From Wikipedia: Biofuel
Biofuel can be broadly defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel derived from recently dead biological material, most commonly plants. This distinguishes it from fossil fuel, which is derived from long dead biological material.
Biofuel can be theoretically produced from any (biological) carbon source. The most common by far is photosynthetic plants that capture solar energy. Many different plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacture.
Biofuels are used globally and biofuel industries are expanding in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The most common use for biofuels is as liquid fuels for automotive transport. The use of renewable biofuels provides increased independence from petroleum and enhances energy security.[1]
There are various current issues with biofuel production and use, which are presently being discussed in the popular media and scientific journals. These include: the effect of moderating oil prices, the “food vs fuel” debate, carbon emissions levels, sustainable biofuel production, deforestation and soil erosion, impact on water resources, human rights issues, poverty reduction potential, biofuel prices, energy balance and efficiency, and centralised versus decentralised production models.
One of the greatest technical challenges is to develop ways to convert biomass energy specifically to liquid fuels for transportation. To achieve this, the two most common strategies are:
- To grow sugar crops (sugar cane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum[2]), or starch (corn/maize), and then use yeast fermentation to produce ethanol (ethyl alcohol).
- To grow plants that (naturally) produce oils, such as oil palm, soybean, algae, or jatropha. When these oils are heated, their viscosity is reduced, and they can be burned directly in a diesel engine, or the oils can be chemically processed to produce fuels such as biodiesel.
Wood and its byproducts can be converted into biofuels such as woodgas, methanol or ethanol fuel. Some researchers are working to improve these processes.
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- Wisconsin Researchers Unlock Biomass Sugars for Fuel - A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have figured out how to get the the sugar molecules trapped inside inedible plant biomass, a key step in the creation of cellulosic biofuels. This press release from the school says the process, featured in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [...]
- Fargo to Host Free Biodiesel Workshop - Breathing easier is what the American Lung Association is all about, and that’s why the group’s North Dakota chapter has teamed up with the North Dakota Soybean Council, North Dakota Office of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition, and the North Dakota Department of Commerce to offer a free workshop [...]
- Algae Assoc. to Hold Seminar on Using Wastewater - Our friends at the Mid-South Chapter of the National Algae Association are holding another seminar. This time the talk will be “Algae: Mining Wastewater for Nutrients, Fuel, and Fertilizer” at the Holiday Inn Research Center in Huntsville, Alabama on March 26, 2010. I caught up with the chapter’s president, Tamra Fakhoorian, to talk about this [...]
- Ethanol 2010: Emerging Issues Forum - There’s only one week left to get the early registration discount for the Ethanol 2010: Emerging Issues Forum. The event will be held at the Magnolia Hotel on April 8 and 9 in Omaha, Nebraska. The fifth annual forum features a number of experts on topics including marketing, transportation, RINS and lifecycle emissions of the [...]
- USDA Offers Biomass and Bioenergy Funding - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that Fiscal Year 2009 funding is once again available again for three USDA Farm Bill programs to promote increased production of biomass and bioenergy. Applications for the Biorefinery Assistance Program, which uses loan guarantees to develop, construct, and retrofit commercial-scale biorefineries, must be received by June 1, 2010. [...]
- Big Oil Exec Talks Natural Gas, Electric Cars, Biofuels - The CEO of one of the world’s biggest petroleum companies says his company will soon produce more natural gas than oil and is investing more than ever in biofuels. And this article from the Wall Street Journal says that Peter Voser of Royal Dutch Shell says he expects in the next 40 years, 40 percent of [...]
- Imperium Re-Opens Washington State Biodiesel Plant - They’re back up and running at Imperium Renewables’ Grays Harbor, Washington biodiesel plant. This company press release says Imperium re-opened the facility after a glycerin tank rupture idled operations last December: “We are thrilled to be producing again,” said John Plaza, founder and CEO of Imperium Renewables. “We have replaced the damaged equipment and re-designed the glycerin [...]
- Biodiesel Credit Clears Senate, On to House - As expected, the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive has cleared the U.S. Senate on the back of the current jobs bill. The 62-36 vote now moves the measure into a reconciliation phase with the House’s version of the bill. I caught up with Michael Frohlich, the director of federal communications for the National Biodiesel Board’s office in [...]
- Biofuels Crops in Zero Gravity? - Growing biomass in space? That’s right. Right now an experiment is underway on the space station to see if microgravity can affect the growth of Jatropha curcas, a tropical flowering plant.
According to Popular Science ,
“This first-ever experiment to test a possible biofuel in microgravity aims to improve cell structure, growth and development in [...]
- Biodiesel Clears Senate Hurdle on the Back of Jobs Bill - It looks like the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive could be close to renewal, as the jobs bill to which it was attached has cleared a key vote in the U.S. Senate. The vote came Tuesday as eight Republicans sided with 58 Democrats to end debate on the $150 billion measure. The cloture vote clears [...]
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