Biofuels – defined in the broadest sense as any fuel derived from biomass, or living/recently living plant material – offer some of the most promising alternatives in the effort to decrease dependence on traditional fossil fuel sources (oil, gas, petrol, coal, etc). Biofuels offer the only immediate alternative to fossil fuels, help limit impact on the environment from fuel emissions and are the only direct substitute for oil in transport that is available on a significant scale in most countries.
The concept of using biofuels is not new – Nicolaus Otto, inventor of the combustion engine, conceived his invention to run on ethanol. Rudolf Diesel's first engine was designed to run on peanut oil and early versions of the Ford Model T ran on ethanol.
World demand for energy is projected to more than double by 2050 and more than triple by end of century. At the same time, oil prices are rising and fossil fuel reserves are dwindling. In addition, alleviating dependence on imported oil is a major concern for many countries. Addressing climate change is fast becoming a major global priority and finding new ways to protect biodiversity and natural resources like soil, water and air are urgently being sought.
Plant biofuel, which is often (though not exclusively) derived from agricultural crops, is easy to grow and transform into fuel, making it one of the dominant forms of renewable energy available today. Other technologies, such as hydrogen, which also have potential, are still seen to be far away from large-scale viability – not least because they will require major changes to vehicle fleets and the fuel distribution infrastructure. The abundance of raw materials and ease of use with existing equipment and infrastructures mean that biofuels are best suited to provide reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and a diversification of the energy supply in the immediate future.
Countries around the world support the development of biofuels because they:
- Are immediately available
- Help provide energy security and diversity
- Give new opportunities for farmers and developing countries
- Have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Agricultural products specifically grown for use as biofuels include corn, soybeans, flaxseed, rapeseed/canola, sugar cane, palm oil, cassava and jatropha. Since the fuel can be made out of nearly any organic matter that ferments, many other forms of biomass can also be used. Research continues to develop new crop varieties specifically for biofuels that increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of conversion. The plant science industry is centrally involved in this research, while at the same time providing many solutions to the current challenges facing the biofuels industry today – production costs, availability of raw materials, increased yields, etc. The resulting product can be used in a number of ways – it can be easily blended with existing fossil fuels and it can be used directly by adapting existing equipment or engines to burn different biofuel products without the need for blending.
Source: F.O. Licht, “Ethanol: World Production, by country,” World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, April 2006; cited in Clive James, “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2006,” ISAAA, Brief 35 (January 2007).
Biofuels work on the principle that plants capture and store the sun’s energy through the process of photosynthesis. Through a process of biocatalysis, the energy stored in the plant can be converted into any number or biofuel products – principally ethanol, biomethanol, biodiesel, biogas and biobutanol. The process of making each type of biofuel is different – for example, basic ethanol production is not dissimilar to distillation of spirits.
As with any modern technology, biofuels are the subject of some debate. We address some of those concerns on this site in the Issues section.
Sources:
Renewable Fuels Association, Industry Statistics.
F.O. Licht, “Ethanol: World Production, by country,” World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, April 2006; cited in Clive James, “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2006,” ISAAA, Brief 35 (January 2007).
EuropaBio Biofuels Fact Sheets (www.europabio.org/Biofuels/Biofuels_about.htm)