Bio-Fuel

Bio-Fuel

• Bio-fuels are non-fossil fuels. Biofuels are energy sources made from living things or the waste that living things produce.

• Bio-fuels are energy carriers that store the energy derived from organic materials (biomass), including plant materials and animal waste.

• Bio-fuels are fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material - biomass - including plant materials and animal waste.

1. Generations of Bio-Fuels

• Bio-fuels can come from a wide variety of sources and can be roughly divided into four categories or "generations

1. First generation bio-fuels :

• These are made from sugars, starches, oil and animal fats that are converted into fuel using already-known processes or technologies. These fuels include biodiesel, bio alcohols, ethanol and bio-gasses, like methane captured from landfill decomposition.

2. Second generation bio-fuels :

• These are made from non-food crops or agricultural waste, especially ligno-cellulosic biomass like switch-grass, willow or wood chips.

3. Third generation bio-fuels :

• These are made from algae or other quickly growing biomass sources.

4. Fourth generation bio-fuels :

• These are made from specially engineered plants or biomass that may have higher energy yields or lower barriers to cellulosic breakdown or are able to be grown on non- agricultural land or bodies of water.

2. Biodiesel

• Biodiesel is a liquid fuel, technically known as a mono alkyl ester or long chain Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME).

• Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be produced in any climate using already developed agricultural practices.

• Biodiesel is made from renewable resources such vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, soybean, etc.), reclaimed vegetable or animal fats, algae and alcohols or other types of biomass.

• B100 is 100 % biodiesel. Biodiesel is widely available in both its neat form (Bl00) and in blends with petroleum diesel (for example: B2, B5, B20).

• It provides substantial reductions in carbon monoxide, unbumed hydrocarbons and particulate emissions from diesel engines. Some emissions tests have shown slight oxides of nitrogen (NOx) increase with biodiesel. New research on real-time vehicles has shown a decrease in NOx emissions.

• Biodiesel fuels are appealing because of -

1. renewable, nontoxic and biodegradable nature.

2. significance to the efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum.

3. potential to reduce DPM emissions.

• Ethanol is an alcohol made from feed stocks (such as corn), sugar cane or cellulosic material. Ethanol is generally blended with gasoline for use in internal combustion engines.