Biofuels are fuels that contain biocomponents. The most common are bioethanol, which can be made from grain, sugar cane or maize, and biodiesel which can be produced from rapeseed, soy beans or animal fat.
Many organic raw materials can be used in production of biofuels, and as technology and extraction efficiency of the materials improves, more will emerge. A number of different processes are applied to convert the biological materials to fuel.
Consumers of biofuels
The European standards for petrol (EN228) and diesel (EN590) permit a maximum 5% mix of bioethanol in petrol, and of the biocomponents FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) in normal diesel. This means that all vehicles, including diesel vehicles with particulate filters, can run on fuels containing up to 5% biofuel.
A higher biofuel mix requires specially-modified engines. The E85 product, which is a mix of 85% bioethanol and 15% petrol, is an example of a fuel which can be used in specially-modified engines. 100% biodiesel (B100) can be used in specially-modified engines to run busses and lorries.
Since 1999, StatoilHydro has sold biofuels in their fuel markets. Currently, biofuels are sold in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
