Today, fossil fuels dominate the worldwide energy mix. Combining the finite supply of fossil fuels with their adverse
environmental impact and the uneven worldwide distribution causes political and economic tensions. Biofuels can improve the current energy portfolio since they are renewable resources grown domestically thereby offering potential economic, environmental and security benefits. The role of biofuels as a liquid fuel replacement is nascent, but projected to grow significantly in the coming years as chemists and chemical engineers contribute to solving technical problems in the use of
lignocellulosic feedstocks. To insure we take the wisest approach during biofuel development, chemists and engineers in their roles as managers and policy makers need to have a broad perspective of the impacts of biofuel production so they are able to consider the long-term impacts of biofuel development on the
economy, environment and society.