Chemical engineering for bioenergy plants: Concepts and strategies

Although global interest in liquid biofuels for transportation has recently increased, these fuels are not something new. Nearly a century ago automobiles were designed to run on gasoline, ethanol, and blends of these fuels; these were the forerunners of modern flexible-fueled vehicles. The motivation for biofuel use a century ago was different than today. Previously, biofuels were one of a diversity of fuel sources whereas in the modern era of petroleum, biofuels are meant to address a list of issues including global warming, rural economic development, domestic jobs, energy security, and balance of trade. The list of potential transportation biofuels today is much larger than in previous eras, mostly because of advances in biochemical and thermochemical processing technologies, which have also increased the list of possible biomass feedstocks that can be converted.