How are biofuels different from fossil fuels?
The primary difference is that biofuels come from a biomass source, which is a previously living organic matter, whereas fossil fuels are derived from fossilized sources, such as coal and oil. Slightly different chemistries do limit exactly which fossil fuels can be replaced with biofuels. The biofuels with the potential to replace gasoline are alcohols – particularly methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol. Diesel fuel can be replaced with vegetable oil, and in fact peanut oil was the original fuel for diesel engines. The biomass alternative to natural gas is biogas, which is produced by fermenting manure, sewage sludge, municipal waste and other organic matter.
