Technical and Economical Feasibility of Biofuels for Engine Applications

Ever increasing number of vehicles in the world has led to increasing demand of fossil fuels. But the resources of fossil fuels are limited and those too are concentrated in some parts of the world. This crisis of petroleum fuels has motivated the researchers all over the world to look for alternative renewable fuels. This paper describes first generation biofuels i.e. Ethanol and Biodiesel, and their compatibility with existing internal combustion engines. This paper also reviews their economical comparison with petroleum fuels. In the next part, the paper describes second generation biofuels i.e. Lignocellulosic ethanol and Fischer-Tropsch diesel, their current status, and development needs to make them economically feasible.