Journal of Energy Bioscience 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 32-47 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 34 1.3 Case studies of major shifts in agricultural product usage Several case studies highlight the major shifts in the usage of agricultural products from solely food production to dual-purpose roles. Brazil's National Alcohol Program (ProAlcool), launched in the 1970s, marked a significant shift towards ethanol production from sugarcane. The ProAlcool program has yielded substantial economic benefits, driven technological innovation, and fostered social progress. Today, approximately 80% of Brazil's light vehicles run on bioethanol, significantly reducing the country's oil imports (Chandel et al., 2014). The study explores wheat varieties in Argentina that are cultivated for dual purposes: food and fuel, focusing on the potential for biogas production. Gabbanelli et al. (2021) analyzed key traits such as grain yield, straw yield, and the efficiency of biogas conversion from straw in 36 wheat genotypes. The results showed that wheat from France exhibited the highest grain yield (Figure 1), while CIMMYT varieties had the lowest straw yield. The study found that the French varieties Baguette 31 and SNR Nogal performed best in terms of grain and straw yield, biogas conversion efficiency, and lodging resistance. These findings contribute to future wheat breeding programs, enhancing the potential of wheat as a dual-purpose crop (Gabbanelli et al., 2021). This dual-purpose approach not only enhances food security but also promotes the production of renewable energy. Figure 1 Principal Component Analysis for key traits for the wheat dual-purpose ideotype (Adopted from Gabbanelli et al., 2021) Image caption: PC1 (explaining 38.7% of the data variance) is mainly composed of grain yield (GY), straw yield (SY), maximum specific biogas production (Bmax), and lodging susceptibility index (ΔLS), while PC2 (explaining 26.6% of the data variance) is primarily composed of the kinetic constant (k), Bmax, and ΔLS. High-yield genotypes (black symbols) have the highest values on the PC1 axis, indicating their advantage in grain and straw yield. The results show that genotypes of French and Criollo origin have the highest values on the PC1 axis, indicating their superiority in these key traits (Adapted from Gabbanelli et al., 2021) Another significant development is the utilization of CO2 for producing biofuels. Captured CO2 can be converted into fuels such as methanol and methane, which can be used as energy sources. This approach not only mitigates greenhouse gas emissions but also provides a sustainable method for producing biofuels (Anwar et al., 2020). The integration of CO2 utilization with agricultural practices, such as using algae for biofuel production, represents a forward-thinking strategy to address both energy and environmental challenges (Anwar et al., 2020).
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