Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fuels for the Future? The Emerging Architecture in China’s Liquid Biofuels Market

  • Chapter
The Political Economy of Agro-Food Markets in China

  • 190 Accesses

Abstract

Alternative transport fuels — i.e. hydrogen, natural gas, and liquid biofuels — are seen as options to help the transport sector, in the broadest sense, to decrease its dependency on oil and to reduce its negative environmental impact. Of these, liquid biofuels are the most promising in the short run as their market maturity is well above the others. They combine the advantage of broad availability of different types of feedstock and an existing supply infrastructure, and within certain limits they are compatible with conventional internal combustion engines.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • APCO Worldwide (2010) Market Analysis Report: China’s Renewable Energy Industry. http://www.export.gov.il/uploadfiles/03_2012/chinisrenewableenergyindus~ try.pdf, accessed 21 September 2012.

  • Augustin-Jean, L. (2010) “The “Social Construction of the Market” in a Transitional Economy. The Sugar Industry in China in the Context of Globalization’, Economic Sociology: the European Electronic Newsletter, 11 (3) Quly): 33–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bramall, C. (2009) Chinese Economic Development (London and New York: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (2009) Bioethanol Sector Ei B ilk, 30 June, http://www.qibebt.cas.en/kxcb/k pwz/ swnycy/200906/t20090630_1876167.html, accessed 5 June 2012.

  • ChinaAgri (2011) China Agri-Industries Holding Ltd. Annual Report 2011. http://www.chinaagri.com/uploadfiles/cms/file/201254061054436847722.pdf, accessed 15 September 2012.

  • China Integrated (2010) ‘China Integrated Wins China Award for Biodiesel R&D’, Biofuels Digest, 1 December, http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdi-gest/2010/12/Ol/china-integrated-energy-wins-china-award-for-biodiesel-rd/, accessed 20 August 2012.

  • Coriat, B. and O. Weinstein (2005) ‘The Social Construction of Markets’, Issues in Regulation Theory, 53: 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dale, V. H., K. L. Kline, J. Wiens, and J. Fargione (2010) ‘Biofuels: Implications for Land Use and Biodiversity’, Biofuels and Sustainability Reports, January. Ecological Scoiety of America (ESA), http://www.esa.org/biofuelsreports/files/ ESA%20Biofuels%20Report_VH%20Dale%20et%20al.pdf, accessed 27 October 2012.

  • Delman, J. (2003) ‘Cool Thinking? — The Role of the Party-State in Shaping China’s Dairy Sector and Its Knowledge System’, China Information, 27(2): 1–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delman, J. and M. H. Yang (2012) ‘A Value Chain Gone Awry: Implications of the “Tainted Milk Scandal” in 2008 for Political and Social Organization in Rural China’, in A. Bislev and S. Thogersen (eds). Organizing Rural China-Rural China Organizing (Lanham, MD etc.: Lexington Books), 205–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delman, J. and Y. Chen (2008) Nordic Collaboration with China in Energy Research and Development (Copenhagen: NIAS Nordic Institute of Asian Studies). http://www.nias.ku.dk/news/documents/China_in_energy_RD_nos_08.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunnmore, C. (2012) ‘Exclusive: EU to Limit Use of Crop-based Biofuels — Draft Law’, Reuters (on-line), 10 September, http://www.reuters.com/arti-cle/2012/09/10/us-eu-biofuels-idUSBRE8890SJ20120910, accessed 1 October 2012.

  • Fligstein, N. (2001) The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology of Twenty-first Century Capitalist Societies (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fligstein, N. and L. Dauter (2007) “The Sociology of Markets’, Annual Review of Sociology, 33: 105–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Florini, A., H. R. Lai, and Y. L. Tan (2012) China Experiments: From Local Innovations to National Reform (Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution).

    Google Scholar 

  • Franco, J. et al. (2010) ‘Assumptions in the European Union Biofuels Policy: Frictions with Experiences in Germany, Brazil and Mozambique’, Journal of Peasant Studies, 37(4): 661–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) (2008) Biofuels at What Cost? Government Support for Ethanol and Biodiesel in China (Geneva: International Institute for Sustainable Development), http://www.iisd.org/gsi/sites/default/files/china_ biofuels_subsidies.pdf, accessed 10 September 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. (1985) ‘Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness’, American Journal of Sociology, 91(3): 481–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henan Tianguan (2012) Henan Tianguan Company Website http://www.tge.com.cn/jianjie.htm, accessed 8 June 2011.

  • Huang, Y. (2011) ‘2nd Generation Biomass Energy Almost There — Miscantus Sinensis Will Become a New Star Crop Energy Resources China 27 October, http://ny.china.com.cn/2011–10/27/content_4577358_3.htm, accessed 5 June 2012.

  • Latner, K., C. O’Kray and J. Y Jiang (2006) ‘China, Peoples Republic of — Biofuels. An Alternative Future for Agriculture’, GAIN Report, CH6049 (Beijing: USD A Foreign Agricultural Service).

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu H. J. (2012). ‘First Batch of Corncob System Ethanol Fuel Comes to Market Bionews, 10 September, http://www.bioon.com/bioindustry/bioenergy/531054.shtml, accessed 26 October 2012.

