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« BackNews: Experts Debate Biofuel Role In Decarbonisation

Experts Debate Biofuel Role In Decarbonisation

The role biofuel can play in helping to generate energy without pumping more carbon into the atmosphere is sure to be a big issue in the years ahead as the world seeks to meet the Paris Climate Agreement targets. The question is just how big it can be.

As an article inChemistry World highlights, there are areas of both agreement and disagreement between different experts. It compared the views of Randy Delbert Letang, chief executive of SGP Bioenergy, with those of Professor Jhuma Sadhukhan from the University of Surrey.

Mr Letang’s firm, which is building the world’s first biorefinery on the scale of a typical oil refinery, is ambitious about what can be achieved.

However, while this refinery is planned to eventually produce 60,000 barrels of biofuel per day, that will still be only one per cent of the global demand. Mr Letang argued that others need to copy this lead, as otherwise, the 2050 Paris net zero goal will be “unattainable”.

By contrast, Prof Sadhukhan felt the possibilities are more limited, telling the publication: “We do not have enough sustainable biomass to decarbonise every sector.” She noted that growing biofuels means taking up room that could be used for other crops such as food.

Her argument is that using carbon-neutral biomass feedstock that will absorb carbon dioxide by being grown is the best way to make the chemicals sector less carbon-intensive.

Despite this, both agree that biorefineries do have a major role to play in the decarbonisation process.

According tofigures posted on the UK Parliament website in January, biogas accounted for 12.9 per cent of the electricity generated in the UK in 2021. This makes it the second largest source of renewable energy (after wind).

The Parliament website article noted that demand for biogas is set to rise significantly from various quarters in the coming years, not just for energy generation but from sectors such as the aviation industry.

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