The current status of liquid biofuels in Chile

Chile depends on foreign sources for energy. A solution for this problem is needed to guarantee stability and economic development. Public policies have been proposed involving diversification of the power matrix with an increasing share for Non-conventional Renewable Energies (NCRE) from unconventional resources in the medium- and long-term. In this framework, new funding strategies are fundamental to encourage applied research in this field. Main research subjects are considered: survey, quantification and characterization of raw materials, introduction of energy crops and studies focused on transportation, management and conversion of lignocellulose for the second-generation biofuel industry. A recent regulatory framework allows the substitution of 2 or 5% of gasoline and diesel by ethanol and biodiesel, respectively; however, this is not mandatory because biofuel supply is still non-secured. On the other hand, the scenario for private initiatives focused on first-generation biofuels is not promising, and this may continue in time depending on the price of imported biofuels and local production costs. In 2015, production of second-generation biodiesel in Chile should be fundamentally based on forestry residues using Fischer–Tropsch processes. Local efforts consider biochemical transformation of lignocelluloses including agricultural wastes. Our group is focused on optimization of local second-generation bioethanol production; preliminary results are presented here.