Biofuel

Biofuel fuel produced from biomass (organic matter) derived from microbial, plant, or animal materials through biological processes is called biofuel, a class of renewable energy. This includes any plant or algae material (including wood), as well as agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes. Corn ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas from organic byproducts are the most common biofuels. Biofuels are also very often produced from crops that can be replanted. All biochemical compounds produced from biomass that is used as fuel are considered biofuels. Biofuels can be solid, liquid, or gaseous. The word biofuel is generally reserved for liquid and gaseous forms due to its easy transportation, delivery, and cleanly burned property. Thermochemical, chemical, and biochemical conversion processes are the most commonly used processes in producing biofuels. Thermochemical conversion processes are used to make solid, gaseous, and liquid fuels; on the other hand, to have liquid fuel, chemical conversion, and to have liquid and gaseous fuels, biological conversion is used. Thermochemical conversion of biomass is done by thermal decomposition processes where biomass is processed in a closed device called a gasifier at high temperature and high pressure in the absence of oxygen. Chemical conversion of biomass is known as trans-esterification, which converts animal fats, vegetable oils, and grease into fatty acid methyl esters, which are later used to make biodiesel. On the contrary, biological conversion involves the conversion of biomass by fermentation into ethanol and the production of renewable natural gas through oxygen-free digestion. Ethanol is used as car fuel. Renewable natural gas - also called biogas or biomethane - is produced in sewage treatment plants and anaerobic digesters usually used in dairy and livestock farms. It is also made and available from solid municipal waste landfills. Properly collected renewable natural gas can be used as fossil fuel. [Abu Torab Md. Abdur Rahim]