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Ethanol as Biofuel
The term biofuels generally refers to either biodiesel or ethanol and denotes any fuel made from biological sources, for most practical uses.
Biodiesel refers to any diesel-equivalent biofuel made from renewable biological materials such as vegetable oils, animal fats or from other biomass such as algae.
Biodiesel is usually produced by a chemical reaction called Transesterification, in which, vegetable or waste oil is reacted with a low molecular weight alcohol, such as ethanol and methanol.
Biodiesel is quite similar to fossil diesel fuel, but there are some notable differences. While petroleum and other fossil fuels contain sulphur, ring molecules and aromatics, biodiesel molecules are very simple hydrocarbon chains, containing no sulphur, ring molecules or aromatics. Biodiesel is made up of almost 10% oxygen, making it a naturally "oxygenated" fuel. An oxygenated fuel has a chemical compound containing oxygen and it works by allowing the gasoline in vehicles to burn more completely and efficiently. In many cases, it is credited with reducing the level of smog in major urban centers and is capable of reducing deadly carbon monoxide emissions.
Bio-diesel can be used in diesel engines as fuel in either pure or blended form (blended with petrodiesel). The amount of biodiesel in any fuel mix is referred to as the "B" factor. Fuel containing 20% biodiesel is labeled B20. Pure biodiesel is referred to as B100.
The last few years has seen tremendous growth in biofuels. During this period, the industry has evolved from first generation feedstocks and processes to their second and third generation counterparts.
First, Second and Third Generation Biofuels
The terms first, second and third generation can be used in the contexts of both feedstocks and processes. For instance, corn and maize represent first generation ethanol feedstocks, and fermentation represents first generation ethanol production process. Similarly, Switchgrass is one of the popular second generation ethanol feedstocks, while the production of cellulosic ethanol represents the second generation process for ethanol.
Related Links:
- Ethanol as Biofuels
- What are feedstocks?
- Properties of Feedstocks for ethanol production
- Yield of Biomass for Various Feedstocks
- Feedstocks used by Various Companies
- Why Cellulosic Ethanol?
- Cellulosic Ethanol Production
- Cellulosic Ethanol Production Value Chain
- Ethanol production methods
- Latest Discoveries and Breakthroughs
- R & D Roadmap in Cellulosic Ethanol
- Future projections
- Companies Involved in Producing Cellulosic Ethanol
- Investments & Funding
- Challenges & Barriers in the commercialization process
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