Food for fuel

Second-generation biofuels that don't compete with foodstock were supposed to be the future, a new report has thrown a huge doubt over the viability of that technology to deliver. In spite of the savaging that biofuels have received in the mainstream media, it is forging on and looks set to make an even greater contribution as an energy source. Despite a number of key issues, such as land use and competition for feedstocks supplies for traditional food and feed uses, global use of biofuels is expected to more than double from 2009 to 2015 according to a new global analysis released by Hart's Global Biofuels Centre.