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possible surplus land available for energy crops. The better quality land, which is
not utilized for main crops and requires less water and fertilizer, can be used for this
purpose. The potential contribution from the third source is estimated to be 120 EJ/
year. The arid land (water scarce and degraded) can be used for energy crops and
can account for 70 EJ/year [3]. The contribution will depend on the choice of energy
and planting rate and will be influenced by the water availability, environmental
constraints, logistic issues, etc. The share of bioenergy in total energy demand in the
year 2017 is shown in Fig. 2 [4]. The bioenergy share is 3% of the agriculture and
energy sector, and less than 1% of agriculture land is used for an energy crop.
Biomass
Food or fuel?
Water
Climate change
Cost
Conversion
efficiency
Land
Energy use
Food
Demand
Supply
Economy
Biomass for population
use
Biomass for chemicals
and fuels
Demand
Supply
Fig. 1 Key relationships relevant to the assessment of biomass potentials
Fig. 2 Bioenergy share in world energy demand in the year 2017
Sustainability of the Catalytic Process for Biomass Conversion: Recent Trends and…