How Biofuels Work
Write an essay on How biofuel energy works.
Solution
How Biofuels Work
Biofuels are the liquid byproducts obtained from biomass through various biological
processes. Ethanol which is obtained from corn starch and sugarcane and biodiesel which is
obtained from animal fat and vegetable oils are the common biofuels that are manufactured
through the biological processes. Ethanol is produced by sugars being fermented through
microbial processes, distillation, and dehydration while transesterification which is the chemical
reaction in lipids and fatty acids is used for the manufacture of biodiesels. The end product of
both biofuels works similar to other liquid fuels however they are less efficient than fossil fuels
which produce a lot of energy, in that, for efficient use of biofuels, they are used as additives and
mix-ins (Dilthey, 2014).
Compared to gasoline, ethanol is considered to be 30% less efficient, in that, to increase
the efficiency of ethanol, its purity has to be increased to bring it at per with gasoline. However,
ethanol is restricted to be used in automobiles but can be used in light-duty engines which have
been manufactured to adapt such use. In most gas stations, gasoline is mixed with ethanol, and
the mixture marked with E to indicate the presence of ethanol in the contents (US Department of
Energy, 2018). The letter E is followed by the concentration of ethanol in the mixture, for
example, E70 signifies 70% of ethanol has been added to gasoline. This mixing is done to
increase the efficiency of gasoline and improve performance in the combustion engines. For
vehicles and heavy-duty automobiles, high percentages of ethanol are used, for example in the
US and Europe, E85 is used to manufacture gasohol-mixture of ethanol and gasoline
(Greentumble, 2019).
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Biodiesel is also compared to have less efficiency than gasoline, however, it depends on
the blend as biodiesel has different variants of blends (Greentumble, 2019). The blends are
classified according to their concentration rates, that is, B100-which contains 100% of biodiesel,
B20-contains 20% of biodiesel, and 80% of Petro diesel, B5-contains 5% biodiesel and 95%
Petro diesel, and B2 which has 2% biodiesel and 98% Petro diesel. It is also used as a mix-in
which is represented by B and followed by the percentage used. Biodiesels when used as mix-ins
are mixed in a different way than ethanol. A high concentration of ethanol increases performance
and efficiency; however, for biodiesels, high concentration for example B100 increases
efficiency and performance but in the long run, it causes problems in the engine. In Germany,
biodiesels are used as mix-ins and additives at as low as 7% in diesel fuels. Being renewable,
biodiesels are considered to have less pollution compared to using petroleum fuels and can be
used as an alternative for diesel in diesel engines (Environmental and Energy Study Institute,
2017).
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References
DILTHEY, M. R. (2014). How does Biofuel work? It Still Runs. https://itstillruns.com/biofuel-
work-4564168.html
Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). (2017). Bioenergy (Biofuels and biomass).
Environmental and Energy Study Institute | Ideas. Insights. Sustainable
Solutions. https://www.eesi.org/topics/bioenergy-biofuels-biomass/description
Greentumble. (2019, September 2). How does Biofuel work? https://greentumble.com/how-
does-biofuel-work/
US Department of Energy. (2018). Biofuels basics.
Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/biofuels-basics
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