ABSTRACT
The depletion of world petroleum reserves and the increased concern on climate change has stimulated the recent interest in biofuels. The most common biofuels are based on energy crops and their products, i.e. vegetable oil for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) biodiesel [1] and sugars/ starch for bioethanol. However these first generation biofuels and associated production technologies face several considerations related to their economic and social implications regarding energy crops cultivation, byproducts disposal, necessity for large investments to ensure competitiveness and the “food versus fuel” debate.
