Lignocelluloses Feedstock Biorefinery as Petrorefinery Substitutes

The material needs from our society are reaching the crisis point, as the demand for resources will soon exceed the capacity of the present fossil resource based infrastructure [1]. Currently, fossil-based energy resources, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas, are responsible for about three quarters of the primary energy consumption in our world. While decreasing crude-oil reserves, enhanced demand for fuels worldwide, increased climate concerns about the use of fossil-based energy carriers, and political commitment, the focus has recently turned to develop the utilization of renewable energy resources [2]. Gullón et al. [3] described the variety of problems on present social, economic and technological situation, which including: the fear for a shortening of the supplies of basic resources, as the population growth; the increasing per capita demands of the developing economies for goods and energy, derived from the increasing purchase power of the population; environmental challenges, especially those related to effects of greenhouse gas emissions (emphasis on CO2) on the global climate; the national security issues surrounding reliance on imported oil [4].