Nanotechnology in Bioprocess
Development: Applications
of Nanoparticles in the Generation
of Biofuels
I. A. Sanusi, Y. Sewsynker-Sukai, and E. B. Gueguim-Kana
1 Introduction
The global energy demand is rapidly increasing due to the growing human population,
with the current energy sources unable to meet the staggering daily fuel consumption.
More specifically, the major reliance on fossil fuels as an energy source has led to
its depletion (Hirsch et al. 2005; Ge et al. 2018). Fossil fuels such as coal and
oil are non-renewable energy sources that are most exploited globally and have
been predicted to run out in the next 115 and 50 years, respectively (BP 2016).
In addition to their depletion, the consumption of fossil fuels are harmful to the
environment, since its combustion releases greenhouse gases such as CO 2, nitrous
oxide and fluorinated oxide (Fazal et al. 2018; Ge et al. 2018). Consequently, the
development of alternative energy sources such as biofuels that are renewable, costeffective and environmentally friendly is attracting unprecedented research interest.
Biofuels have emerged as sustainable energy sources which could be produced from
lignocellulosic waste, vegetable oils, animal fat and industrial wastewaters, among
others (Sekoai et al. 2019). These fuels are considered ‘green’ since it is non-toxic,
easily biodegradable, environmentally benign and sustainable in nature (Moodley
and Gueguim-Kana 2019).
Biofuels can be classified based on the carbohydrate sources used for their production. For example, first-generation biofuels involve the use of edible feedstocks to
produce biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas) (Khawla et al. 2014; Baeyens
et al. 2015). Even though first-generation biofuels generate high yields, the utilization
of staple crops such as wheat, sorghum, corn and sugarcane debilitate food security.
I. A. Sanusi · Y. Sewsynker-Sukai · E. B. Gueguim-Kana (B)
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
e-mail: kanag@ukzn.ac.za
Y. Sewsynker-Sukai
SMRI/NRFSARChI Research Sugarcane Biorefining Group, Discipline of Chemical Engineering,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_6
165
Development: Applications
of Nanoparticles in the Generation
of Biofuels
I. A. Sanusi, Y. Sewsynker-Sukai, and E. B. Gueguim-Kana
1 Introduction
The global energy demand is rapidly increasing due to the growing human population,
with the current energy sources unable to meet the staggering daily fuel consumption.
More specifically, the major reliance on fossil fuels as an energy source has led to
its depletion (Hirsch et al. 2005; Ge et al. 2018). Fossil fuels such as coal and
oil are non-renewable energy sources that are most exploited globally and have
been predicted to run out in the next 115 and 50 years, respectively (BP 2016).
In addition to their depletion, the consumption of fossil fuels are harmful to the
environment, since its combustion releases greenhouse gases such as CO 2, nitrous
oxide and fluorinated oxide (Fazal et al. 2018; Ge et al. 2018). Consequently, the
development of alternative energy sources such as biofuels that are renewable, costeffective and environmentally friendly is attracting unprecedented research interest.
Biofuels have emerged as sustainable energy sources which could be produced from
lignocellulosic waste, vegetable oils, animal fat and industrial wastewaters, among
others (Sekoai et al. 2019). These fuels are considered ‘green’ since it is non-toxic,
easily biodegradable, environmentally benign and sustainable in nature (Moodley
and Gueguim-Kana 2019).
Biofuels can be classified based on the carbohydrate sources used for their production. For example, first-generation biofuels involve the use of edible feedstocks to
produce biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas) (Khawla et al. 2014; Baeyens
et al. 2015). Even though first-generation biofuels generate high yields, the utilization
of staple crops such as wheat, sorghum, corn and sugarcane debilitate food security.
I. A. Sanusi · Y. Sewsynker-Sukai · E. B. Gueguim-Kana (B)
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
e-mail: kanag@ukzn.ac.za
Y. Sewsynker-Sukai
SMRI/NRFSARChI Research Sugarcane Biorefining Group, Discipline of Chemical Engineering,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_6
165