ABSTRACT
Biomass energy only accounts for a small share of global energy use, about 10 per cent. Most of this is derived from firewood and charcoal. The part of the biomass that is set aside for liquid fuels is so small that it hardly shows in the statistics – 1–2 per cent of the global energy supply (FAO 2008). Nevertheless, the fast growth of agrofuel feedstocks from these low levels has been much debated in recent times, and a number of factors have pushed the issue to the forefront: a perceived need to reduce the dependence upon oil-exporting countries, the environmental concern to find a substitute for fossil fuels, and the wish to prepare for the imminent reduction of oil production.
