Assessment of liquid biofuel potential from energy crops within the sustainable water–land–energy–carbon nexus

Abstract

With the rapid development of biofuels, doubts about their sustainability have also been raised. To explore the answer to this question, researchers have paid considerable attention to the assessment of the benefits of biofuels, especially to their energy benefits and carbon reduction potential. This paper presents a comprehensive review assessing the potential of biofuels from energy crops. A framework for assessing the liquid biofuel potential within a sustainable water–energy–land–carbon nexus was proposed to alleviate the limitations in current research. A case study evaluating the bioethanol potential of cassava and sweet sorghum in Southwest China was presented.