BIOFUELS

Many people consider biofuels as a replacement for traditional fossil fuels in the times to come. There are many reasons why this point of view is gaining more and more in popularity. One feature that quailifies biofuels for perfect renewable energy source is the fact, that biofuels can be produced easily and this way one might achive reduction of dependence on imported energy. However, nothing is ideal, and that includes biofules. Some people argue that biofuels could be extremely dangerous for humanity, owing to the fact that no detailed study of the origin and properties of the biofuels have not been conducted. We will have to resolve what are positive and negative sides of using this type of energy source, but also the potential dangers and the impact that biofuels will have on the total world economy.

Biomass-Base for Biofuels Production

This term is actually an abbreviation of the term biological mass and describes the quantity of recently living materials (plants, animals and their products) which is located in a particular area of the Earth's surface. Biomass is a renewable energy source that is based on the carbon cycle, unlike other natural resources such as oil, coal and nuclear fuels."Biomass is the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture (including substances of plant and animal origin), forestry and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste" . Biomass from wood, crop leftovers and fertilizers are primary energy sources in developed regions.

Fundamentals of Biofuels

Definistion of biofuels is followint one: Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuel for transport produced from biomass. Biofuels can be produced directly from plants or indirectly from industrial, commercial, domestic and agricultural waste. There are three basic methods of biofuels production. The first is based on the combustion of dry organic waste (household waste, industrial and agricultural waste, straw, wood and peat). Then there is the fermentation of wet waste (animal manure) without the presence of oxygen to produce biofuel with 60% methane and the fermentation of sugar cane or corn to produce alcohol and esters. Finally there is the energy gained forestry, farming or fast-growing trees for fuel production. However, it is certainly the most famous fermentation, whose products are the most common type of alcohols and esters. They could theoretically replace fossil fuels, but since that would require adjusting the machines are commonly used in combination with fossil fuels. There are different types of biofuels that are divided into first and second generation depending on the source material for the production, costs of production, costs and CO2 emissions. First generation biofuels are based on production from sugar, starch, vegetable oils or animal fats, while second generation production uses agricultural and forest waste.

Fist Generation of Biofuels

The most popular types of first generation biofuels are ethanol, biodiesel and biogas.

Ethanol

Ethanol is a colorless liquid with specific taste and characteristic pleasant smell. Due to the low freezing point ethanol is used as the liquid in thermometers at temperatures below -40 ° C (-40 ° F), as well as antifreeze in cars. The oldest method of producing ethanol is sugar fermentation. Mixing ethanol with gasoline we can create gasohol, which is used as a car fuel.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is produced from oils or fats in the transesterification process. By the structure, biodiesel is very similar to mineral diesel. The oils are mixed with sodium hydroxide and methanol or ethanol, and products of these chemical reactions are biodiesel and glycerol. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine when mixed with mineral diesel.

Biogas

The biogas is produced by anaerobic conversion of organic materials (biodegradable waste, energy substances) with the help of anaerobic organisms, and produced it contains methane and carbon dioxide. Biogas can be used as a source of electrical energy. Its common application is heating of households and water. As the fuel, biogas is frequently used in an internal combustion engine.