Third-generation biofuels and food security

First-generation corn-based biofuels triggered the “food vs fuel” debate. The diversion of grains to produce bioenergy crops was blamed for the 2007–08 global food crisis. While biofuels are segregated into three generations: first, second, and third, the first-generation biofuels were considered to have an unintended impact on food security, causing a supply constraint of food crops and a spike in the food prices. Even though second-generation biofuels do not directly compete with the food crop as they are derived from lignocellulosic energy crops, significant diversion of agricultural land to grow such crops may trigger another global food crisis and push the developing countries toward food insecurity. However, unlike first- and second-generation biofuels, the third-generation biofuels are obtained from aquatic algal biomass, which does not directly compete for land with other food crops. Consequently, the third-generation biofuel can be a solution to the “food vs fuel” dilemma. The algal biomass has significantly higher yields than the first- and second-generation biofuels with the capacity to grow throughout the year, high tolerance to higher carbon dioxide content, and a low water consumption rate. It neither requires pesticides nor fertilizers. Therefore, once such biofuels are commercially available, it is anticipated that they will substantially contribute to global food security by not causing any additional burden to the world’s food supply chain. The third-generation biofuels are produced from aquatic feedstocks such as algae, which have resilience capacities to survive adverse conditions. While brackish water and coastal seawater, sewage, and wastewater require adequate treatments for further uses, growing algae on such water bodies can be a win-win situation, as the production of such feedstocks will not compete with the existing land use. Traditionally, algae are grown in large ponds followed by harvest, dewatering, and crushed to extract algal oils, converted either through transesterification or by hydrotreating into biofuels. Since the hiatus between demand and supply is not created due to algal-based biofuel production, there will not be any upward pressure on food crops’ prices. Consequently, increasing third-generation biofuels will remain unhindered in the food supply and will not create any global food grains shortage. The production of algal-based feedstock for third-generation biofuels will be similar to the existing aquaculture industry. It will create rural employment at algae-raising facilities and biorefineries, rendering an increase in labor demand and wages. The third-generation biofuels once developed due to their high photosynthetic efficiency, areal productivity, and more efficient uptake of nutrients than currently existing crop-based feedstocks which require land, has the potential to completely substitute the petroleum-based fossil fuels rendering the “food vs fuel” quandary a moot point. Upon commercialization, third-generation biofuels will undoubtedly be one of the most significant alternative renewable fuels, which can substantially resolve the food security challenges by not directly competing with food crop production and creating employment to boost the rural economy.