Biofuels in Africa An African Refiners Association guide
Many of the biggest questions facing societies today come down to energy. Is oil running out? Are we destroying our climate with Greenhouse Gases? How can we make enough clean energy to light every home on the planet?
In all this discussion, much has been said about the benefits of biofuels. But is it all hype? Are biofuels an answer to the world’s energy problems? Or are they a distraction? We see biofuels in use in Europe, in Brazil, in the USA. But can they be introduced to Africa, perhaps saving billions of dollars in costs? Or are the technical problems too great?
This Guide, drawn up by the African Refiners Association –the cross-continent association that promotes pan-African cooperation in energy – offers some answers to these and other questions. What are biofuels anyway?
A biofuel is any fuel made from “renewable” resources. “Renewable” just means some-thing that grows – a tree, a plant or an animal. So humankind has been using biofuels for millions of years, in the form of wood,
charcoal, peat or animal dung. But recent advances in chemistry mean it is now possible to make liquid fuels from renewables – substitutes for gasoline or diesel. Up to a point...
Biofuels only work in most of today’s cars and trucks in blended form –mixed with regular fuels – either to make biodiesel (which is 7%biofuel), or to make a gasoline-ethanol mix(up to 25% biofuel), sometimes called “gasohol”. In Brazil, though, they have built cars which can burn 100% ethanol; and car-makers are starting to make “flex-fuel” vehicles, which can burn from 0% to 100% biofuel mixtures. Biofuels seem to be on the up.
There are three main sources today: trees, plants rich in vegetable oils, and sugar and corn which can be made into ethanol. Experiments are ongoing with new plants like jatropha; and with systems that grow hydro-
carbon-rich algae. In future we may make “second generation” liquid biofuels from plant cellulose – even from wood.
Many of the biggest questions facing societies today come down to energy. Is oil running out? Are we destroying our climate with Greenhouse Gases? How can we make enough clean energy to light every home on the planet?
In all this discussion, much has been said about the benefits of biofuels. But is it all hype? Are biofuels an answer to the world’s energy problems? Or are they a distraction? We see biofuels in use in Europe, in Brazil, in the USA. But can they be introduced to Africa, perhaps saving billions of dollars in costs? Or are the technical problems too great?
This Guide, drawn up by the African Refiners Association –the cross-continent association that promotes pan-African cooperation in energy – offers some answers to these and other questions. What are biofuels anyway?
A biofuel is any fuel made from “renewable” resources. “Renewable” just means some-thing that grows – a tree, a plant or an animal. So humankind has been using biofuels for millions of years, in the form of wood,
charcoal, peat or animal dung. But recent advances in chemistry mean it is now possible to make liquid fuels from renewables – substitutes for gasoline or diesel. Up to a point...
Biofuels only work in most of today’s cars and trucks in blended form –mixed with regular fuels – either to make biodiesel (which is 7%biofuel), or to make a gasoline-ethanol mix(up to 25% biofuel), sometimes called “gasohol”. In Brazil, though, they have built cars which can burn 100% ethanol; and car-makers are starting to make “flex-fuel” vehicles, which can burn from 0% to 100% biofuel mixtures. Biofuels seem to be on the up.
There are three main sources today: trees, plants rich in vegetable oils, and sugar and corn which can be made into ethanol. Experiments are ongoing with new plants like jatropha; and with systems that grow hydro-
carbon-rich algae. In future we may make “second generation” liquid biofuels from plant cellulose – even from wood.
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