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BIOFUEL
Biofuels are solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels consisting of, or derived directly or indirectly from
biomass, or biological materials. Wood, charcoal and dung are simple examples of biofuels. Bioenergy is
energy derived from biofuels.
Biofuel is a renewable form of energy because it is obtained from organic matter that is abundant
and forever being re-created in short time frames. Biofuels are derived from biomass formed through a
process of carbon fixation. Carbon fixation is the conversion of in-organic carbon (such as Carbon Dioxide)
into organic carbon. Plants manufacture food using carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight
(solar energy), in a process called photosynthesis, which converts this solar energy into chemical energy.
Biomass which is mainly composed of dead plant matter has a large amount of embodied energy. When
biomass is used as a fuel source it is regarded as a Biofuel.
Overall, bioenergy covers approximately 10% of the total world energy demand. Traditional
unprocessed biomass such as fuelwood, charcoal and animal dung accounts for most of this and
represents the main source of energy for a large number of people in developing countries who use it
mainly for cooking and heating.
A distinction is made between primary and secondary biofuels. In the case of primary biofuels,
such as fuelwood, wood chips and pellets, organic materials are used in an unprocessed form, primarily for
heating, cooking or electricity production. Secondary biofuels result from processing of biomass and
include liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel that can be used in vehicles and industrial processes.
Biofuel vs Fossil Fuel
The world energy demand has been increasing drastically during the last 2-3 decades. Fossil fuel is
considerably depleting and greater attention has been drawn to find alternative energy sources. Biofuel is
an alternative renewable energy source produced from living organisms. Following are the key differences
of Biofuel and fossil fuel.
It takes millions of years to generate fossil fuel in the earth but regeneration of biofuel is a very
short period.
Fossil fuel is a non-renewable energy source whereas biofuel is a renewable energy source.
Using fossil fuel pollutes the environment in many ways, but the consumption of biofuel is an
environmental friendly concept.
We cannot produce fossil fuel; it has to be generated naturally. But we can easily produce biofuel,
varying from small scale to large scale.
Health hazards of fossil fuels are very high; biofuel causes fewer problems to our health.
The contribution of fossil fuel for the world energy demand is very high while that of biofuel is
relatively low.

Types of Biofuel
Biodiesel: Biodiesel is a famous biofuel. Its composition is just like mineral diesel. When biodiesel is
mixed with mineral diesel, the mixture can be used in any diesel engine. A large number of vehicle
manufacturers recommend the use of 15% biodiesel mixed with mineral diesel. In Europe, a 5% biodiesel
blend is generally used in cars.
Bioalcohols: Bioalcohols are biologically produced alcohols. Common among these are ethanol and
rare among these are propanol and butanol. Ethanol fuel is the most commonly used biofuel in the world.
Ethanol can be put to use in petrol engines as a substitute for gasoline. Also, it can be mixed with gasoline
in any ratio. The contemporary automobile petrol engines can work on mixtures of gasoline and ethanol
that have 15% bioethanol.
Biogas: Biogas is created when organic material is anaerobically digested by anaerobes. Biogas is
produced when organic material, such as dead plant and animal waste, rots due to the action of bacteria. It
is mostly methane with some carbon dioxide. It also contains traces of other gases, such as hydrogen,
nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide.
Solid biofuels: Dried manure, charcoal and wood are examples of solid biofuels.
Syngas: The combined processes of gasification, combustion and pyrolyis gives rise to Syngas which
is a biofuel. This syngas can be directly burned in internal combustion engines. Syngas can be used to

create hydrogen and methanol. By using the

synthetic petroleum substitute.

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Fischer-Tropsch process, it can be transformed to a

Generations of Biofuels
There are four generations of biofuels.

First Generation
First generation biofuels refer to fuel derived from crops like starch, corn, animal fats and vegetable
oil.

Second Generation
The difference between the first and second generation is the types of plant material used. The first
generation required food crops such as sugar cane, corn and wheat to make bioethanol. Second
generation biofuels are only made from lignocellulosic crops. Lignocellulosic crops are mainly hard, woody
crops. A big problem with the first generation of biofuels is that it uses food crops. This caused the price
of food to go up due to the high demand of food crops and caused many issues. Since the second
generation no longer include food crops, people no longer have to worry about losing their food to biofuels.
There are two ways to process second generation biofuels, i.e. through thermochemical routes and
biochemical routes.

Third Generation
Algal fuel is the third generation of biofuels. According to US Department of Energy, algal oil can
yield up to 30 times more energy per acre than land crops like soybeans. Algae can be used to produce
vegetable oil, bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol , biodiesel, and other biofuels.

