The new forestry biofuels sector

Society's increasing demand for transportation fuels has assured a viable future for the development of renewable fuels. Although first-generation biofuels are dependent on starches, sugars and vegetable oils, the need to generate higher volumes of biofuels at lower cost has shifted the research focus to cellulosic ethanol. The utilization of lignocellulosics for the sustainable manufacturing of biofuels is critically dependent on the chemical constituents of the starting biomass and the desired fuel properties. This review examines the major chemical constituents of biomass and the recent advances in their conversion to biofuels, with a special emphasis on the forest residues and woody-energy crops to bioethanol. (C) 2007 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd