FIRST GENERATION AND SECOND GENERATION OF BIOFUEL Biofuels are a hot environmental topic at the moment, but they

have been around for many decades. People who work with them often talk about first and second generation biofuels to distinguish between simple, traditional biofuels that have been used for a long time and the more complex, more advanced, and more efficient ones that are currently in development. First-generation biofuels include such things as vegetable oil, biodiesel, ethanol, and methanol. Ethanol and methanol are very strong alcohols made from sugar, wheat, or corn in a process similar to brewing. Vegetable oil made from such things as peanuts and soybeans can be burned directly as a fuel, or it can be turned into biodiesel, a gasoline substitute (or additive) that can help to reduce vehicle emissions. Second-generation biofuels are made by turning crops into liquid fuels using more sophisticated chemical processes and include such things as BioHydrogen (hydrogen gas made from crops) and mixed alcohols. They are generally more efficient than first-generation biofuels because they release more energy per volume, so you can go further on a tank filled with them. It also helps if you are growing crops to make fuels, because it means you have to grow fewer plants and cultivate less land to produce the same amount of energy. Biofuels are considered to be the main potential replacement for fossil fuels . There are many sources of biofuel including vegetable oil, which is used in many older diesel engines; butanol, which is seen as a replacement for petroleum; and biogas which is produced from biodegradable waste materials. This technology has been expanded with the introduction of 'second generation' biofuels - which use biomass to liquid technology. Examples include biohydrogen, biomethanol and mixed alcohols. Third generation biofuels are also known as algae fuels. They have many advantages including have a low input and a high yield level they produce 30 times more energy per acre than land and are also biodegradable. As a result, they are relatively harmless to the environment if spilled. Biofuel is considered to be the most pure and the easiest available fuels on the planet. Also known as agrofuel, they are classified into gas, liquid and solid form derived from biomass.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING BIOFUELS

Figure 1: Biofuel life cycle ( manufacture ) The process of manufacturing biofuel can be classified in the following stages. Firstly, filtering. In this process, waste vegetable oil is filtered to remove all the food particles. This process generally involves warming up the liquid a little. After warming up the liquid, it can be filtered with the use of coffee filter. Secondly, removing of water. All the water contained in the residual gangue has to be removed which will make the reaction faster. The water can be easily removed by making the liquid boil at 100 degree C for sometime. Next,titration. This process is carried out to determine the amount of lye that would be required. This process is the most crucial and the most important stage of biofuel manufacturing. Then, preparation of sodium methoxide. In this process, methanol is mixed with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium methoxide. In most of the cases, the quantity of methanol used is generally 20 percent of waste vegetable oil. After that, heating and mixing process. The residue is heated in between 120 to 130 degree F after which it is mixed well. It should be remembered that process should be done carefully avoiding splashing of the liquid.

Lastly, settling and separation. After mixing the liquid, it has to be allowed to cool down. After the cooling process, the biofuel will be found floating at the top while the heavier glycerin would be found at the bottom. The glycerin can be easily separated by allowing it to drain out from the bottom. The person is left over with pure biofuel which can be used for various purposes. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BIOFUELS

No fuel source is completely positive or completely negative. Consumers need to weigh the pros and cons of biofuels to determine whether they feel comfortable with this resource as an alternative to traditional fuels. Biofuel has it own advantages towards our life. The aim of all biofuels is to be carbon neutral. They have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional transport fuels but whether they live up to this depends on the way they are produced and managed.

In reality, biofuels are not carbon neutral simply because it requires energy to grow the crops and convert them into fuel. The amount of fuel used during this production (to power machinery, to transport crops, etc) does have a large impact on the overall savings achieved by biofuels. However, biofuels could potentially still prove to be substantially more environmentally friendly than their fossil alternatives. In fact, according to a technique called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) first generation biofuels can save up to 60% of carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels. Second generation biofuels offer carbon emission savings up to 80%. This was backed by a recent UK Government publication which stated biofuels can reduce emissions by 50-60%.

Another advantage of biofuels is that they save drivers money. The UK Government in particular has introduced many incentives to drivers of 'green cars' based on emissions - with reduced taxation dependent on how environmentally friendly your vehicle is. With petrol prices on the rise, replacing petroleum with a renewable energy source should also offer significant savings at the pump in the long term, particularly when biofuels are more readily available. However, there are arguments though that biofuel production has contributed to the destruction of natural habitats to make room for it.

Also in some cases they are reported to have displaced valuable food production and contributed to rising food prices. Developing countries seem particularly vulnerable to the potential negative impacts of the production of first-generation biofuel crops . More on these problems is below. But on a positive note, it is hoped that tightening environmental requirements in Europe, the US and other developed countries coupled with the development of more advanced, non-food source biofuels will help stamp out these problems experienced while importing first-generation biofuels.

