Biochemical fuels, otherwise known as biofuels are a carbon neutral solution to the emissions generated by the burning of petrol and diesel from motor vehicles. The process behind the creation of biofuels are strikingly similar to those used for alcohol, as the fundamental molecule- ethanol, is a common factor in both of these products. The ethanol found in biofuels is “derived from plant materials such as grains, sugarcane and vegetables oils”, (Hogendoorn et al. 2010, p.168) and as a result, “are not considered to contribute to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide”.
Fig 1:
Fig 1. The production process of Biochemical fuels from grain.
As of 2016, Biofuels only make up 0.8% of the world’s energy sources, (Voloshin et al.) which is dwarfed by Fossil fuels (78.3%). Although Fossil fuels are much cheaper and more readily available than Biofuels, our current rates of fossil fuel reliance is unsustainable in the long-term.
References:
Hogendoorn, B, Commons, C, Jarrett, S, McKenzie, C, Moseley, W, Porter, M, Williamson, M, Holt, G & Gorton, W, 2010, ‘Heinemann Chemistry 2 Enhanced‘, 4th ed, Pearson Australia, Australia.
Figure 11.3: ‘The Production of Ethanol from Grain’ [image], in Hogendoorn, B, Commons, C, Jarrett, S, McKenzie, C, Moseley, W, Porter, M, Williamson, M, Holt, G & Gorton, W, 2010, ‘Heinemann Chemistry 2 Enhanced‘, 4th ed, Pearson Australia, Australia, p. 169
Voloshin, R, Rodionova, M, Zharmukhamedov, S, Nejat, V & Allakhverdiev, S, 2016, ‘Biofuel production from plant and algal biomass’, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.41(39), pp.17257-17273
Fig. 1 Created By Ervin Fazekas
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