Global economic changes, population growth, emerging markets and rising expectations for better living standards have created a growing demand for energy.

At the same time, concerns over the environment and excessive reliance on fossil fuels have generated a drive to find cleaner alternatives. Most of the current options, however, do not deliver: they either compete with resources used in food production and drive food prices up (the case of ethanol, for example), or have other detrimental effects on the environment (the case of biodiesel made from Palm oil). Many current alternatives are expensive, requiring massive subsidies to make them viable.

While there are several new technologies under development, these technologies are still years away. What is lacking is a reliable, economical alternative for the production of cleaner fuels that does not compete for food resources, does not harm the environment, and is available right now.