International overview on waste to biofuel options with a focus on waste potentials in Germany and funding incentives in the EC.

Abstract

Biofuels represent a possibility to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the transport sector. In this context the sustainability of biofuels, especially so called 1 generation biofuels led to controversial discussions in the past. Biofuels from waste and residues represent a well suited but quantitative limited alternative due to their sustainability. At an international level, different approaches for converting waste and residues into biofuels can be found. Developing countries in general use classic transesterification of waste fats to produce biodiesel. Technically advanced options such as pyrolysis, gasification, Fischer-Tropsch-Diesel, anaerobic fermentation and distillation, as well as biogas production coupled with biomethane upgrading, are mostly found in industrialized countries. Within this study, different waste to biofuel options are reviewed ranging from small scale to industrial scale and take into account used raw materials, technological application and (potential) GHG-reduction. Further the potential of several wastes and residues for gasification processes and synthesis of biofuels in Germany is described. Biofuel from waste offers promising funding incentives because of the “double counting” according to 2009/28/EC and the switch in mandatory blending from an amount based quota to a GHG-based blending quota in 2015.