What are biofuels? Are all forms of biofuels good?

Biofuels, a form of bioenergy used as transport fuel, could be made from a wide range of plant materials (biomass) such as sugar, wheat, vegetable oils, wood and straws. Those biofuels currently on the market are often made from conventional agricultural crops. They are sometimes referred to as ‘agrofuels’ due to their production from agricultural products.

Biofuels are only one form of energy made from biomass. Other forms of bioenergy, for example biogas, heat and electricity produced from biomass, generally have a higher efficiency with less associated environmental concerns compared with biofuels. If managed sustainably, bioenergy from renewable sources has its merits and is key to tackle global climate change.

First-generation biofuels

Current biofuels are often called ‘first generation biofuels’ because they are made with relatively simple technologies. Bioethanol can be produced from any feedstocks that contain a high starch or sugar content such as corn (maize), wheat, sugarcane, and sugar beet. After fermentation and distillation, this bioethanol can be mixed with petrol/gasoline in various proportions for car use. Biodiesel, on the other hand, is made through transesterification of vegetable oil such as palm oil, rapeseed oil, soya bean oil and even used-cooking oil.

Even though such biofuels are made from plant material and hence are a renewable source, they are not as ‘green’ as they seem. To produce biofuels, large amount of land is need to cultivate the crop, together with irrigation, use of fertilizers, transportation, conversion and refinery processes, all these require energy input and emit carbon dioxide. There are a large and growing number of studies to suggest that the use of current biofuels would save very little greenhouse gas, destroy wildlife habitats, as well as affect indigenous and rural poor communities around the world. (more on their Impacts)