  • Liu, Y Y (2012. 04.24) ‘China Seeks to Develop Biofuels Industry Despite Production Difficulties’, Renewable Energy World.com. http://www.renewable-energyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/04/china-seeks-to-promote-development-of-biofuels-industry-despite-production-difficulties, accessed 21 September 2012.

  • Lu, X. H. (2011) ‘High Goal for Non-food Bioethanol. Generation 1.5 Technology Goes Mainstream (map) China Report on Hightech and New Technology Industries 26 September. Medium to Long Term Development Plan for Development of Renewable Energy (2007). http://www.ccchina.gov.cn/WebSite/ CCChina/UpFile/2007/20079583745145.pdf, accessed 5 June 2012.

  • National Bureau of Statistics (various years) China Statistical Yearbook (Beijing: China Statistics Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, B. (1995) Growing out of the Plan: Chinese Economic Reform, 1978–1993 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Odgaard, O. and J. Delman (2013, forthcoming) ‘Kinas voksende import af gas og olie skaber konfliktpotentiale’ [China’s growing import of gas and oil entails conflict potential]. Special ed. of Samfunds0konomen on China’s security, ed. B. Heurlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peno, N. (2008) Biofuels for Transportation: A Climate Perspective (Arlington: Pew Center on Global Climate Change).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rathmann, R., A. Szklo, and R. Schaeffer (2010) ‘Land Use Competition for Production of Food and Liquid Biofuels: An Analysis of the Arguments in the Cunent Debate’, Renewable Energy, 35(1): 14–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RE (2012) Renewable Energy Statistical Handbook 2012 2012 (National Energy Resources Bureau, Energy Resources Division and National Center for Renewable Energy compilers).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoneveld, G., L. German, R. Andrade, M. Chin, W. Caroko, and O. Romero-Hernandez (2010) “The Role of National Governance Systems in Biofuel Development: A Comparative Analysis of Lessons Leamt’, CIFOR ïnfobriefs, 35 (December), http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/infobrief/3308-info-brief.pdf, accessed 21 August 2012.

  • Schulte I., D. Hart, and R. Van der Vorst (2004) ‘Issues Affecting the Acceptance of Hydrogen Fuel’, International journal of Hydrogen Energy, 29: 677–685.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, R. R. and J. Y. Jiang (2011) ‘People’s Republic of China — Biofuels Annual Report 2011’, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report, 11039.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims, E. H., W. Mabee, J. N. Saddler, and M. Taylor (2010) ‘An Overview of Second Generation Biofuel Technologies’, Bioresource Technology, 101: 1570–1580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • State Council (2012)’ state Council Notice Regarding the Development Plan for New Sectors State Council Document 28. http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2012–07/20/ content_2187770.htm, accessed 21 September 2012.

  • Wang, Q. (2011) ‘Time for Commercializing Non-food Biofuel in China’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15: 621–629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z. Y. Y Q. Zhao and Z. M. Zhang (2010) Strategy and Policies for Development of China’s Liquid Biofuels (Beijing: Huaxue gongye chubanshe).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, W. J. H. Zhang and L. Wang (2009) ‘The Prospects of Development for our Country’s Bioethanol atural Gas Technology 3(2): 70–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westenheuser, H., T. Tennigkeit, Y. R Su, and F. Kahrl (2007) ‘Biofuels in China: An Analysis of the Opportunities and Challenges of Jatropha Curcas in Southwest China’, ICRAF Working Paper, 53 (Beijing: World Agroforestry Centre).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, V., W. Turner, and P. Stoneman (1996) ‘Marketing Strategies and Market Prospects for Environmentally Friendly Consumer Products’, British journal of Management, 7: 263–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woody, T. (2011) ‘China Makes Its First Biofuel-Powered Flight’, Forbes, 11 January 2011. http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2011/ll/01/china-makes-its-first-biofuel-powered-flight/, accessed 8 June 2012.

  • Wu, C. Z., X. L. Yin, Z. H. Yuan, Z. Q Zhou, and X. S. Zhuang (2009) ‘The Development of Bioenergy Technology in China’, Energy (Special issue: Energy and Its Sustainable Development for China), 35(11): 4445–4450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xing, Q. M., Q. Z. Sun, and F. Q. Gao (2008) ‘Development of Lignocellulosic Materials for Bioethanol Production’, journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 10:41-45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Y. F. Yu, T. Z. Li, and B. Zou (2011) ‘Analyzing Chinese Consumers’ Perception for Biofuels Implementation: The Private Vehicles Owner’s Investigating in Nanjing’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, 15: 2299–2309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Jørgen Delman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

    Louis Augustin-Jean

  2. University of Würzburg Germany, Germany

    Björn Alpermann (Chair of Contemporary Chinese Studies) (Chair of Contemporary Chinese Studies)

Copyright information

© 2014 Jørgen Delman and Yu Wang

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Delman, J., Wang, Y. (2014). Fuels for the Future? The Emerging Architecture in China’s Liquid Biofuels Market. In: Augustin-Jean, L., Alpermann, B. (eds) The Political Economy of Agro-Food Markets in China. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137277954_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation