Biofuel processors convert biomass into fuel through fermentation, with sources including plants and algae. The efficiency of biofuels is weighed against the cost of processing equipment, with some processors being more efficient than others. The diversity of biofuel sources and processors can lead to challenges, but biofuels are still considered an effective alternative energy source.
A biofuel processor is any type of piece of equipment, often similar to a still, that turns biomass into fuel through fermentation. Sources of biofuels include plants and simple organisms such as algae. All of these potential fuel sources must be transformed from their original form if they are to be used as alternatives to petroleum fuels.
The benefits of biofuels are often weighed against the impact and cost of processing equipment. For example, biofuel processors can turn corn into a liquid fuel known as ethanol, but growing corn could require significant resources, including energy. When the biofuel costs more energy to produce than it can supply through its use, often in combustion engines, the biofuel processor is generally thought to have an inefficient energy balance. When a biofuel provides more energy than it costs to produce, on the other hand, the biofuel processor that created the biofuel can be considered efficient.
Biofuel processors come in a variety of designs, because establishing the most favorable energy balance can be a challenge. Small, inexpensive biofuel processors can produce cheap, burnable fuel, but may not deliver the same quality as more expensive and often more complicated processors. Larger processors, such as those used in biofuel plants, may require more energy to operate and, therefore, reduce the efficiency of the biofuel produced. There are many biofuel processor designs, however, that offer a favorable balance between energy cost and biofuel production.
Many of the disadvantages of biofuels are related to the diversity of biofuel processors and sources available. These sources often produce different energy balances and may require entirely different machinery. A biofuel processor built for a plant that grows only in a tropical environment, for example, may not achieve a favorable energy balance when processing plants from a desert environment. Highly efficient biofuel sources — materials that work well with the right kind of processor — often require large amounts of farmland, which can reduce the amount of arable land available to food growers.
Despite the challenges of creating an effective biofuel processor, biofuels are still considered an effective alternative energy source to petroleum-based fuels. One of the contributing factors to this concept is the range of resources that can be converted into biofuels. Possible sources could include used cooking oils, green algae, and plant material such as corn. These biofuel sources often have an effective biofuel processor.
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