An Overview on Biofuels and Their Advantages and Disadvantages

Abstract

Biofuels are mainly obtained from biological materials, mostly from plants, animals, wastes and microorganisms [1]. Biomass is organic components are the source of substitute energy and it contains all classes of biofuels like solid, gaseous and liquid fuels. These can be achieved from biomass [2,3]. Biomass for alternative energy might be engaged in various ways. An outline of the different possible options to use biomass [4] is presented in Scheme-I. Solid biofuels are mostly firewood, charcoal and fibrous matters. Fossil fuels like firewood and charcoal are extensively utilized as a primary fuel domiciliary purpose that is cooking. Fibrous type of material can be obtained from sugar cane processing and it is widely used for power generation and preparation of steam [5]. Methane and producer gases are mainly the gaseous biofuels and these can be obtained by fermentation of domestic animal wastes and from the pyrolysis [6] or gasification of agricultural wastes and wood. Different kind of liquid biofuels like methanol, ethanol, organic oils and the methyl esters are generally attributed as biodiesel [7]. Solids and liquids biofuels are used

Characterization of isolated UV-C-irradiated mutants of microalga Chlorella vulgaris for future biofuel application

“…As we continue to search for the best alternative source of energy, various types of sources have been studied to be an alternative feedstock for biofuel production. First generation biofuels are the most recognizable type of biofuel which includes vegetable oils, bio-alcohols, biodiesel, biogas and solid biofuels (Datta et al, 2019 ). These are crop plant-based which contain sugars, oils and cellulose and known to be utilized by humans for hundreds of years.…”

“…Microalgae can be cultivated in open ponds, closed-loop systems and photobioreactors. Since they have shorter harvesting cycle and contain more lipids than macroalgae, they are a good source for biodiesel, butanol, gasoline, methane, ethanol, vegetable oil and jet fuel (Datta et al, 2019 ).…”

Copper molybdate synthesized by sonochemistry route at room temperature as an efficient solid catalyst for esterification of oleic acid

“…Biofuels, which are fuels derived from animal or vegetable matrices, have similarities in energy content compared to fuels derived from petroleum [6] . In general, biofuels are obtained via transesterification reactions from animal fats or vegetable oils and fatty acid esterification [7] .…”

Strategies for increasing lipid accumulation and recovery fromY. lipolytica: A review

“…Ethanol produced by fermenting sugar extracted from edible feed-stocks or biodiesel obtained by transesterification of vegetable oils extracted from plants are examples of first generation biofuels (Tan et al, 2010;Singh et al, 2011;Xie, 2017). The main limitation of first generation biofuels is the use of edible feed-stocks such as sugarcane and corn starch that can present a serious conflict with food industries (Datta et al, 2019). Besides competition with food crops, the cultivation of biofuel crops requires large amounts of land area, fertilizers and water, which result in a high production cost (Paschalidou et al, 2016;Enamala et al, 2018).…”