Recent Development of Bioenergy and Biorefinery in China

Although energy was used throughout the history of human culture, the burst of energy production and consumption coincided with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. The transition from hand production methods to machines, the increasing exploration and use of fossil-derived fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas, shale fuel) made it possible to production of energy in large quantities. The majority of global energy supply still relies on traditional fossil based energy, with abundant fossil feedstock, well-understood technologies, and significant advantages in economy and scale. However, the traditional energy industry is now being challenged by sustainability of feedstock supply and environmental pressures, especially for carbon emission issues. Reduce the use of fossil fuels and replace them by renewable energies has been widely accepted by scientists, businesses and governors. Up to date, alternative renewable energy can be industrially produced via an extensive range of processes and sources like solar, wind, hydro, nuclear and bioenergy. According to the data of World Bioenergy Association (www. worldbioenergy.org), bioenergy has now been the largest global renewable energy supply which only below the traditional fossil energy.