Despite the many positive characteristics of biofuels, there are also many disadvantages to these energy sources. Some of the disadvantages is in its energy output. Biofuels have a lower energy output than traditional fuels and therefore require greater quantities to be consumed in order to produce the same energy level. This has led some noted energy analysts to believe that biofuels are not worth the work. Next, in production carbon emissions. Several studies have been conducted to analyze the carbon footprint of biofuels, and while they may be cleaner to burn, there are strong indications that the process to produce the fuel ( including the machinery necessary to cultivate the crops and the plants to produce the fuel ) has hefty carbon emissions. Besides, it require high manufacture cost. To refine biofuels to more efficient energy outputs, and to build the necessary manufacturing plants to increase biofuel quantities, a high initial investment is often required. Furthermore, biofuel also give its impact on food prices. As demand for food crops such as corn grows for biofuel production, it could also raise prices for necessary staple food crops. Then, food shortages in everyday life. There is concern that using valuable cropland to grow fuel crops could have an impact on the cost of food and could possibly lead to food shortages. Lastly, a lot of water use: massives quantities of water are required for proper irrigation of biofuel crops as well as to manufacture the fuel, which could strain local and regional water resources.

FUTURE BIOFUELS EXPECTATION Biofuels are not a silver bullet for the energy problems of the world. To solve the issue of dwindling fossil fuel reserves, all viable means of harvesting energy should be pursued to their fullest. However, the fact remains that biofuels are a reliable alternative energy resource. With more development and research, it is possible to overcome the disadvantages of biofuels and make them suitable for widespread consumer use. When the technology is available, many of the disadvantages will be minimized and the market very clearly has potential. Much of this could rely on the ability of energy producers to discover better plants to raise for fuel that use less water, less land, and grows quickly. In the advanced biofuel sector, it is more difficult to say which technologies will reach commercial scale and will expand in the future. At the moment we see the first commercial-scale plants coming online, but it will take another 10 years for many of the technologies currently scaling-up to reach a fully commercial stage. We expect that cellulosic-ethanol is among those promising technologies, but gasification-based biofuels also look promising. And recently there has been some promising news on advancements in algae-based biofuels. The next years will show if the different technologies can deliver the yield and quality on a commercial scale that have been achieved in pilot plants. This, together with delivering fuel at a cost close to fossil fuel prices, will be critical to attract further investments and to expand the industry. Algae-based bio-fuel is a promising energy source that is in the latter stages of development. A number of issues related to the ultimate cost of the product need to be resolved, but there is a good deal of research money going into this as production is beginning to scale up. Land issues can be addressed using marginal land. Water can be recycled in reactors. Cold flow issues might result in the fuels being blended with other fuels or possibly additives. Fertilizer issues could be addressed using waste streams, thereby recycling the critical nutrients. Time will tell, though it believe this is an important technology to watch.

IMPACT OF BIOFUELS TO OUR ENVIRONMENTS On balance, then, the case for biofuels isn't nearly so clear cut as it seems. If they're produced in a responsible way, biofuels could help us cut carbon dioxide emissions and tackle global warming. But in the dash for profit, there's a risk they could lead to greater emissions and significant loss of biodiversity and exacerbate problems such as poverty and hunger in developing nations. With limited world resources and a growing global population, perhaps it makes more sense to try to cut the energy we use and reduce our dependence on cars than simply to substitute biofuels for oil and carry on as we are. Scientists are urging us to act quickly to reduce the impacts of global warming, but it might pay us to take a bit more time with biofuels and act more wisely. In our haste to protect the planet, we have to be absolutely certain we're not helping to destroy it. APPLICATION OF BIOFUEL Cars and Trucks Several passenger vehicles come with a flex-fuel option that allows them to run on ethanol/gasoline blends from 0 percent to 85 percent ethanol. Even normal gasoline vehicles can operate on a 10 percent ethanol blend with no problems. Diesel cars and trucks can run on biodiesel, though older models may need to have their fuel lines and gaskets replaced with modern synthetic materials, since biodiesel is a solvent. Some diesel owners have also modified their vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil. Aircrafts Recent testing has shown the viability of biofuel use in the aviation industry, and use of biofuels to power aircraft is expected to increase substantially in the next decade. Because current biofuel production relies heavily on crops that also function as food or livestock feed, emphasis is on developing new sources that don't cause deforestation and compete with food production. A plant called camelina - part of the mustard family.

Off-Road Equipments A large percentage of off-road equipment such as vehicles used in agriculture, mining, forestry, construction, and power and heat production - use diesel fuel, making this equipment suitable for biodiesel use. Diesel for off-road applications has different standards than diesel for vehicle use, including higher sulfur content that can lead to environmentally damaging sulfur dioxide emissions. Because biodiesel has low sulfur content, off-road biodiesel use can reduce emission levels while lowering the consumption of nonrenewable resources. Small Engines Small engines, like those found in lawn mowers and chainsaws, can use ethanol blends up to 10 percent without problems. The barrier to using higher blends, up to 20 percent, has more to do with manufacturers' warranties than limitations of the technology. Testing indicates that 20 percent ethanol blends do not harm gasoline engines, but as of 2011, manufacturers have not shown the willingness to alter warranty guidelines.

RUJUKAN:
http://www.oeconline.org/resources/livinggreen/onthego/biofuelsresources/biofuels-impact http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Biofuels http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/WPapers/WP64CIFOR.pdf http://biofuel.org.uk/how-to-make-biofuels.html

http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/uses-biofuel-2775.html