Reducing the Energy Carbon Content - Energy and Climate: How to Achieve a Successful Energy Transition - page 80

The USA announced an extremely ambitious objective of 30%biofuels
in the transport sector in 2030.
Ethanol is by far the most extensively used biofuel worldwide. It is
produced by fermentation of sugar, obtained from plants such as sugar
cane and sugar beet. Production of ethanol from sugar cane is widespread
in Brazil, a countrywhich has considerably developed the use of ethanol as
a fuel. It can also be produced from starch derived from cereals such as
maize and wheat. The sugar required for the fermentation step is obtained
beforehand from starch under the effect of an enzyme. The production of
ethanol from cereals, in particular maize, is mainly carried out in the USA,
which is the second major ethanol producer.
Ethanol can be used in gasoline engines. In Europe, however, it is
widely used as ETBE, a compound formed with isobutene, so that it can
be more easily incorporated into gasoline. In the future, direct use of
ethanol as fuel is likely to take off with the use of engines,

already widespread in Brazil, the USA and Sweden, and launched
officially in France at the beginning of 2007: flex-fuel vehicles can run
on traditional gasoline, E85 fuel containing 85% ethanol (superethanol),
or a mixture of the two in any proportions after filling up in different
service stations.
The global production of ethanol reached 40Mt in 2006, including
75% for applications as fuel, the largest share of the production being
concentrated in Brazil and the USA. Its share in energy terms represents
more than 80% of the biofuels market (83% in 2006).
In Europe, vegetable oil methyl ester (VOME), obtained from rape seed
oil or sunflower oil, is currently the most widely used biofuel, as it can be
incorporated in diesel fuel, for which the demand in the EuropeanUnion is
higher than for gasoline.
Up to 5%VOME can be incorporated in diesel fuel without the need for
any significant engine modifications. Higher incorporation levels are
possible, but the engine must be modified accordingly.
An area equivalent to 30-40% of the current agricultural land [68],
whether in Europe or the USA, would have to be dedicated to biofuel if
production is to reach a level equivalent to 10% of fuel consumption,
which seems neither possible nor acceptable.
The competition for land usewith crops needed for food production has
generatedmuch debate about biofuels. It is therefore essential to be able to
produce biofuels from a feedstock which cannot be used for food
applications.
Since it is not processed for human food, the use of lignocellulosic
biomass (wood, agricultural waste such as straw from cereals and

flex-fuel