A new method of producing alternative fuels, hydrogen and electricity from different kinds of wastes such as municipal solid wastes, agricultural wastes, forest residues and sewage sludge, is being explored by researchers at  Purdue university. This process can generate a wide range of end products such as ethanol, hydrogen, electricity. This method could also serve as an alternative to conventional ways of producing ethanol that  require cultivation of additional crops and extensive use of fertilizer which  pose risks to the environment. The research further projects that fuels derived from these sources could supply 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the transportation fuel demand in the US.

The push to increase biofuel production is threatening food security, and creating pressures on land across the world- the most affected being the small-scale farmers who are forced to leave their lands. Action Aid Guatemala reported how the push for biofuels has led to two kinds of phenomena:

land concentration- that is when small-scale farmers are forced to sell their lands as they don’t get credit or other resources needed to grow crops, and

re-concentration when plantation owners sell their lands and displace the farm workers living there.

This is being observed across countries in South America, such as Brazil and Mexico. Action Aid recommends that the US and EU reconsider their biofuels targets that are driving farmers off their lands and increasing food prices.

Researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University are working towards generating biofuels from sweet potatoes. This would involve a simple process of turning starch into sugars, which would be fermented to produce ethanol. Presently, the production cost of sweet potatoes for the purpose of biofuels is the highest among other fuel sources. Thus, the researchers are trying to develop industrial sweet potatoes with greater dry matter content containing higher starch content, and greater biomass. To reduce production costs, pieces of potato are being planted mechanically instead of the conventional method of planting the small plants by hand. Sweet potatoes are being considered as a good option for biofuels as they are grown in abundance in North Carolina. They are drought-tolerant and high yielding requiring  minimal fertilizer inputs on a variety of soils. 

Scientists at the University of Florida, Gainesville reported that enzymes produced by both termites and the micro-organisms that inhabit their gut - known as symbionts - could help produce bioethanol from non-edible plant material such as straw and wood. Currently, edible plant materials such as corn and sugarcane are used in ethanol production. Sugar molecules present in these are easily accessible and are fermented to produce ethanol. In non-edible plant materials, these molecules are less accessible as they are locked up within a substance known as lignocellulose, which gives structural support to plant cell walls. According to the study, termites can digest wood and other lignocellulosic materials into their component sugars without much difficulty, thus, offering an alternative to food crops being used for producing biofuels.