What is biofuel made of?

A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary processes from biomass, rather than a fuel produced by the very slow geological processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. Since biomass technically can be used as a fuel directly (e.g. wood logs), some people use the terms biomass and biofuel interchangeably. More often than not, however, the word biomass simply denotes the biological raw material the fuel is made of, or some form of thermally/chemically altered solid end product, like torrefied pellets or briquettes. The word biofuel is usually reserved for liquid or gaseous fuels, used for transportation. The EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration) follows this naming practice. If the biomass used in the production of biofuel can regrow quickly, the fuel is generally considered to be a form of renewable energy

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Biofuels can be produced from plants (i.e. energy crops), or from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes (if the waste has a biological origin). Renewable biofuels generally involve contemporary carbon fixation, such as those that occur in plants or microalgae through the process of photosynthesis

Biofuels additives are specialty chemicals that are used to enhance biofuel properties, improve engine performance, and reduce brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). They play a crucial role in meeting international fuel standards. Biofuel additives such as ethanol, diethyl ether, n-butanol, and methanol are commonly used as biodiesel additives due to their high oxygen content. Biofuel additives in biodiesel blends have been found to improve combustion characteristics and combustion stability. The addition of anti-oxidant additives has also been responsible for the reduction in NOX emissions.