Chapter 1: Production of Fuels from Crops Check Access

Renewable energy can be derived from agricultural crops grown for nonfood uses because they can be used and replaced without irreversibly depleting reserves; this property also makes them a valuable resource in combating climate change. For this reason, renewable materials will continue to grow in importance as replacements for fossil materials used as fuels and as feedstocks for a range of products. Some renewable materials also have particular unique and beneficial properties that can be exploited in a range of products including pharmaceuticals and lubricants.

The concept is centered around a long-term vision “that a significant proportion of the demand for energy and raw materials should be met through the commercial exploitation of science from crops, in a way that stimulates biodiversity and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions and waste – particularly biodegradable waste going to land fill and slows depletion of finite natural resources.”

This chapter presents an overview of the production of fuels from crops in order for the reader to understand the chemical and physical parameters that are involved in the production of such fuels.