biorefinery

The debate on the effect of biofuels, especially corn based ethanol, on food prices and production volumes have called for certification of biofuel production. Renetech welcomes sustainable practices and pledges to work for production methods that entail healthy CO2 reductions along with better local working environment and rural development. The debate follows in the wake of rapid alternative fuel industry expansion. One of the areas of discussion is shifting towards second generation biofuels, where e.g. cellulosic feedstocks are used. Renetech will incorporate such technologies as they become commercial. To date, grain ethanol is the mainstream alternative for biofuel production in Europe. Elsewhere, tropical cultivation of biofuel feedstocks is an interesting alternative. Sugar cane bioethanol has among the lowest land-clearing debt, regarding initial CO2 emissions (Science magazine, Feb. 2008), a debt that can be lowered further by including surplus electricity production from bagasse. Biodiesel crops can be cultivated on dry lands, but do require a few years of growth before full production capacity is reached. Esterified biodiesel may entail a very low carbon footprint.