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When you change organic material into fuel, you are creating biofuels. Biofuels are being used as an alternative form of energy to lessen the need for fossil fuel consumption by our society. Biofuels include using plant derivatives like sugar cane, vegetable and corn oils. Not all of these ethanol mixes are engineered to be used for gasoline replacement. According to the International Energy Agency or [IEA], Ethanol might make up ten percent of the global gasoline usage by the year 2025 reaching upwards of thirty percent by 2050 compared to today’s usage at two percent.

There is much to do before biofuels become a practical alternative making economic sense. We still are not sure if biofuels are as efficient as gasoline derived from petroleum. Energy efficiency is calculated by how much usable energy for our necessary use is obtained from a particular amount of inputted energy. There has never been anything used that derives more energy from the output than from the desired input. The important thing has always been what the end product is used for and the input is only the energy and effort to make that end product.

Oregon State University researchers discovered that ethanol produced from corn was only twenty percent energy efficient [gasoline is seventy five percent]. Biodiesel fuel was found to be sixty nine percent energy efficient. The OSU research did find however, that ethanol made from cellulose was recorded to be eighty five percent efficient and that number is higher than nuclear energy, already deemed to be outstanding in its efficiency values.

As of late, the New York Stock Exchange has shown oil futures to be low as analysts are predicting an upswing in biofuels accessibility. This would then offset the worth of oil, dropping its value to about forty dollars a barrel on international markets. The Chicago Stock Exchange, which has a grain futures market, shows investment activity being drained from the oil futures in New York. Investors seem to be waiting for better profits to come from the biofuels sector.

Experts seem to think biofuels will be providing seven percent of global transport fuels by 2030. One of the analysts stated that any demand for diesel and gasoline would slow considerably if subsidies came from government to companies exporting biofuels and began to promote environment friendly fuels as well. Currently several countries are deeply rooted in the production of biofuels.

Brazil for one is the largest supplier of ethanol in the world from sugar cane. It manufactures roughly three and a half billion gallons of ethanol annually. The US is the global leader in guzzling oil but also second, behind Brazil, in producing biofuels.

In Europe, biofuel manufacturing capability has grown to numbers in excess of four million [UK] tons. Eighty percent of the EU’s biodiesel fuel is made from rapeseed oil, soybean oil and a minor amount of palm oil makes up the remaining twenty percent.

There is growing concern in many areas that biofuel production is contributing to world hunger. The farms that previously grew crops destined for human consumption, now ship their product to biofuel manufacturing facilities. This means there are shortages for some countries that desperately need corn and grains as staples to feed their populations. This issue seems to make it to the agendas of many world conferences and summits but little progress has been made to this point. Food consumption versus energy production is a debate that will linger in boardrooms and backrooms of the corporate and political world. In the meantime, biofuel production continues to develop and increase as a source of energy for many countries.