Second Generation Biofuels
Biofuels can be divided into three categories:
• First-generation biofuels are made largely from edible sugars and starches.
• Second-generation biofuels are made from non-edible plant materials.
• Third-generation biofuels are made from algae and other microbes.
Within these three categories, development of second-generation biofuels is the most plausible solution. Unlike the more well-known first-generation biofuels, second-generation biofuels are not derived from our food supply. Rather, they are developed from non-edible plant sources and/or waste matter. Because of this, second-generation biofuels will not be economically problematic or threaten food supplies like first-generation biofuels will.