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GOL biofuel innovation sustainability food 900

It is easy to understand where biofuel meets innovation, the more problematic is the link among biofuel, sustainable development and food.

As showed in this article biofuel reduces the carbon intensity of commercial flights and it can also reduce particulate matter emissions by 3 percent, addressing the growing problem of air pollution near airports and metropolitan areas.
The company claims that its farnesane, made from Brazilian sugarcane, can be up to 30 percent more efficient than other biofuels in terms of land use, with the potential for this efficiency to rise to 70 per cent when new technologies (such as sugar from cellulosic feedstocks) become commercially available.

The article reported other biofuels are produced:
Boeing, South African Airways (SAA) and SkyNRG announced a collaboration to develop a sustainable aviation fuel from a new type of tobacco plant.
British Airways and Solena Fuels’ GreenSky London project announced it is set to build the world’s first facility to convert landfill waste into jet fuel at the Thames Enterprise Park in Essex.

Read more http://bit.ly/1qO2VpQ

sustainability Miscanthus Biofuel Crop UK
Miscanthus Biofuel Crop, UK

But can we talk about sustainable development while forget about ethical issues linked to biofuel?
According to European Commission definition there are two categories of biofuels:

Conventional (first generation) biofuels:
First generation or conventionally produced biofuels are biofuels produced from food crops, such as sugar, starch and vegetable oils. They are produced from land using feedstock which can also be used for food and feed.

Advanced (second and third generation) biofuels:
Second and third generation or advanced biofuels are produced from feedstock that do not compete directly with food and feed crops, such as wastes and agricultural residues (i.e. wheat straw, municipal waste), non-food crops (i.e. miscanthus and short rotation coppice) and algae.

It is our duty to keep research and use only the advanced biofuels, It is not possible to waste food, even if for a good reason, while other people are still suffering from hunger.

What’s your opinion about biofuel?I’d love to know it

 

let’s keep in touch 🙂 

Sara 

Info:European Commission: http://bit.ly/1pdq03O

Photos: Wikipedia & geograph.org.uk