©JPS Scientific Publications, India
Chapter - 10
Page
118
Microbes for Clean and Green Environment (ISBN: 978-81-945631-2-9)
First Edition, 2020
Chapter – 10, Page: 118 - 132
10
BIOCONVERSION OF WASTE
AND IMPACT OF
NANOTECHNOLOGY IN
BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
Neethu Asokan
Department of Microbiology, Sacred Heart College (Autonomous), Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, India
1. Introduction
The fossil fuels would be sufficient for only about next 150 years after which one
should wait for another million years for black fossil fuel to be produced. The oil
demand however increases with population to around 20 million barrels a day and
(mb/d) by 2035 or maybe more than expected, according to WOO (World Oil Outlook).
Due to the burning activity fossil fuel, it is estimated to release around 21.3 billion
tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO
2
) yearly, resulting in the net increase of 10.65 billion
tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide annually (International Energy Annual 2006).
India relies on the fossil fuels for their uprising energy demand. Dependence on fuel like
oil is gradually high in India with increased GHG emission and therefore requires an
alternative energy demand like biofuel.
Biofuels (solid, liquid and gas fuels) are renewable fuels obtained from natural
feedstocks the most prominent being bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel, biogas and
methane (Kapasi et al., 2010). Biofuels reduce dependence on fossil fuels, improve the
socioeconomics, and bring several environmental paybacks such as greenhouse gas
(GHG) reductions and minus air pollution for both industrially developing and
developed countries (Demirbas, 2009). Biomass resources consumption for biofuel