UNCTAD releases study saying second-generation biofuels have come of age

In Austria, second-generation biofuels have become a commercial reality, a new UNCTAD report concludes. The report, Second-Generation Biofuel Markets: State of Play, Trade and Developing Country Perspectives, says that this is happening in the context of advanced technologies, economic pressures and a political will to act on climate change.

With a specific focus on cellulosic ethanol, the report provides a wide-ranging review as of 2015–2016 of the second-generation biofuels sector, maps selected cellulosic ethanol projects, and details recent policy developments from around the globe. A key factor in decreasing costs for the industry has been process improvements that have allowed the market to expand, the report says.