Biofuel co-products for livestock feed

Although the production of second generation biofuels from residual biomass is considered less expensive than the first and third generation ones, nevertheless it is considered still not sufficiently cost competitive in the fuel global market, unless were taken into account some spot markets or specific market segments, since their marginal profits are still too low and often negligible over fossil-based fuels for power generation. This chapter describes the feedstock for producing both traditional and advanced biofuels by comparing them into biofuel market. Afterwards, it focuses on biofuel co-products suitable to be reused into livestock feed for further valorization by overall analyzing the economic and environmental implications related to increased output of biofuel co-products due to increasing expansion of biofuel market worldwide. This chapter outlines the back-flow of biofuel co-products into livestock feed market that has rationalized cropland use and reduced greenhouse gases emissions by replacement of cereal grains and oilseeds with biofuel co-products into animal rations, thereby reducing the net land for cultivation of energy crops that declined from 2% to 1.5% of the net global cropland area. Future outlooks of connected markets were also hypothesized to maximize the circularity principles toward an agri-based bioeconomy.