Current scenario and prospects of use of liquid biofuels in South America

The rise of biofuels took place after the great oil crisis that impacted the world in the 70s. At that period, the mission of supplying the world's demand was given primarily to liquid biofuels. South America has a set of renewable energy sources and shows a great potential to contribute to the energy supply of the world in the coming years. Brazil leads the production of biofuels in South and Latin America since the 60s and also stands out at a global scale. Considering this context, this paper aims to approach the current scenario and the prospects of the main South-American countries, whose energy matrices receive relevant contribution from liquid biofuels. In South America, liquid biofuels stand out among renewable energies, represented mostly by ethanol and biodiesel. Brazil and Argentina lead the scenario and prospects of these biofuels in South America, while countries like Peru and Uruguay look for alternatives to supply such demands as they struggle internally for legislations that stimulate the use of biofuels in the energy matrix. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.