1. Introductory chapter : bioenergy, sustainability and Colombia -- 2. Biofuels in the world and the Latin America (LAC) region -- 3. Environmental problems in Colombia and their relationship with bioenergy production -- 4. Biofuels costs and price information -- 5. Biofuel value chains and contractual relationships -- 6. Life cycle analysis -- environmental study -- 7. Expansion potential -- 8. General conclusions.

This thesis examines the bioenergy program now underway in Colombia, where comparative advantages (shared with other tropical countries) in production of sugar cane and palm oil are being built on. While the technologies associated with the use of these feedstocks are well known, nevertheless their scaling up in a country like Colombia poses considerable environmental, social, economic and business challenges. The thesis poses two fundamental questions based on current Colombian conditions, namely (1) can the Colombian biofuel industry produce bioethanol and biodiesel under sustainable guidelines; and (2) to what extent is it possible to expand energy crops for biofuels production purposes without jeopardizing sustainability goals?

Texto en inglés