Renewable energy mitigates the environmental impact of and our reliance on fossil fuels. Plant-based biofuels have shown promise as renewable alternatives to many crude oil products as plants are the most abundant renewable sources of reduced carbons. However, the adoption of plant-based biofuels remains limited despite decades of continued development. In the Asia-Pacific, Indonesia and Malaysia are the top two biofuel producers, while other countries lag far behind. 

While the importance of biofuels is recognized, several key challenges must be addressed before they can completely replace fossil-based fuels such as costs, environmental impact, and food–fuel conflict. Solutions are being sought to mitigate the challenges through new research and continuous review of policies and strategies. This e-course is one APO initiative to promote sustainability under the Green Productivity Program.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the basic concepts and principles of plant-based biofuels, including biofuel types, production processes, applications, and relevant emerging technologies;
• Explore the role of biofuels in achieving sustainability goals; and
• Analyze the role of public policies in the promotion and successful use of plant-based biofuels in industries.

This e-learning course will cover the following modules:

Module 1: Introduction to plant-based biofuels: Definition, history, and current status and types of plant-based biofuels
Module 2: Plant-based biofuel production processes including business models
Module 3: Current and future economic outlooks for the sustainability of plant-based biofuels
Module 4: Challenges, opportunities, and considerations for expanding the use of biofuel
Module 5: Success stories and best practices of plant-based biofuel adoption

Important Notes:

1. Participants who register to take this course and pass the final examination with a score of 70% or higher will be eligible to receive the APO certificate. Please note that the final examination can be taken only once. Therefore, the most appropriate time to take the examination should be chosen carefully. The self-assessment quizzes are for personal evaluation only and are not related to the final examination results.
2. Participants who perform well in this course and receive the APO certificate will be given preference, on a merit basis, for selection to attend follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects on similar topics, when nominated by their NPOs and if slots are available.
3. Notes 1 and 2 are applicable only to participants from APO members. Participants from nonmembers are welcome to take the course for self-improvement. However, they will not have an opportunity to attend follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects.
4. Each module is in a prerecorded video format in which the expert delivers presentations by explaining each slide. Participants can access the video by clicking on the link provided under the title of each module.