TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of market factors on the development of eco-friendly energy technologies
T2 - the case of bioethanol
AU - Merritt, Humberto
AU - Barragán-Ocaña, Alejandro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Global warming is emerging as the most serious concern for the planet, with greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) contributing considerably to the problem. Consequently, warranting energy sustainability has turned into an urgent issue for scholars and policy-makers alike. Bioethanol has emerged as a viable eco-friendly replacement for avoiding GHG generating fossil fuels. However, bioethanol has faced several hurdles that have discouraged its development during these years. Apart from unpractical technological applications and failed ventures, bioethanol has been experiencing heavy competition from hydrocarbon fuels and adverse economic cycles. Currently, bioethanol is facing an uncertain scenario due to the combination of climbing crop prices and slow innovative production processes, including the cost-effective utilization of agriculture waste. Here, the impact of market conditions upon the competitive development of bioethanol is analyzed. It is argued that fluctuating fossil fuel prices over the last ten years has discouraged bioethanol’s technological viability. As a result, the consolidation of industrial biotechnology, especially for biorefineries, has slowed down. Policy implications of recurrent fluctuations in the bioethanol market are also discussed. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
AB - Global warming is emerging as the most serious concern for the planet, with greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) contributing considerably to the problem. Consequently, warranting energy sustainability has turned into an urgent issue for scholars and policy-makers alike. Bioethanol has emerged as a viable eco-friendly replacement for avoiding GHG generating fossil fuels. However, bioethanol has faced several hurdles that have discouraged its development during these years. Apart from unpractical technological applications and failed ventures, bioethanol has been experiencing heavy competition from hydrocarbon fuels and adverse economic cycles. Currently, bioethanol is facing an uncertain scenario due to the combination of climbing crop prices and slow innovative production processes, including the cost-effective utilization of agriculture waste. Here, the impact of market conditions upon the competitive development of bioethanol is analyzed. It is argued that fluctuating fossil fuel prices over the last ten years has discouraged bioethanol’s technological viability. As a result, the consolidation of industrial biotechnology, especially for biorefineries, has slowed down. Policy implications of recurrent fluctuations in the bioethanol market are also discussed. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
KW - Bieconomy
KW - Bioethanol
KW - Cleaner production
KW - Market conditions
KW - Public policy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118305278&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10098-021-02225-6
DO - 10.1007/s10098-021-02225-6
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 34744554
AN - SCOPUS:85118305278
SN - 1618-954X
VL - 25
SP - 313
EP - 321
JO - Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
JF - Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
IS - 2
ER -