Advantages of Biofuels
Renewable Resource: Most of the fossil fuels will expire and end up in smoke one day. Since most
of the sources like manure, corn, sugarcane, soyabeans, waste from crops and plants are renewable and
are not likely to run out any time soon, making the use of biofuels efficient in nature. These crops can be
replanted again and again.
Reduce Greenhouse Gases: Fossil fuels, when burnt, produce large amount of greenhouse gases
i.e. carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To reduce the impact of greenhouse gases, people around the world
are using biofuels. Studies suggests that biofuels reduces greenhouse gases up to 65 percent.
Easy Adoption and economical: As of now, biofuels cost the same in the market as gasoline does.
However, the overall benefit of using them is much higher. They are cleaner fuels, which means they
produce fewer emissions on burning. Biofuels are adaptable to current engine designs and perform very
well in most conditions. This keeps the engine running for longer, requires less maintenance and brings
down overall pollution check costs. With the increased demand of biofuels, they have a potential of
becoming cheaper in future as well.

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Easy Availability: Gasoline is refined from crude oil, which happens to be a non-renewable
resource. Although current reservoirs of gas will sustain for many years, they will end sometime in near
future. Biofuels are made from many different sources such as manure, waste from crops and plants grown
specifically for the fuel.
Economic Security: Not every country has large reserves of crude oil. For them, having to import
the oil puts a huge dent in the economy. If more people start shifting towards biofuels, a country can
reduce its dependance on fossil fuels. More jobs will be created with a growing biofuel industry, which will
keep economy secure.
Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil: While locally grown crops have reduced the nations
dependance on fossil fuels, many experts believe that it will take a long time to solve energy needs. As
prices of crude oil are rising, we need some more alternative energy solutions to reduce our dependance
on fossil fuels.
Lower Levels of Pollution: Since biofuels can be made from renewable resources, they cause less
pollution to the planet. However, that is not the only reason why the use of biofuels is being encouraged.
They release lower levels of carbon dioxide and other emissions when burnt. Although the production of
biofuels creates carbon dioxide as a by product, it is frequently used to grow the plants that will be
converted into the fuel. This allows it to become something close to a self sustaining system.
Reduce the price of oil cheaper ethanol reduces the demand of oil and the price of oil.
Reduce fossil fuel imports The use of ethanol can reduce the use of gasoline. A reduction in the
use of gasoline reduces some of the dependence on unstable foreign sources of oil.
Reduce the poverty rate Most ethanol plants are in rural communities, and ethanol production
increases jobs due to plant construction, operations, and maintenance.

Disadvantages of Biofuels
Monoculture: Monoculture refers to practice of producing same crops year after year, rather than
producing various crops through a farmers fields over time. While, this might be economically attractive
for farmers but growing same crop every year may deprive the soil of nutrients that are put back into the
soil through crop rotation.
Use of Fertilizers: Biofuels are produced from crops and these crops need fertilizers to grow better.
The downside of using fertilizers is that they can have harmful effects on surrounding environment and
may cause water pollution. Fertilizers contain nitrogen and phosphorus. They can be washed away from
soil to nearby lake, river or pond.
Shortage of Food: Biofuels are extracted from plants and crops that have high levels of sugar in
them. However, most of these crops are also used as food crops. It will take up agricultural space from
other crops, which can create a number of problems. One major worry being faced by people is that the
growing use of biofuels may just mean a rise in food prices as well.
Industrial Pollution: The carbon emissions of biofuels is less than the traditional forms of fuel when
burnt. However, the process with which they are produced makes up for that. Production is largely
dependent on lots of water and oil. Large scale industries meant for churning out biofuel are known to emit
large amounts of emissions and cause small scale water pollution as well. Unless more efficient means of
production are put into place, the overall carbon emission does not get a very big dent in it.
Water Use: Large quantities of water are required to irrigate the biofuel crops and it may cause
pressure on local and regional water resources, if not managed wisely. In order to produce corn based
ethanol to meet local demand for biofuels, massive quantities of water are used that could put
unsustainable pressure on local water resources.
Future Rise in Price: Current technology being employed for the production of biofuels is not as
efficient as it should be. Scientists are engaged in developing better means by which we can extract this
fuel. However, the cost of research and future installation means that the price of biofuels will see a
significant spike. As of now, the prices are comparable with gasoline and are still feasible. Constantly rising
prices may make the use of biofuels as harsh on the economy as the rising gas prices are doing right now.
More energy is required for producing biofuel than they can be generated: Researchers has
concluded that producing ethanol from corn requires 29% more energy than the end product itself is
capable of generating.

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High transition cost from gasoline to biofuels Shifting from gasoline to biofuels, given
the number of gas only cars already on the road and the lack of ethanol or biodiesel pumps at existing
filling stations, would take some time.
Soil degradation and deforestation: With the increase in demand for alternative energy sources,
demand for agricultural land could increase. Increase demand for biofuel derived from cash crops such as
sugarcane, sugar beet, maize and sorghum would result in major changes to current land uses and can
lead to deforestataion.