What are biofuels and how much is produced and used?
Biofuels are made from plant material, or biomass. In Brazil biofuels such as ethanol are quite common. In fact, some 3.6 million pure-ethanol vehicles are on the streets and highways of Brazil. Currently, ethanol and biodiesel are commercially available in the United States. Ethanol is typically used as a gasoline additive, or oxygenate, that reduces harmful automobile emissions. U.S. ethanol production has increased by about 12 percent annually5 since 1980 — reaching more than 1.6 billion gallons in 2000. Biodiesel is a renewable diesel-fuel substitute that’s made by combining any natural oil or fat with alcohol.6 Biodiesel is being used by several municipal fleets around the country. In March, Minnesota became the first U.S. state to mandate the use of biodiesel.
