Emerging Biotechnologies for Sustainable Bioenergy Production: Challenges and Outlook

The concept of sustainable development has become a significant concern for policymakers around the world. Biotechnology has the potential to make a substantial contribution to achieving sustainability goals. The primary research and development priorities in biotechnology are rapidly reaching their respective stages of maturity and may soon overlap. This is particularly true in food production, environmental protection, bioremediation, renewable resources, and bioenergy. The application of biotechnology in bioenergy synthesis has contributed to the availability of renewable energy sources. However, issues still need to be resolved at the technological and economic levels. In some cases, the environmental impact of biotechnological processes has been dramatically underestimated; in other cases, the actual result has not yet been able to meet expectations. In this chapter, we discuss the practical application of biotechnology in bioenergy production, its challenges, and prospects for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although biotechnological approaches cannot currently compete with conventional technologies, they significantly promote sustainable bioenergy development and the actualization of SDGs.