TABLE OF CONTENTS To secure a quality life for current and future generations, sufficient land, water, and energy must be available (Pimentel and Pimentel, 2006). By 2030, the world is projected to consume two-thirds more energy than today, with developing countries replacing the industrialized world as the largest group of energy consumers (Dorian et al., 2006). Energy consumption clearly is an important factor in future energy planning. In this century, green energy consumption may become an important parameter for indicating social, industrial, economical, and technological development (Ermis et al., 2007).
Therefore, the issue is not whether renewable biofuels will play a role in providing energy for transportation but to what extent and the implications of their use for the economy, for the environment, and for global security.
The rapidly growing interest in biofuels is being fueled by the realization that biofuels represent the only large near-term substitute for the petroleum-based fuels. As a result, biofuels are poised to be the potential solution to some very pertinent issues, such as rising oil prices, increasing national and global insecurity, climate instability, and local as well as global pollution levels.
The method chosen for biofuel production will be determined in part by the characteristics of the biomass available for processing. The majority of terrestrial biomass available is typically derived from agricultural plants and from wood grown in forests, as well as from waste residues generated in the processing or use of these resources. The primary barrier to utilizing this biomass is generally...
