Second and Third Generation Biofuels: Sustainability, Technological Progress, and Scalability for Future Energy Systems

There is an increasing need of the world to have a reliable source of energy, which is sustainable and this has increased the knowledge on advanced biofuels to substitute fossil fuels. First generation biofuels were associated with great anxiety on the issue of food security, land use, and environmental sustainability. Second and third-generation biofuels have come forward to come up with solutions to these problems. Second-generation biofuels plant the lignocellulosic biomass, that is, agricultural waste, forestry waste, and non-food crops, whereas the third-generation biofuels are mostly obtained by algae and other aquatic biomass. This paper provides descriptive research of sustainability, technological advancement and scalability of biofuels, second and third generation. The paper examines the literature available to determine the availability of feedstock, production technology, effects on the environment and its economic viability. As has been discussed, second generation biofuels are about to become commercially viable and third-generation biofuels have higher long-term potential because they are more productive and can be produced on less land. Nonetheless, difficulties on production costs, technical complexity, and massive infrastructure are still substantial hindrances. Sustainable development of advanced biofuel systems must be continued through research, support of policy, and technological development.