BIOFUELS : THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE

The twentieth century came with the attention of the people towards the use of biofuels. Biofuels are produced either from living organisms or from metabolic by-products (organic or food waste products). In order to be considered a biofuels, the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials. It is originally derived from the plants through photosynthesis process and can, therefore, be referred to as a solar energy source. There are many pros and cons in using biofuels as an energy source. Henry Ford's(1) seemingly prescient outlook is becoming much more relevant after many decades: 'We can get fuel from fruit, from that shrub by the roadside, or from apples, weeds, saw-dust-almost anything ! There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There is enough alcohol in one year's yield of a hectare of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the field for a hundred years. And it remains for someone to find out how this fuel can be produced commercially - better fuel at a cheaper price than we know now'.