Introduction to biofuels pdf

Solid biofuels such as wood and charcoal have been used to create energy ever since man created fire and are still used today for cooking and heating in developing countries. Fossil fuels have also been used since ancient times in various forms on a small scale. However it wasn't until the mid s that fossil fuels were first commercialised, providing huge amounts of energy at a low cost on a global scale.

These fuels became fundamental in shaping the civilisation we live in today and continue to play a major role in our economy. Quick Links:. Driven mainly by the need to reduce global greenhouse emissions as well as spikes in oil prices and the need for increasing energy security, much interest has focused on finding a sustainable and economically feasible source of biofuel.

Can biofuels really save the world? To learn more about the impact a sustainable biofuel will have on our society, please visit this page:. The key difference between biofuel and fossil fuel:. Biofuel refers to any fuel that derives directly from a living organism that we humans can use as energy. These living organisms can fix recently released CO 2 via photosynthesis. During photosynthesis CO 2 is used in converting solar energy into chemical energy in the form of stored biomass or, in the case of some plants and algae, lipids.

A range of useful fuel products can then be converted from the extracted lipids or directly from the biomass. Biofuels are a renewable source of energy because they are obtained from organic matter that is abundant and produced in short time frames.

Inhibitory compounds are produced in a thermochemical treatment step referred to pretreatment of nonfood biomass, but this step is required for efficient enzymatic saccharification of biomass.

These inhibitory compounds cause low yield and productivity of bioprocess. Our bioprocess, so-called growth-arrested bioprocess solved these technical hurdles. Thanks to independence of microbial growth for biofuel production, the growth-arrested bioprocess maintains productivity even in the presence of the inhibitory compounds. We developed genetically-engineered strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum that is capable of utilizing pentose and hexose simultaneously and efficiently.

Chapter First Online: 02 March This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access. Personalised recommendations. Cite chapter How to cite? ENW EndNote.