
219Capturing Solar Energy through Biomass
© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
There are two major platforms for biofuel production: biochemical and thermochemi-
cal. The biochemical platform employs microorganisms to convert primarily sugars into
mostly alcohols, and it is best known for the corn- or sugarcane-to-ethanol process. The
thermochemical platform relies on heat and catalysts (precious metals) to synthesize a
wide range of compounds that include alcohols and hydrocarbons; this technology builds
upon research from the coal, gas, and petroleum industries.
This section will discuss how to convert biomass into transportation fuels (biofuel ...