What is the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA)?

About Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA):

• It is a multi-stakeholder alliance of Governments, International Organizations and Industries. It was launched on the sidelines of the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi.
• It is an initiative by India, bringing together the biggest consumers and producers of biofuels to drive the development and deployment of biofuels.
• It aims to position biofuels as a key to the energy transition and contribute to jobs and economic growth.
• Significance of the alliance:
  • It will place emphasis on strengthening markets, facilitating global biofuels trade, development of concrete policy lesson-sharing and provision of technical support for national biofuels programs worldwide.
  • It intends to expedite the global uptake of biofuels through facilitating capacity-building exercises across the value chain, technology advancements, and intensifying the utilization of sustainable biofuels through the participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders.
  • It will facilitate the development, adoption, and implementation of internationally recognized standards, codes, sustainability principles, and regulations to incentivize biofuel adoption and trade. It will also act as a central repository of knowledge and an expert hub.
• 24 countries and 12 international organizations have already agreed to join the alliance.

What is Biofuel? 

• It is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. 
• Different Generations of Biofuel:
  • First generation: They are made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology. Common first-generation biofuels include Bioalcohols, Biodiesel, Vegetable oil, Bioethers, Biogas.
  • Second generation: These are produced from non-food crops, such as cellulosic biofuels and waste biomass (stalks of wheat and corn, and wood). Examples include advanced biofuels like biohydrogen, biomethanol.
  • Third generation: These are produced from micro-organisms like algae.
  • Fourth generation: Fourth-generation biofuels aim not only to generate sustainable energy but also to provide a way to capture and store CO2.