Mother Earth Investments AG, is actively working on
the development 2nd generation bioenergy feedstocks.
In this book, Mr. Jansen generously shares his
knowledge in the field, in particular, regarding the
challenges and opportunities in development of
biomass-derived fuels. This essential guide to
investing in bioenergy commodities details second
generation biofuels from a scientific, technical and
economic perspective, and discusses their global
environmental, political and financial impact.
The book is structured in 22 chapters and
ends with the glossary and the index. The first chapter
entitled The Commodity Case – Introduction, focuses
on the most valuable commodity in the world: energy.
The evolution of energy resources in the past decades
and the structure of energy consumption are
presented. The risks connected with the oil-based
economy are discussed and the necessity to find
feasible solutions to the energy crisis is underlined.
Chapter 2, First- and Second-Generation Biofuels
contains a comparative discussion on the two types of
biofuels. The author affirms that global biofuel
production has been increasing rapidly over the last
decade, but the expanding biofuel industry has
recently raised important concerns. In particular, the
sustainability of many first-generation biofuels –
which are produced mainly from food crops such as
grains, sugarcane and vegetable oils – has been
increasingly questioned over concerns such as
reported displacement of food-crops, effects on the
environment and climate change. The increasing
criticism of the sustainability of many first-generation
biofuels has raised attention to the potential of socalled
second-generation biofuels. It is underlined
that, depending on the feedstock choice and the
cultivation technique, second-generation biofuel
production has the potential to provide benefits such
as consuming wastes and making use of abandoned
land. In this way, the new fuels could offer
considerable potential to promote rural development
and improve economic conditions in emerging and
developing regions.
Chapter 3, “Biofuels Feedstock: Jatropha
curcas”, is the largest chapter of the book. It
represents a comprehensive coverage of Jatropha
uses for various technological, social and economical
issues. Plant description and properties, growing
conditions, and Jatropa products are largely
discussed. Seeds of this plant are used in the
following products: crude oil, biodiesel/methyl ester,
jet fuel/bio-derived kerosene. Sub-chapter 3.3
presents advantages, risks and challenges of Jatropha.
The considered advantages are: high-quality oil which
is obtained from seeds and Jatropha can grow on
poor soils that are not suitable for other food crop
systems production. The following risks and
challenges are identified: Jatropha is a wild species,
not a domesticated one; yield expectations are very
uncertain; harvesting is very labor-intensive; the plant
contains toxic substances such as toxalbumins and
requires large volumes of water when irrigated.
Opinions of the UN FAO and of the World Bank
regarding the cultivation and processing of Jatropha
are presented in the sub-chapters 3.7 and 3.8,
respectively.
Book Review/Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 12 (2013), 3, 609-611
610
Chapter 4 “Other Biofuel Feedstocks”
reviews the traditional plants and vegetable products
used for biofuel such as: algae, palm oil, Camelina,
Crambe, Moringa, castor, Myscanthus etc. Aspects
regarding benefits and barriers of using these raw
materials in production of biofuel grades are
discussed.
Chapter 5 “Cropping Methods” reviews in
only two pages intercropping and double cropping as
methods of cultivation of two or more crops in close
proximity. Some examples of the subject are
presented.
Chapter 6 is entitled “Socially Responsible
Investing” and deals with the benefits of the money
invested in a community development. The
discussion is centered on the effects of cultivation of
Jatropha on the development of local communities.
The discussion continues in the Chapter 7
“Sustainability”, the idea being that the plantation
operators should accomplish the criteria for a
sustainable biofuel production. One of the most
significant is Chapter 8 entitled “Biomass”, dealing
with its valorization. Biomass is a sustainable source
of energy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
stimulating the development of low carbon energy
technologies. Some considerations regarding current
situation and perspective of using biomass for
renewable energy in Europe are presented.
Carbon credits, as a key component of
national and international emissions trading schemes,
are the subject of Chapter 9. The author anticipates
that the price of carbon credits will increase in the
next years and, as o consequence, importance of
biofuels will increase as well. A number of chapters
are allocated to the biofuel subject in different
regions. An image of the biofuels policy in Europe
and in United States is presented in Chapters 10 and
11, respectively. US have the most dynamic biofuel
industry as the energy is an important theme and the
UD Army plays a big role. The US government is
supporting projects that promote renewable jet fuels
that will reduce US imports of crude oil. US are the
biggest producer of second generation biofuels:
ethanol, methanol, and butanol. United States
Department of Energy selected universities and
companies to conduct research and development of
cost-effective, environmentally friendly biomass
conversion technologies for turning non-food
feedstocks into advanced biofuels.
Chapter 12 contains a large study referring to
biofuel strategy of China. This country is a huge
consumer of energy, being the second largest energy
market in the world. China’s new 12th 5-Year
government plan includes nuclear, wind, solar and
biomass energy expansion. China will be in a short
time the fist car producer and the second aviation
market in the world and for these reasons
development of new energy sources for vehicles and
aviation biofuel is an important target of the Chinese
government. Development of renewable energy is a
necessity for China to achieve its two basic policies in
energy (to increase the use of non-fossil fuels) and the
environment (to reduce carbon intensity). The author
underlines the huge potential of this country to
develop biofuels industry. China owns of large
surfaces of land unsuitable for agriculture that
appropriate for cultivation for second generation
biofuels, but supportive measures are necessary. In
this field, Chinese government recently announced
flexible subsidies and financial support for farmers
who plant energy crops.
