Biofuel Production:

  The term biofuel may refer to fuels used for electric power generation, but in general it refers to liquid fuels used for means of transportation. There is no doubt that the most common fuels are bioethanol synthesized from carbohydrates and biodiesel (ester), obtained from fats and oils. Although ethanol is obtained from starch and sugars, it does make a good contribution from the point of view of energy and environment. Ethanol derived from cellulose biomass such as herbaceous and wood plants, crop and forest residues and vast amounts of urban and industrial waste will be investigated later. Indeed, while starch and sugars constitute a small amount of plant content, much of the biomass is provided by cellulose and hemicellulose, which are polymers of sugar molecules. The benefits associated with biofuels are derived from the fact that they have a more limited environmental impact than oil derivatives and that they use waste materials that are not normally used. Finally , two other biofuels, methanol and corrected petrol compounds, will be analysed.The biomass most appropriate for undergoing thermo-chemical conversion is timber and all its components (sawdust, wood shavings, etc.), the most popular forest cellulose by-products (cereal wool, grapevine pruning residues, fruit trees pruning residues, etc.) and some manufacturing waste (husks, chaff, stones, etc.).