What is a biofuel?

Biofuel is a type of renewable energy source derived from microbial, plant, or animal materials. Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil.

The term biofuels usually applies to liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass materials called feedstocks. Most biofuels are used as transportation fuels, but they may also be used for heating and electricity generation.

Biofuels are regarded as a renewable energy source. 

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What are the examples of biofuels?

Examples of biofuels include ethanol (often made from corn in the United States and sugarcane in Brazil), biodiesel (sourced from vegetable oils and liquid animal fats), green diesel (derived from algae and other plant sources), and biogas (methane derived from animal manure and other digested organic material).

The two most common types of biofuel are bioethanol and biodiesel. The U.S. is the largest producer of bioethanol, while the EU is the largest producer of biodiesel.

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What are the types of biofuels?

Biofuels can be solid, liquid, or gaseous. They are most useful in the latter two forms as this makes it easier to transport, deliver, and burn cleanly.

What is the need for biofuel?

Global demand for energy is expected to continue growing substantially and it’s widely recognized that alternative, sustainable solutions need to be found to address those needs.

Lots of people in the energy industry believe biofuel could be the answer, viewing it as vitally important to future energy production because of its clean and renewable properties.

Demand for aviation biofuel is forecast to increase.

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What is bioethanol?

Bioethanol is an alcohol made by fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar or starch crops such as maize, sugarcane, or sweet sorghum.

Cellulosic biomass, derived from non-food sources, such as trees and grasses, is also being developed as a feedstock for ethanol production.

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Ethanol can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form (E100), but it is usually used as a gasoline additive to increase octane ratings and improve vehicle emissions.

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is produced from oils or fats using transesterification. It can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form , but it is usually used as a diesel additive to reduce levels of particulates, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons from diesel-powered vehicles.

Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel in any percentage, including B100 (pure biodiesel) and, the most common blend, B20 (a blend containing 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel).

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What are the different generations of biofuels?

1st generation biofuels

They are also called conventional biofuels.

They are made from things like sugar, starch, or vegetable oil. Note that these are all food products.

Any biofuel made from a feedstock that can also be consumed as a human food is considered a first-generation biofuel.

2nd generation biofuels

They are produced from sustainable feedstock. The sustainability of a feedstock is defined by its availability, its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, its impact on land use, and by its potential to threaten the food supply.

No second generation biofuel is also a food crop, though certain food products can become second generation fuels when they are no longer useful for consumption.

Second generation biofuels are often called “advanced biofuels.”

3rd generation biofuels

They are biofuel derived from algae.

These biofuels are given their own separate class because of their unique production mechanism and their potential to mitigate most of the drawbacks of 1st and 2nd generation biofuels.

4th generation biofuels

In the production of these fuels, crops that are genetically engineered to take in high amounts of carbon are grown and harvested as biomass. The crops are then converted into fuel using second generation techniques.