“Biofuels in Brazil” is the title of Chapter 13.
Brazil is the world's second largest producer of
ethanol fuel, and together, Brazil and the United
States lead the industrial production of ethanol fuel.
Brazilian renewable fuel economy is considered to be
the first in the world and the befoul industry leader.
Brazil is a policy model for other countries and its
sugarcane ethanol is the most successful alternative
fuel to date. However, the successful Brazilian
ethanol model is sustainable only in Brazil due to its
advanced agro-industrial technology and its enormous
amount of arable land available. Ethanol produced
from sugarcane is the cheapest befoul ever produced.
Sugarcane is the raw material for production of
biodiesel and jet fuel. In this respect, Brazil and USA
collaborate in doing research and investments in
obtaining jet fuel on sugarcane basis.
African counties have a large opportunity to
become a low-carbon region. With all its natural
resources and wastes that are not converted into
beanery, the potential for renewable energy across the
continent is enormous and can release economic
growth. Biofuels and biomass in Africa are issues
treated in the Chapter 14. The energy consumption
per capita in Africa is very low, this region being a
global champion for energy poverty. Africa burns
traditional biomass as wood, charcoal, and
agricultural waste. However, modern biofuels are
starting to replace traditional fossil fuels and offer
broad potential for power generation and transport
fuels. Three countries are analyzed in this respect:
Ghana, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Aviation befoul is widely considered to be
one of the primary means by which the aviation
industry can reduce its carbon footprint. After a
multi-year technical review from aircraft makers,
engine manufacturers and oil companies, biofuels
were approved for commercial use in July 2011.
Since then, some airlines have experimented with
using of biofuels on commercial flights. The focus of
the industry is on second generation sustainable
biofuels that do not compete with food. The author
motivates in Chapter 15 the necessity of performing
researches in obtaining of biokerosene in order to
reduce the environmental impact of aircraft transport.
The subject is developed in Chapters 16 and 17,
entitled “Aviation and Carbon Credits” and
“Biokerosene”, respectively. One of the problems for
the aviation industry is the impending threat of
emissions limits and trading. The EU ETS recently
capped the amount of greenhouse gases that a country
can release and the aviation industry is included as
well. Use of biofuels, in particularly of biokerosene,
Second generation biofuels and biomass
611
can partially solve this challenge. Mr. Jansen admits
that Jatropha cultivation is a solution in obtaining
second generation biokerosene and chapter 17 deals
with the production and certification of biokerosene.
In the Chapter 18, the author extends the
discussion about biofuels and includes products of
yeast fermentation processes, mainly cellulose
ethanol. Large quantities of bioethanol from
sugarcane are already produced for fueling car
engines. Obtaining ethanol from lignocelluloses
materials (bagasse, Myscanthus, Arundo donax, wood
chips, and recovered paper) is still difficult and
costly, but the production costs are coming down.
Some aspects regarding testing of biofuels
by the airlines are presented in Chapter 19. A number
of important airlines such as Qatar Airways, Japan
Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Continental Airlines,
British Airways, Cathay Pacific already tested some
biofuel grades during demonstration or commercial
flight. Lufthansa wants to become the world’s first
airline using biokerosene on a regular basis. A few
aviation companies invested in cultivation and
production of biokerosene. The use of Jatropha-based
fuel could have particular appeal in China which has
plentiful stretches of dry and barren land to devote to
growing the plant. Investment opportunities in
biofuels and biomass are discussed in Chapter 20.
The author shows that the opportunities refer to:
invest and buy agricultural land; invest in forest; start
of own plantation and in own production company;
invest in renewable bioenergy stocks; invest in
private equity funds that invest in biofuel industry.
Each investment opportunity is discussed and their
advantages and drawbacks are presented. A list of
leading companies dealing with investment in biofuel
is included.
Chapter 21 gives an insight how much
several industrial companies are investing in Atrophy.
The perspectives of biofuel industry are
discussed in Chapter 22. This industry is entering in
new era of transition towards alternative feedstocks,
emerging technologies, and revised government
policies favoring sustainability. The author states that
a shift from nuclear energy to renewable energy is
already in progress, and, as a consequence, the second
generation biofuel can be a feasible alternative.
Finally, fascinating predictions on how our world will
look like in the next future are presented.
Janson’s guide to investing in the bioenergy
market covers the topic from both a scientific,
economic and political perspective. It describes the
increasing number of second generation biodiesel
projects which are now emerging in anticipation of
growing sustainability concerns by governments, and
in response to market demands for improved process
efficiencies and greater feedstock production yields.
The book also closely examines the science and
technology involved in second generation biofuels
and gives concrete examples, such as in the aviation
industry.
The result is an essential guide for scientists,
investors, politicians and decision-makers in the
energy sector. The excellent index of the book puts it
in light as a valuable and comprehensive resource of
information, which might be an indispensable and
powerful tool for both educational and practical
reasons.
Dan Gavrilescu
Adrian Cătălin Puiţel
Department of Natural and Synthetic Polymers
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and
Environmental Protection
“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of
Iasi, Romania