Special thematic issue in “Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery” “Advances in catalytic biomass fast pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading”

Excerpt

Global warming, the rise of the earth’s temperature due to increased CO₂ emissions from the extensive use of fossil fuels, is indisputably one of the greatest challenges currently faced by humanity. The substitution of fossil fuels with biofuels, produced from carbon-neutral biomass feedstock, is one of the key pathways to alleviate CO₂ emissions in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner, especially in the transportation sector. First generation biofuels, bioethanol and biodiesel, have shown important limitations to achieve targets for crude oil-derived product substitution, climate change mitigation, and economic growth, mainly due to the high water and energy consumption during their production, and the biofuel versus food controversy. The cumulative impacts of these concerns have increased the interest in developing the so-called second generation biofuels, produced from non-food biomass. …