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Details of Biofuel

Biofuel  can be broadly defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from biomass. The definition used here is narrower: biofuel is defined as liquid or gas transportation fuel derived from biomass. Biomass can also be used directly for heating or power: this is commonly called biomass fuel: see biomass heating systems. Biofuel is considered a means of reducing^[2] greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security by providing an alternative to fossil fuels.

Biofuels are used globally: biofuel industries are expanding in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The most common use for biofuels is in automotive transport (for example E10 fuel). Biofuel can be produced from any carbon source that can be replenished rapidly e.g. plants. Many different plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacture.

History

Humans have used biomass fuels for heating and cooking since the discovery of fire. Following the discovery of electricity, it became possible to use biofuels to generate electrical power as well. However, the discovery and use of fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil, have dramatically reduced the amount of biomass fuel used in the developed world for transport, heat and power.

Liquid biofuels have been used since the early days of the car industry. Nikolaus August Otto, the German inventor of the internal combustion engine, conceived his invention to run on ethanol. Rudolf Diesel, the German inventor of the Diesel engine, designed it to run on peanut oil. Henry Ford originally designed the Ford Model T, a car produced from 1903 to 1926, to run completely on ethanol. However, when crude oil became cheaply available (thanks to oil reserves discovered in Pennsylvania and Texas), cars began using fuels derived from mineral oil: petroleum or diesel.

Nevertheless, before World War II, biofuels were seen as providing an alternative to imported oil. Germany powered its vehicles using a blend of gasoline with alcohol fermented from potatoes, called Reichskraftsprit. In Britain, grain alcohol was blended with petrol by the Distillers Company Limited under the name Discol and marketed through Esso's affiliate Cleveland.

After the war, cheap Middle Eastern oil lessened interest in biofuels. But the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 increased interest from governments and academics. The counter-shock of 1996 again reduced oil prices and interest.

In the United States, all cars manufactured since 1988 are required to be compatible with fuels containing at least 20% ethanol E20 fuel, and with minor modifications these cars can use 85% ethanol blended with petroleum E85 fuel. Since around 2000 renewed interest in biofuels has been seen. The drivers for biofuel use and development include rising oil prices, concerns over the potential oil peak, greenhouse gas emissions (global warming), rural development interests, and instability in the Middle East. The US president George W. Bush said in his 2006 State of the Union speech that the US should replace 75% of imported oil with biofuel by 2025.

The U.S. Dept. of Energy has earmarked $375 million to fund bioenergy research centers. Second generation biofuel production processes are in development (see below). These allow biofuel to be derived from any source of biomass, not just from food crops such as corn and soy beans.