Intellectual Property Strategies For Developing Biofuels

Biofuels are fuels produced from renewable sources. First generation biofuels are produced from food stocks, including cereal crops (e.g., wheat, maize), oil crops (e.g., rape or palm oil) and sugar crops (e.g., sugar beet, sugar cane), whereas second generation biofuels - sometimes termed "next generation" or "advanced" biofuels - are produced from sources that are not food stocks. Sources for second generation biofuels include cellulosic waste material (e.g., straw, palm oil mill effluent, bagasse from sugar production), and waste oils and fats. Algae also represent a potential source of lipids for second generation biofuel production.

Biofuels may be used in their pure forms but are typically blended with petrochemical components to provide fuels such as automotive fuels and aviation fuels. Commercial fuels must comply with regulatory standards and these standards increasingly allow for, or even mandate, that biofuel is present as a component of the fuel.