Generation of Feedstock used

Raw materials that are used to produce chemicals, plastics and fuels are called feedstocks. Three generations of feedstocks support manufacturing of biobased products.

First generation feedstock includes crops and plants that are rich in carbohydrates and can be consumed by humans and animals. They include sugar crops (such as sugar cane, sugar beets and sorghum), starchy crops (such as corn, potato, and cassava), and vegetable and seed oils. These feedstocks are referred to as “first generation” because they were the first to be converted to biofuels, renewable chemicals, and bioplastics on a commercial scale. 

Second generation feedstock refers to biomass not suitable for food or feed that’s high in cellulose and lignin. Second generation feedstocks include agricultural residues (such as corn stover, wheat straw and sugarcane bagasse), forest residues (such as branches and treetops, sawdust, bark, and wood chips), municipal solid waste, and short-rotation crops such as poplar and certain grasses. Conversion of second generation feedstocks, which is generally more difficult compared to first generation feedstocks, is still largely on the cusp of commercialization.

Third generation feedstock refers to biomass that’s derived from algae, which are often single-cell plants that can be grown in water or in land-based reactors. Technology to convert algae to biofuels, renewable chemicals and bioplastics is in the early stages of commercialization and scale-up. 

Second and third generation feedstocks offer several benefits compared to first generation feedstocks. Second generation feedstocks do not displace or raise the cost of food or animal feed, and can be grown on land not well-suited to growing traditional food crops. They also tend to have a much lower carbon footprint than first generation feedstocks. Further, using biomass residuals or waste biomass from existing industry operations reduces the need for investment in new infrastructure.

For more information on first, second, and third generation biofuels and the technologies that make them, visit:
https://bioplasticsnews.com/2018/09/12/bioplastic-feedstock-1st-2nd-and-3rd-generations/
http://biofuel.org.uk/first-generation-biofuels.html
http://energyfromwasteandwood.weebly.com/generations-of-biofuels.html