Biofuels

							Biofuels
Quick Facts
What are biofuels?

  Liquid transportation fuels made from
   plants & other forms of biomass.
  Two types
    Ethanol-a gasoline type fuel made by
     fermenting sugars into alcohol.
    Biodiesel-a diesel type fuel made by
     separating glycerin from animal & vegetable
     oil to create methyl esters.
What materials can be
used to make biofuels?
    Sugar cane                          Canola oil
    Corn                                Jatropha nut oil
    Sweet sorghum                       Trees
    Soybean oil                         Grass
    Coconut oil                         Agricultural residue
    Palm oil                            Municipal solid
                                          wastes

 Recent research is making this process less expensive & more energy
 efficient.
Ethanol or Gasoline?
Pictorial by Graydon Blair of the Utah Biodiesel Cooperative
After Glycerin removal, biodiesel now just needs to be
cleaned/purified before use:
Where are biofuels made?

  Brazil
    Uses sugar cane to make ethanol
  Midwestern United States
    Uses corn to produce ¼ of the globe’s
     ethanol
  China
    3rd largest supplier of ethanol in the world.
Are biofuels good for the
environment?
  Biofuels are cleaner burning & reduce
   emissions of particulate matter.
  Biofuels are biodegradable.
  Biofuels are nontoxic.
Environmental Issues
 Burning fossil fuels increases atmospheric levels of
  carbon dioxide
 Fossil fuels are a                     Biodiesel’s Closed
  finite resource                        Carbon Cycle




        30% Increase




Graph taken from USF Oceanography webpage
Share of energy consumed
by major sectors of the
economy
Are special cars required
to use biofuels?
  Cars, trucks, & farm equipment can all
   run on low-volume biofuel blends without
   any alterations.
  Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV) operate on
   any combination of ethanol & gasoline.
  FFV’s are being sold in the U.S., Brazil, &
   China.
Benefits of biofuels

    Reduce yearly operation costs.
    Reduce the need for petroleum
    Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
    The crops that are used are all
     renewable resources.