Page 455 - Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment

408 Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment

1973 and 2004 shares of world oil consumption

1973 2004
Nonenergy Nonenergy
use use
11.6% 16.2%

Industry
8.0%
Transport
Industry
45.4% 19.9%
Transport Other 1
11.3 %
45.4%
Other 1
23.1 %

2252 Mtoe 3761 Mtoe

1. Includes agriculture, commercial and public services, residential and nonspecified other.
Fig. 15.1 Oil consumption by different sectors in 1973 and 2004 [2].

also reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. Alternative renewable energy can be
produced using renewable crude material and can be a substitute for fossil fuel utili-
zation [7]. Complete or partial substitution of renewable alternate fuels for diesel
engines has been the focus of concentrated research in different parts of the world over
the last few decades. These alternative fuels are usually produced from renewable
organic materials, which can effectively reduce the toxic emissions that result from
the usage of fossil fuels.
The renewable biofuels are found to be a viable alternative to the nonrenewable
sources with the additional benefit of improving the agricultural sector and farming
incomes [8]. Alternative fuels, known as nonconventional fuels, include biodiesel,
gaseous fuels, biofuels, and bioalcohols such as methanol, ethanol, and butanol. They
are gaining popularity as effective diesel substitutes because of their similarity in
properties with diesel. A myriad of research on the usage of these fuels in diesel
engines is being carried out across the world as automotive makers nowadays have
the additional responsibility of meeting emission standards without compromising
performance. While electric cars have been gaining traction in recent years, biofuels
have the advantage of being used in existing diesel engines without or with minimum
modifications, making the transition to these fuels easier for manufacturers. Such
biofuels are also called ecofuels because of their clean-burning, ecofriendly nature.
By definition, ecofuels are ecologically friendly fuels whose production and use
has a minimum impact on the environment. Ecofuels are generally the byproduct
of the anaerobic degradation of biomass. The majority of the conventional automotive
fuels such as coal, petroleum, etc., are formed from the organic remains of plants and