Technology Roadmap - Biofuels for Transport

The production of transport fuels from biomass, in either liquid or gaseous form, holds the promise of a low net fossil-energy requirement and low life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are many hurdles to the expansion of biofuels production, including competition for agricultural commodities and land, and impacts on water resources and biodiversity. The successful development of advanced biofuels technologies, using non-food biomass feedstocks, could help overcome most barriers and achieve sustainable, very low CO2, cost-effective biofuels. The IEA Biofuels for Transport roadmap describes the steps necessary to achieve the ambitious biofuel projections presented in the Energy Technology Perspectives 2010 Blue Map scenario. Under this scenario, biofuel demand increases rapidly, reaching approximately 760 Mtoe in 2050, a share of 27% of total transport fuel. This roadmap identifies the major barriers, opportunities, and policy measures for policy makers, industry, and financial partners to accelerate RDD&D efforts for sustainable biofuel technologies and thus ensure sustainable feedstock provision on both a national and international scale.