What is biomass or Biofuel? Biofuels are fuels that are created from organic material (biomass) either directly or indirectly. Organic materials can include those that come from plants or even animal waste. Biofuels are what provide us with bioenergy, which takes care of around 10 percent of the world's energy needs and they can be in the form of either a liquid, solid, or a gas. Due to the updates in current technology, biofuels can be extracted from a variety of materials; waste, wood or crops, for instance. There are both primary and secondary biofuels. Primary biofuels come from organic material that is used in its natural form such as firewood, wood chips, or pellets. Secondary biofuels come from organic material that is processed such as bio-oil, ethanol, or biodiesel.

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The primary biofuels are used mostly for cooking, heating, and electricity while secondary biofuels are often used for motor vehicles and large-scale manufacturing. The secondary biofuels, ethanol, and biodiesel, are actually known as liquid biofuels. Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be produced with the use of any feedstock (the raw material used as fuel in manufacturing) that is high in sugar (e.g., sugar cane) or starch (e.g., wheat). Biodiesel is produced through a process called transesterification from either vegetable oils, animal fats, or used cooking oils. This process converts oils and fats into renewable energy.

The primary biofuels are used mostly for cooking, heating, and electricity while secondary biofuels are often used for motor vehicles and large-scale manufacturing. The secondary biofuels, ethanol and biodiesel, are actually known as liquid biofuels. Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be produced with the use of any feedstock (raw material used as fuel in manufacturing) that is high in sugar (e.g., sugar cane) or starch (e.g., wheat). Biodiesel is produced through a process called transesterification from either vegetable oils, animal fats, or used cooking oils. This process converts oils and fats into renewable energy.

LIQUID BIOFUELS
Sometimes solid biomass needs to be converted into gas via a process called gasification. Gasification essentially turns solid organic materials such as wood into gas that we can use. We need this process for important things such as the generation of electricity and the creation of gasoline and diesel fuel. Other processes that can be used to create second-generation biofuels include pyrolysis (heating an organic material without oxygen) and direct combustion (biomass is burned in the open air or in excess amounts of air).

The use of liquid biofuels also comes with some disadvantages such as cost, industrial pollution, and global warming. The demand for these biofuels increases each day and they are extremely expensive to produce in our current market. Not to mention, production increases our carbon footprint and contributes to pollution. Biofuels are meant to be better for the environment, however, the production process for liquid biofuels reverses this due to the fact that large amounts of both water and oil are needed. Adding to that, the burning of liquid biofuels produces carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming. Despite their positives, liquid biofuels also leave quite a negative impression on our environment with their emissions. what is biomass #middleschool #distancelearning #onlinelearning #homeschool #virtuallearning #earthday #sustainabilityeducation #scienceteacher #middleschoolscience