Bio Fuels - Are They the Future of Renewable Energy?

By: Allen Owen

As the name indicates, bio-fuels are fuels made from the decomposition of biological matter. Most bio-fuels are derived from plants.

Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways:
• Fossil fuels take millions of years to form where bio-fuels can be made extremely fast, some in a matter of days.
• Fossil fuels generate lots of pollution. Bio-fuels are clean by comparison.
• Bio-fuels are renewable unlike fossil fuels.

Different types of bio-fuels
Over the years, bio-fuels have been broken down into four types: first generation, second generation, third generation, and fourth generation.

First generation bio-fuels are made from vegetable fats, starch, and sugar, which are in derived from plants, mostly food-crops. First generation fuels are also derived from animal fats.

Second generation bio-fuels are mainly derived from waste, thus making it a more balanced option compared to first-generation bio-fuels. Different kinds of alcohols and diesel generated from wood fall into the category of second generation bio-fuels.

Third generation bio-fuels are made from algae. Large scale algae farms have been built and are creating all types of fuel, from gasoline, diesel and even jet fuel. A jumbo jet recently flew using fuel created from algae. Algae based fuels are environmentally friendly and are biodegradable.

Fourth generation bio-fuels are made from genetically engineered micro-organisms that use carbon dioxide to generate fuel.

Advantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways:
• Bio-fuels can reduce the burden on gradually-vanishing fossil fuels.
• Bio-fuels are environmentally friendly.
• Bio-fuels,particularly bio-diesel have been very cost-effective for consumers.

Disadvantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels are not without problems.
• Making bio-fuel require many acres of farm land, replaceing land used to grow food, and may cause an increase in price, and a shortage of food.

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