

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4.

Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge

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