Biofuels Today

More recently, biofuels are being produced from cooking oils and derived from plants as ethanol, a type of alcohol. New developments are also occurring to expand the possibility of making ethanol from algae, as well as cellulose, the fibers that provide structure to plants.

COOKING OILS: Used vegetable oil or animal-based oil can be repurposed into a biofuel called biodiesel. Biodiesel is produced through a chemical reaction of the used oil with an alcohol, or with some engine modifications, used cooking oil can be filtered and used directly.

CELLULOSE: A new biofuel development is the possibility of making ethanol from wood, grasses, and other parts of plants by breaking down the cellulose that provides the structure of the plants.

PLANTS: Certain plants contain starches and sugars which can be fermented into ethanol. In the USA, because of overproduction of corn, most ethanol production comes from the starch in corn kernels. In Brazil, ethanol is more efficiently derived from sugar cane.

ALGAE: Another new development is the possibility of making ethanol from algae. Algae transform carbon dioxide into lipids, or oils, which can be extracted and refined into biofuel.