BIOfuel

Biomass sources-edible food stock, non-food based biomass, and aquatic biomasses categorize different generations of Biofuel. The first-generation of biofuels draws on biomass sources-edible food stock, non-food-based biomass, and marine biomasses. First-generation biofuels come from plant-based starches (wheat, barley, corn, and potatoes), sugars (sugar cane and sugar beet), and edible feedstock oils(grapeseed, soybeans, sunflower, palm, coconut, used cooking oil, animal fats) and grains high in sugar and starch fermented into Bioethanol. Seeds pressed into vegetable oils also contribute to Biodiesel. Non-food crops like waste biomass (forests and forest residue), agricultural biomass (straw, grass), energy crops (jatropha, cassava, miscanthus) and municipal solid waste (MSW) and animal manure produce hydrocarbons, fuels, hydrogen, methanol, alcohols, F-T (Fischer–Tropsch) fuel, aviation fuel, and olefins are Second Generation Biofuels. Make a chart of the sources and products of first and second-generation biofuels.

Ethanol, Biodiesel, Methanol and bio blends are all types of Biofuel. Of the first three, methanol is a common ingredient in some paints, cement, nail polish, ink, dyes, and some plastic products. Methanol, in general, is a blend of 85% natural gas and 15% gasoline. Pure methanol, M100, is used directly as motor fuel. It is cleaner because it does not emit nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, or hydrocarbons. It is biodegradable and is less expensive than unleaded gasoline. Methanol is natural gas, or methane, which is less flammable than fossil fuel-based gasoline. Make a chart of Biofuels and their chemical names and characteristics.

Third-generation biofuels are from oils extracted from biomass-aquatic-microalgae, seaweed, and other aquatic microbes. This process is algaculture. Biomass and oil from algae are achievable at a low cost with high energy yields producing up to nearly thirty times the energy per unit area as compared to first-generation biofuels. Live algae can be grown in low-quality farmland in shallow pooled areas and even in the desert using nonpotable water. Algae yield 100,000 liters of oil per hectare compared with palm oil, the next best crop producer, which delivers 5,000 liters per hectare. Make a diagram of Algaculture Biofuel production.

Renewable Biofuel production offsets reliance on non-renewable fossil fuel sources and improves the world’s carbon footprint. It also uses much more farmable land for fuel production rather than food production; with the world’s growing population, this is a problem. Algae farming may offer a progressive solution, superior to food crop production using less land for higher yields. Fourth-generation biofuels are currently being developed using emerging “synthetic biology technology. This process converts solar energy directly into biofuels using microorganisms in feedstock mixed with water and carbon dioxide. Besides, bio-blends are Biofuels that offset current gasoline and diesel mixtures. B5 is a 5% biofuel mixed with regular diesel and is currently the most common offering in the United States. B20 is a higher blend of up to 20% biofuel mixed with diesel that many cars and trucks in the United States can use. Make a chart of emerging biofuel production.

• Biofuel comes from organic biomass and biological derivatives of:
  • plants
  • animals
  • algae
  • all of the above
• Biofuel production aims at reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
  • true
  • false
• Ethanol is the most common biofuel used for cars and trucks.
  • true
  • false
• Algaculture occurs in
  • the ocean
  • ponds
  • algae farms
  • all of the above
• Reducing reliance on fossil fuels will improve greenhouse gas emissions.
  • true
  • false