Biofuels

Biofuels are fuels produced from non-fossil plant or animal materials, also known as biomass.

The history of biofuels has often been marked by energy crises such as oil shocks or fossil fuel shortages. Gas generators that produce low-energy gas, for example, were developed during World War II, and most current production in Europe, the United States, and Brazil can be traced back to the oil crises of 1973, 1979, and other geopolitical crises. However, biofuels can also be utilized in situations where the production or distribution sites for petroleum products are far from consumption sites, combined with the availability of local resources to be harnessed. In such cases, they serve a purely energy-related function as a substitute fuel.

Today, other benefits of biofuels have come to light. Due to their oxygen-rich composition, they can improve the combustion of hydrocarbons and reduce certain emissions; in the case of vegetable oil derivatives, they can also enhance the lubricating properties of fuels. Depending on the quantities used, these can be referred to as co-fuels or additives.

These components are all the more valuable as petroleum products evolve toward different formulations that reduce or even eliminate certain constituents or fractions, such as lead, sulfur, and aromatic hydrocarbons—including benzene—and so on. These provisions are governed by a European directive on fuel quality that is constantly evolving.

Biofuels are renewable energy sources and, unlike fossil fuels, do not contribute to exacerbating certain global environmental impacts—such as the greenhouse effect—provided that they are produced in an energy-efficient manner that minimizes the use of fossil fuels and adheres to sustainability principles.