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Biofuels are energy sources derived from organic materials such as fruits, vegetables, algae, and landscaping waste (all biomass). Biofuels include bioethanol and biodiesel products.
Biodiesel serves the same purpose as diesel fuel, but is composed of a clean-burning alternative derived from biodegradable, nontoxic organic materials. Bioethanol is generally derived from agricultural products and can be used as a cleaner alternative to gasoline or as an additive to gasoline.
The following Bio-glossary defines some commonly used biofuel terms:
Agri-waste – Agri-waste or agriculture waste is produced as a result of various agricultural operations. It includes manure and other wastes from farms, poultry houses, and slaughterhouses. Harvest waste, fertilizer run-off, pesticides that enter water, air, or soils, and salt and silt drained from fields are also considered agri-waste.
Biodiesel – Biodiesel is a diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources. It is a processed fuel that can be readily used in diesel engine vehicles, which distinguishes biodiesel from the straight vegetable oils (SVO) or waste vegetable oils (WVO) used as fuels in some modified diesel vehicles.
Biodiesel Blend – Biodiesel blends contain petroleum diesel blended in any ratio of biodiesel, from additive levels to 100 percent biodiesel.
Biofuel – Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass—recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts, such as manure from cows. Like coal and petroleum, biomass is a form of stored solar energy. The energy of the sun is captured through the process of photosynthesis in growing plants.
Biomass – Biomass is organic non-fossil material. In other words, biomass describes the mass of all biological organisms, dead or alive, excluding biological mass that has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum.
Bioscience – Bioscience or biology is the study of any of the branches of natural science dealing with the structure and behavior of living organisms.
By-product – A by-product is a secondary or incidental product deriving from a manufacturing process or chemical reaction, and is not the primary product or service being produced.
Ethanol – Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, most often found in alcoholic beverages. There are three main areas of use for ethanol—industrial, beverage, and fuel—and the production processes vary slightly for each of them, but the main steps are the same. The vast majority of ethanol produced in the United States is used for fuel. It is blended with gasoline to increase the fuel blend's octane or to produce a cleaner burning fuel.
Renewable Energy – Renewable energy is from an energy resource that is replaced rapidly by a natural process such as power generated from the sun or from the wind.
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