Bioethanol is also known simply as ethanol or ethyl alcohol. Bioethanol is more or less a marketing term due to it being created by an organic process that is more environment-friendly compared to other fuels. It is a type of alcohol that happens to be the same type that is used in alcoholic drinks. Bioethanol cannot be consumed though due to alterations which are made so that it can be used as a fuel. Since it is a type of alcohol it is a volatile and flammable substance that is colorless in its pure state.

Why is it Called Bioethanol?

The main reason for ethanol being called bioethanol is due to it being a renewable source of fuel. Not every way of obtaining ethanol is considered renewable and is instead obtained through a chemical process. Any process of obtaining ethanol in a non-renewable way voids it of being called bioethanol. Bioethanol is only one type of fuel out of many considered to be a biofuel. Biofuel can be a liquid, gas or an unprocessed biomass state. Bioethanol is the most popular use of a liquid biofuel and continues to grow in production over the years.

Bioethanol is simply an alcohol that is a renewable source of fuel extracted through organic processes like many other biofuels. The liquid fuel is easy to burn since alcohol is very flammable just like gasoline. This makes it an ideal product to use in anything that consumes fuel that combusts easily. Vehicles can make the most out of this biofuel and they do widely in the United States. Some fireplaces are actually starting to use this biofuel as well. Bioethanol is a great environment-friendly fuel that is clearly growing in popularity over the years and may be used more in the foreseen future.

Second-Generation Biofuels

Today’s process of creating bioethanol currently labels it as a first-generation fuel. This means that the current process is creating only a portion of its available energy potential. To break down the cellulose of the plant matter that is used in creating such fuels would label it as a second-generation fuel. Second-generation biofuels would have more energy potential than the first generation biofuels. Unlocking more of this energy consumption would make biofuels and bioethanol more valuable to the economic market. Experiments are being done to make second-generation biofuel, but there is no current process that can create these biofuels.

The growth of biofuels would increase in popularity if these second-generation biofuels could be made. Even though biofuels have grown rapidly over the years they only make up 1% of the total vehicle fuel consumption. Worldwide biofuel only makes up for 0.2% of energy consumption. Bioethanol fuel is slowly on its way to become the better choice for energy consumption for our world.