At present, world energy consumption particularly transportation is mainly dependent on the nonrenewable fossil-based fuels and instantaneously it is estimated that energy consumption will get increased with 60% of growth in the year of 2030. As climate change becomes an issue of ever-stronger concern in the world, biofuels are becoming as a potential fossil fuel (petroleum, coal, and natural gas) substitute. Biofuel are fuels derived from biomass. Since such feedstock material can be replenished readily, biofuels are considered to be sources of renewable energy.
Biodiesel fuels have several significant advantages over conventional diesel fuels. These include faster biodegradation, important in environmentally sensitive areas; a higher flash point, which provides better safety in fuel handling; reduced fuel toxicity; and increased lubricity. In addition, biodiesel does not contain sulfur or aromatic species, which are common in many diesel fuels and lead to engine problems and toxic emissions, and biodiesel fuel generally has lower CO and soot emissions than conventional diesel fuel does.
Alfa Chemistry can offer full category of biofuels. The types of biofuels that we can offer are as followings:
According to the feedstock and production technology, biofuels can be classified as first-, second-, and third-generation biofuels. The classification of biofuels is shown in the table 1 [1].
The first-generation biofuels refer to fuels that have been derived from sources like starch, sugar, animal fats, and vegetable oil. However, the employment of first-generation feedstock could bring about some socio-economic and environmental issues.
The second-generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, are fuels that can be derived from various types of biomass, including plant materials as well as animal materials. In this case, lignocellulosic materials overcome the main disadvantage of the first generation, diminishing the concern of food sustainability, while maintaining a low and stable price with no extra demand of land.
The third-generation biofuels refer in the case that the biofuel carbon is derived from aquatic autotrophic organism (e.g., algae). In this way, algae currently stands out as a potential biomass to obtain biofuels, due to some advantages such as: i) ubiquity, ii) low rate of biomass fluctuation, iii) production of the majority of oxygen in the planet with a high absorption of annual CO2, iv) higher photosynthetic efficiency than terrestrial biomass, v) low consumption of water, vi) no alteration of human food supply, vii) no competition for arable land, etc [2].
At the level of basic research, the fourth generation of biofuels has already appeared, using an efficient, solar-based biofuel production pathway with algae and cyanobacterial activity.
Table 1. Classification of biofuels based on production techniques
| Classification | Biofuel | Biomass feedstock | Production process |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-generation biofuels | Biobutanol | Sugar crops | Fermentation and saccharification |
| Biodiesel | Oil crops | Transesterification | |
| Bioethanol | Sugar and crops | Fermentation | |
| Bioethanol | Lignocellulosic materials | Advanced enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation | |
| Second-generation biofuels | Biomethanol | Lignocellulosic materials | Gasification, synthesis, and catalytic cracking |
| Dimethyl ether | Lignocellulosic materials | Gasification, synthesis and catalytic cracking | |
| Fischer- tropsch diesel | Lignocellulosic materials | Gasification, synthesis and catalytic cracking | |
| Biogas | Lignocellulosic materials | Synthesis and anaerobic digestion | |
| Biohydrogen | Lignocellulosic materials | Synthesis, gasification, fermentation | |
| Third-generation biofuels | Vegetable oil, biodiesel | Algae | Transesterification |
Alfa Chemistry is a professional supplier of biofuels. For high quality products, professional technical service, use suggestion and latest industry news, please feel free to contact us.
References
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