Biofuel/Agrofuel
· The fuel derived from
the biomass of plants or animal wastes
is known as biofuel. It is commonly produced from corn, sugarcane and animal waste like cow dung. Since these sources
are renewable unlike fossil fuels, it comes under renewable sources of energy.
· The two most common
biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel.
The ethanol is produced by fermentation of residues of crops like corn and
sugarcane. The ethanol after fermentation is mixed with petroleum, which
dilutes the latter and reduces the emissions. Ethanol-10 or E10 is the most
common blend in which 10 per cent composition is Ethanol.
· Biodiesel is produced from used cooking oil, yellow grease or animal fats. During its production, cooking oil or fat is burned with alcohol in presence of a catalyst, which produces Biodiesel.
Some
of the agricultural products that are specially grown for the production of
biofuels are:
Ø United
States- switchgrass, soybeans and corn
Ø Brazil-sugar
cane
Ø Europe-
sugar beet and wheat
Ø China-
cassava and sorghum
Ø Asia-
miscanthus and palm oil
Ø India-
jatropha
Biofuels are counterparts to traditional fossil
fuels
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