Biofuels

Abstract

People used some petroleum products from ancient times. Intensive use of crude oil started only in the twentieth century. The Russian chemist Mendeleev said that the burning of crude oil and fuels producing from it is the same as to throw the banknotes into the furnace. Numerous chemicals are producing from crude oil, namely, polymers, solvents, and medicines. In any case, the huge amount of crude oil is spent on producing of fuels. Nobody knows exactly how many stocks of crude oil are inside the earth crust and how many years we will be able to distill it and produce fuels. Crude oil is an exhaustible source for producing fuels. The first oil crisis in 1973 and the second one in 1991 caused many countries to search for alternative or renewable fuels. Alternative fuel is any fuel that is substantially non-petroleum and yields energy security and environmental benefits (air quality). Alternative fuels include biofuels, coal-derived liquid fuels, hydrogen, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and dimethyl ether. Biofuel is a general name of fuels derived from renewable sources, sometimes called biomass. Liquid biofuels are subdivided on bioalcohols and biodiesel. They can be used as separate fuels or as components in conventional fuels (blends): bioalcohols in gasoline and biodiesel in diesel fuel. The properties of bioalcohols (mostly methanol and ethanol) and biodiesel, benefits, drawbacks, and additives are analysed.

There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented.

Henry Ford (1863–1947), an American industrialist.