Algenol biofuels: How does biofuel work

Biofuel is also termed as agrofuel. This special type of fuel is mostly produced from bio waste.

[br] The worldwide awareness regarding global warming has popularized the use of biofuel. Biofuels are highly effective in minimizing the extent of greenhouse gas emission. Owing to the limited availability of fossil fuels, the use of biofuels becomes all the more important. Biofuels also serve as a means of energy conservation or energy security. Biogases are widely used in different parts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Biofuel is also termed as agrofuel. This special type of fuel is mostly produced from bio waste.

[br] The worldwide awareness regarding global warming has popularized the use of biofuel. Biofuels are highly effective in minimizing the extent of greenhouse gas emission. Owing to the limited availability of fossil fuels, the use of biofuels becomes all the more important. Biofuels also serve as a means of energy conservation or energy security. Biogases are widely used in different parts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Any type biological carbon source can be a source of biofuel. The photosynthetic plants are considered to be the most common source of biofuel. Plants died in the recent past are used to generate this type of fuel. Nearly all kinds of plant parts can be used in the production of agrofuel.

With the increasing prices of petroleum products, the issues of energy conservation have gained substantial importance. The researchers working on the sources of biofuel have come across a number of challenges at different points of time.

The most significant of all has been the difficulties faced to transform biomass energy into the form of liquid fuel. [br]

The researchers have come up with two possible solutions.

» The first method involves cultivation of starch or sugar crops followed by fermentation of the same to produce ethanol.

» In the second method plants, which produce algae and jatropha oil, are cultivated. The viscosity of the oils, collected from the plants is reduced by heating. Thereafter these oils are used as biofuels in diesel engines. The oil thus produced can also be utilized to generate biodiesel.

In America, a number of agricultural crops are cultivated especially for production of agrofuel. In US soybeans, corn, and switchgrass are grown for this purpose. In Brazil majority of sugar cane production goes for biofuel. In the European countries, biofuels are processed from wheat and sugar beet. In south-east Asia palm oil and miscanthus are used for biofuel production. In China, sorghum and cassava are grown for the purpose. In India, the common practice is to produce biofuel from jatropha.