Biofuels

What are Biofuels?

Fossil fuels are the main source of energy for humanity. To minimise their usage, we are continuously relying on biofuels. Produced from plants and waste, they are the future of environmentally-friendly production.

What are Biofuels: Definition

Biofuels are fuels that are created from biomass in a short period – contrary to the long-term formation of fossil fuels. Fuels produced from plants, and agricultural, domestic, and industrial waste are essential in the renewable energy transition and sustainability efforts. While they are mostly used to power vehicles, they have potential in the heating and electricity sectors.

Development of the Term

By the definition of biofuels, they are a renewable energy source. You can often find their mention in the decarbonisation definition, but the term itself is used in different ways. The initial “food vs. fuel” dilemma influenced the term quite a lot. Thus, in some variants, they are bio-based fuels in different forms produced from:

• crops;
• wood;
• molasses;
• sugarcane;
• bagasse, and other natural sources.

Other replies to “what are the biofuels?” define what is usually used for transportation, such as liquids or gases. Most of the time, it is only an organic material that never goes through fossilization or geological formations, so fossil fuels like coal are not considered bio. In the hydrogen fuel definition, on the other hand, you can see that it is bio. It is a new type produced by algae, bacteria, and other biomass material, also called biohydrogen.