Ethanol is produced quite similarly to the alcohol you will find in your beer. It is likewise fermented from organic materials. Afterwards it is altered and made undrinkable. Usually it is only used for blending purposes. As an additive to gasoline it is supposed to increase octane and reduce carbon monoxide emissions.
Biofuels © by USDAgov
The most common biofuels are ethanaol and biodiesel. The main difference to gasoline is the biofuels renewability that is based on its organic origin. This allows it to be produced wherever agriculture is possible. The refinement is also accomplished relatively easy with commonly available technology.
A major benefit of the production of biofuel is certainly its promising potential to decrease the dependency on foreign country’s oil resources. Furthermore, it prevents the money spent on fuel to leave the country but instead strengthens investments in local agricultural communities. It also is an option to satisfy fuel demands once fossil resources are depleted. Whether this is a benefit is questionable, of course.
However, an undeniable drawback of biofuels is the impact their production can have on food prices. Since agricultural areas that are usually used for food crops are now sown with plants that yield bio fuel. This development cuts down the amount of food on the market and consequently drives prices up.
This problem is supposed to be addressed by so-called second generation biofuels, which are produced by waste from food crops or wood. This allows a much greater range of plants and waste to be used for fuel production and thus less risks of rising food prices. It also means that less energy has to be utilized for the production. This further reduces the carbon imprint of biofuels. There are even technologies developed that may allow the production of fuel from grass. Whether these new biofuels can prevent food prices from rising has to be proven over the next years.
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