Why in news?
New targets have been set under the national policy of biofuels
What are they?
- Biofuels are fuels made directly or indirectly from organic material, such as compost, which includes plant materials and animal waste.
- Overall, around 10 percent of the world’s total energy demand is bioenergy.
- Biofuels may be rigid, gaseous or liquid.
- These can also be derived from crop residues, forestry products, farming products etc..
Types
There are four generations of biofuel:
- Biofuels of the first generation are also known as conventional biofuels. They’re made of sugar, starch or vegetable petroleum (all these are food products).
- Non-food crops are used in the production of 2nd generation biofuels.
- Biofuels of second generation are commonly called “advanced biofuels.”
- Biofuels of third generation are algae-based biofuels which do not require cultivable land.
Proposed fourth generation fuels are extension of third generation algal biofuels which has an added feature of carbon capture (CO2) ability.
Benefits:
- Remove our reliance on fossil fuels, thus reducing our dependence on imports.
- This cleans up the environment with fewer GHG emissions.
- Elements such as discarded cooking oil, municipal waste and other problems will get solved.
- This sector has the potential to create opportunities and provide employment for hundreds of people through different development segments.
