Feature Reports
Summary Biofuel Producers and Consumers
Because biofuels are renewable energies, their development has enjoyed significant backing from policy-makers. Nevertheless, biofuels’ role in the energy landscape is limited by the lack of available arable land, their poor ecobalance and competition with food crops.
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The world’s top two ethanol producers in 2017 were the United States, where ethanol is primarily derived from corn, and Brazil, which uses sugar cane. Brazil saw its production drop significantly in 2017 and faced a very aggressive approach from the United States in terms of both developing its resources and pursuing export markets.
Production increased in France, driven by soaring consumption of fuels containing ethanol.For conversion purposes, 1,000 barrels of bioethanol is equal to around 570 barrels of oil equivalent).
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BiofuelsA fuel produced from plant or animal matter. There are currently two types of biofuel... are derived from plant, animal or waste biomassIn the energy sector, biomass is defined as all organic matter of plant or animal origin... . The two main biofuels are ethanol fuelFuel is any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or material that can be combined with an oxidant... , which is blended with gasoline, and diesterBiofuel obtained by converting plant or animal oils, such as rapeseed, sunflower or used cooking oil... , which is used as a dieselDiesel is the name of an internal combustion engine that works by compression-ignition... blend or substitute. Between 2017 and 2018, global biofuel output grew by10%. Over the past 20 years, the production of these renewable fuels increased 100-fold. Demand for ethanol is greater than that for biodiesel. The largest producers are the United States (61 billion liters) and Brazil (33 billion), which are also the biggest consumers. Biodiesel production is spread more evenly across the world: the United States (7 billion liters), Brazil (5.4 billion), the European Union (4.4 billion) and Argentina (2.8 billion). The European Union is the leading consumer of biodiesel. Biofuels are chiefly used as fossil fuel components. In France, roughly 7.5% of the energy contained in gasoline comes from renewable sources.
