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A biofuel considered to be the most pure and the easiest available fuels. It is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion, rather than a fuel produced by geological processes such as those involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, from prehistoric biological matter. Biofuels can be derived directly from plants, or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes.[1] Renewable biofuels generally involve contemporary carbon fixation, such as those that occur in plants ormicroalgae through the process of photosynthesis. Other renewable biofuels are made through the use or conversion of biomass which referring to recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived materials. This biomass can be converted to convenient energy-containing substances in three different ways: thermal conversion, chemical conversion, and biochemical conversion. This biomass conversion can result in fuel in solid, liquid, or gas form. This new biomass can also be used directly for biofuels. One of the key features of biofuels is that they are better than other forms of fuels like petrol or diesel that is manufactured by most of the big oil manufacturing companies. Most of the diesel engines would work more efficiently and even last longer with the use of these home made biofuels. These fuels are also very clean and environment friendly. These fuels also encourage the recycling process as most of them are manufactured from waste products. Types of Biofuels The chemical structure of biofuels can differ in the same way that the chemical structure of fossil fuels can differ. For the most part, our interest is in liquid biofuels as they are easy to transport. The table below compares various biofuels with their fossil fuel counterparts. Biofuel Fossil Fuel Differences Ethanol Gasoline/Ethane Ethanol has about half the energy per mass of gasoline, which means it takes twice as much ethanol to get the same energy. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, however, producing less carbon monoxide. However, ethanol produces more ozone than gasoline and contributes substantially to smog. Engines must be modified to run on ethanol. Biodiesel Diesel Has only slightly less energy than regular diesel. It is more corrosive to engine parts than standard diesel, which means engines have to be designed to take biodiesel. It burns cleaner than diesel, producing less particulate and fewer sulfur compounds. Methanol Methane Methanol has about one third to one half as much energy as methane. Methanol is a liquid and easy to transport whereas methane is a gas that must be compressed for transportation. Biobutanol Gasoline/Butane Biobutanol has slightly less energy than gasoline, but can run in any car that uses gasoline without the need for modification to engine components. The chart above is only a limited list of the biofuels available, covering only the most popular and widely used. It is worth nothing that ethanol is found in almost all gasoline mixtures. In Brazil, gasoline contains at least 95% ethanol. In other countries, ethanol usually makes up between 10 and 15% of gasoline. Microbial Biofuels Microorganisms are playing a big role in producing biofuels, whether if it's the source of the biofuel or the way to produce it . Therefore, this kind of biofuel is called microbial biofuels . Actually , microbial biofuel are in use now , and they are totally depended on the fermentation to break down feedstocks (carbon sources) into Ethanol . The feedstocks is differ from country to another ; like primarily corn in the United States, wheat in the European Union, and sugar cane in Brazil . And they are considered as a feedstocks because it can easily be broken down to sugar (glucose). For the fermentation it's used microorganisms such as : yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Zymomonas mobilis . Algal Biofuels Looking to the future, the great diversity of aquatic microorganisms that could be used for biofuels is encouraging. It is common knowledge that oil can be extracted from algae and used as fuel, but the extraction of the oil does not immediately mean it can be utilized as such. After extraction, the oil must undergo transesterification, which includes the addition of alcohol and a chemical catalyst. The reaction that occurs as a result of these additives leads to the creation of a mixture of biodiesel and glycerol. To fully harness the effectiveness of the biodiesel, the glycerol must then removed from the mixture. Many algal species are currently being tested to assess how suitable they would be to produce the biodiesel on an industrial scale. The unique combinations of fatty acids within each algal species influence the quality of the resulting biodiesel, so it is important to see which unique fatty acids result in the highest quality biodiesel. Botryococcus braunii,Chlorella, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Gracilaria, Pleurochrysis carterae, and Sargassum are a sampling of the species currently undergoing study. Of these species, initial results point to Botryococcus braunii being the choice for industrial scale production having the highest oil yield at 75%, but a risk arises because the