Biofuel, any fuel that is derived from biomass—that is, plant or algae material or animal waste. Since such feedstock material can be replenished readily, biofuel is considered to be a source of renewable energy, unlike fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas.
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called "biofuels," to help meet transportation fuel needs. The two most common types of biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel, both of which represent the first generation of biofuel technology.
Biomass is the total mass of biological material, both living and recently dead, in a defined area. In an ecological context, biomass often refers to the amount of biological material in different parts of an ecological pyramid or in different ecological communities.
Biomass feed stocks include dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, algae, wood processing residues, municipal waste.
Bioenergy is one of many diverse resources available to help meet our demand for energy. It is a form of renewable energy that is derived from recently living organic materials known as biomass, which can be used to produce transportation fuels, heat, electricity, and products.
Bioenergy can be traced back to energy from sunlight, produced via photosynthesis, making it a major renewable energy source. As a storage house of bioenergy, biomass can be considered to be natures 'solar batteries'. The energy biomass produces can be converted into electricity, heat or biofuels.
