Biofuels an overview

PLEASE NOTE
Biopowered wiki is aimed at an international audience. To this end all aspects of Biofuels are included. As a result some fuels may not be legal for use as road fuel in some countries without payment of duty. The reader should satisfy him or herself as to the legality of use in a specific country. See Rules and Regulations for details pertaining to the UK.

Biofuels have been made for every type of engine. Spark ignited engines are designed to run on light petroleum products known as gasoline or petrol. They have also been successfully run on alcohols and ketones. Since alcohols and ketones can be produced by fermentation, and/or the distillation of various plant materials, such as wood, then they are viable renewable sources for fuels for this type of engine.

Alcohols, such as: Butanol, Ethanol, Methanol and Isopropanol are the byproduct of fermentation and can be concentrated via distillation. These alcohols have been used successfully in making alternatives to gasoline (petrol).

Ketones are also the byproduct of fermentation and can also be concentrated via distillation. Ketones such as: Acetone and Methyl Ethel Ketone (MEK) have also been successfully used as a gasoline (petrol) alternative.

There are Biofuels available for compression-ignited engines. Compression-ignited engines are designed to run on heavier petroleum products known as diesel fuel. They have also been successfully run on other fuels such as vegetable oils and animal fats.

There are three basic methods for burning Biofuels in compression-ignited (diesel) engines. They are: Biodiesel, Straight Vegetable Oil, and Blending.