I have recently begun thinking about switching to biofuels. I don’t know anything about them, so I have decided to begin researching what biofuels are, how they are made, and what wastes are created when they are processed to determine if switching to a biofuel would be a good choice for me. The information I started to dig up was very overwhelming, so I will try and break it up into small pieces that are easy to read.
This article will outline the different types of biofuels and give a very brief explanation of each. Further articles in this series will explore each type of biofuel and highlight the criticisms and praises of its use.
So: What is a Biofuel?
A biofuel is a type of fuel made from recently living or living biological material. There are many different types of biofuels – I never knew how many! In short, they are:
- First Generation Biofuels
- Second Generation Biofuels
- Third Generation Biofuels
FIRST GENERATION BIOFUELS
First generation biofuels cover a range of fuels including vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioalcohols, bioethers, biogas, syngas, and solid biofuels. They are made from animal fats, sugar, starch, or vegetable oil. Since these biofuels are manufactured mostly from food crops, there is some debate that converting these products to fuel instead of food may have a negative impact on certain populations.
SECOND GENERATION BIOFUELS
Second generation biofuels can be made from non-food items such as wheat stalks and inedible waste products and therefore do not pose a threat to food production. However, many of these types of biofuels are still under development.
THIRD GENERATION BIOFUELS
Third generation biofuels are made from algae. This type of fuel is biodegradable and so we wouldn’t have any of the nasty problems like we do when oil tankers spill. However, the oil is hard to extract and in order to grow enough of it to replace traditional petroleum, the United States Department of Energy estimated that we’d need 15,000 square miles!
So the next time you see a sign that says “BIOFUELS SOLD HERE”, know that the term ‘biofuel’ can reference any number of fuel types. Be sure that you have researched each biofuel type and that you have installed the proper conversion equipment in your car as necessary.
Next article: First Generation Biofuels —->
Other articles in the What Is… series:
What is USDA? Understanding the Label
What is Greenwashing? Are you a Victim?
