Wenzhong Huang

Biomass Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Journal of Energy Bioscience, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 2   doi: 10.5376/jeb.2024.15.0011
Received: 21 Feb., 2024    Accepted: 27 Mar., 2024    Published: 08 Apr., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Huang W.Z., 2024, Agricultural sources of biofuels: selection and optimization of energy crops, Journal of Energy Bioscience, 15(2): 108-117 (doi: 10.5376/jeb.2024.15.0011)

The increasing demand for sustainable and renewable energy sources has led to significant research into biofuels derived from agricultural sources. This study explores the selection and optimization of energy crops for biofuel production, focusing on their environmental impact, economic viability, and potential for large-scale implementation. Various energy crops, including first-generation food crops like corn and sugarcane, second-generation lignocellulosic biomass, and third-generation microalgae, are evaluated for their efficiency in biofuel production. The review highlights the advantages of using non-food crops such as Miscanthus, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum, which can grow on marginal lands and have high biomass yields. Additionally, the environmental benefits of using perennial grasses and short-rotation woody crops for soil improvement and carbon sequestration are discussed. The study also addresses the challenges associated with biofuel production, such as land use changes, carbon debt, and the need for advanced technologies to enhance yield and sustainability. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state and future prospects of agricultural biofuels, emphasizing the importance of selecting appropriate energy crops and optimizing their cultivation to meet global energy demands sustainably.

Biofuels; Energy crops; Biomass; Sustainability; Carbon sequestration