Cellulose: An Opportunity for New Zealand Biofuel

Cellulose: an opportunity for New Zealand biofuel

Although biofuels have become a welcome answer to the shortening supply of fossil fuels, they remain shrouded in controversy. First generation biofuels include; ethanol made from sugarcane, and maize or biodiesel made from vegetable oils. One of the disadvantages of these types of fuels is that they utilise crops which would normally be grown for food purposes. As a result there is a growing concern that global food shortages will result if too much land is converted for this purpose (Marchbanks, 2008). Second generation biofuels are currently being developed utilising feedstocks that are non food crops, such as plant biomass (cellulose) and algae. It is generally accepted that these types of processes will start becoming commercially viable from 2016 (Hale & Twomey, 2006). This essay focuses on the technical issues in converting cellulose to ethanol and its application to the New Zealand biofuel industry.

Lignocellulose makes up the cell walls of plants and is comprised of cellulose micro-fibres embedded in a matrix of lignin and hemicellulose. The crystalline