Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA)

September 12, 2023

The Prime Minister of India announced the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance on the side-lines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

GLOBAL BIOFUELS ALLIANCE

Global Biofuels Alliance is an India-led Initiative to develop an alliance of Governments, International organisations and Industry to facilitate the adoption of biofuels.
A total of 19 countries and 12 international organisations have so far agreed to join the alliance, including both G20 members and non-member countries.
Members: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, South Africa, USA, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, UAE, Iceland, Kenya, Guyana, Paraguay, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Finland.
India, Brazil and the US are the founding members of the alliance.
This Alliance will be aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector.
India, the US and Brazil account for a total of 85 percent of the global ethanol production with the US holding 55 per cent share followed by Brazil 27 per cent and India 3 per cent.

WHAT IS BIOFUEL?

Biofuels are renewable energy sources derived from biomass, such as crop stubble, plant waste, and municipal solid waste.
Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature.
Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure
Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel
Gaseous: Biogas

WHAT ARE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF BIOFUEL?

First generation: It is produced from consumable food items containing starch (rice and wheat), sugar (beets and sugarcane) for bio alcohols, or vegetable oils for biodiesel.
Second generation: It is mainly obtained from non-food feedstocks such as forest/industry/agricultural wastes and waste or used vegetable oils.
Third generation: It is known as ‘algae fuel’ and is derived from algae in the form of both biodiesel and bioalcohols.
Fourth generation: Like the third generation, 4G biofuels are made using non-arable land. However, unlike the third, they do not need the destruction of biomass.