fluctuation of oil yield can produce results as low as 29%[1]. The outcome is so scattered because the process has yet to be perfected or fully understood, but this is an actively expanding area of research with mainly large US universities actively taking part. Fungus Biofuels The fungus Trichoderma reesei optimally breaks down plants into simple sugars, the basic components of ethanol. The fungus Trichoderma reesei was discovered in the South Pacific during the Second World War. The fungus contains a number of enzymes, cellulases, with potent catalytic properties that break down plants. It is considered to be the world’s most efficient fungus at breaking down the cellulose in plant cell walls into simple sugars, which it feeds on. After fermentation, simple sugars can easily be transformed into biofuels such as ethanol. First generation agrofuels, made from grain or from beet, have certain limitations. Second generation biofuels, made from foresting and agricultural waste (tree cuttings, corn cobs, straw, etc.) do not have these limitations, as they complement pre-established agricultural activity, have a better CO2 balance, et don’t interfere with the agro-alimentary cycle. To produce these second generation biofuels, industrialists are looking to develop fungus strains capable of producing a cocktail of cellulases and hemicellulases at a concentration of 50 g/l. Trichoderma reesei is the choice organism for most projects in this field. Biofuels vs Fossil Fuels Here is a table showing the advantages of Biofuels over Fossil Fuels: Biofuels Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy : The organic materials, and organic waste are available all the time , and it need a short time to convert sugars into a biofuels . Non Renewable Energy : It needs millions of years to form . Slowing down the global warming and Greenhouse Gas :Because the amount of released CO2 in the atmosphere is same as the amount of the used by the plants in the photosynthesis . Then the plants will use the released CO2 again for the next photosynthesis process. Speeding up the global warming and Greenhouse Gas : Because it's releases CO2 to the atmosphere and not taken back. Safer spills :These fuels are much less toxic in the event that something happens like the oil spills that occur ; like it will kill only plants and smaller animals. Danger spills: persist in the environment and cause damage or make an area uninhabitable for long periods of time. And it will kill a lot of organisms . Safer extraction way: just by growing the biofuels on a farm. Danger extraction way: There is drilling, mining and other activities to extract the fuel from the ground Biofuels Disadvantages - It need a water : As it's known that water sources are limited , and growing biofuel crops needs water , therefore if there is any bad water management it may cause unsustainable pressure on local water resources. - It need a Fertilizers : Nutrients are needed for plants to grow which provided by fertilizers; and in growing crops for biofuels case it means that it need a lot of amount of fertilizers to have good rich crops . However , using a lot of fertilizers is causing a water pollution because the contain nitrogen and phosphorus . And they can be washed away from soil to nearby lake, river or pond. - Monoculture: The continues usage of the land may deprive the soil of nutrients that are put back into the soil through crop rotation ; which there will be a lot of useless lands . - Food Security: Before crop farms was considered as a food source for human , but now it's used also as a source of biofuels . In order of land limitation it will take lands from food farms for making a biofuels . Sadly most of the used plants in producing biofuels are considered as the mean foods for some countries such as corn , wheat , sugar cane and soybeans . Therefore , it will increase the risk of hunger; and maybe then by the year 2020 there will be an additional 90 million people at risk of hunger on top of those already at risk . Biofuels in UAE Lootah Biofuels, a fully owned subsidiary of S.S. Lootah Group, was founded in 2010 in Dubai to address the growing demand for alternative fuels in the region. Keeping in line with the UAE’s vision for sustainable development, Lootah Biofuels aims to introduce and innovate sustainable solutions for the long-term energy requirements. By rapidly growing production capacity, strengthening distribution channels, and redefining Biodiesel quality, Lootah Biofuels will continue to expand the reach of Biofuels that are sustainable and environment friendly. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel formulated exclusively for diesel engines. Unlike conventional fossil diesel, Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that burns clean resulting in a significant reduction of the pollutants that contribute to global warming. Lootah Biofuels is pioneering Biodiesel production in the Middle East to build a global business to recycle, produce, and trade Biodiesel. Lootah Biofuels produces Biodiesel from used cooking oil for our customers individual quality and sustainability requirements. Thier objective is produce Biodiesel in the most efficient and sustainable way to deliver economic value and environmental benefits.