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Are biofuels the future or a folly?: A review
Authors: David PainterPublication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2008, Issue N.Z.J.For. 53(4) 2009, pp 9-17, Jan 2009
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Abstract: We use ‘fuel’ to mean a transportable source of energy, particularly those which are liquid, but not excluding solids such as wood and coal or gases such as hydrogen or compressed natural gas. ‘Biofuels’ are derived from biological material. So crude oil (petroleum) is a fossil biofuel, most of it having been produced aeons ago by marine organisms subjected to intense heat and pressure in suitable geological environments. In post-peak-oil days the pressure is on to produce renewable biofuels, especially to contribute to maintaining means of mobility. Nearly all of Earth’s energy resources derive from solar energy by one route or another; tidal currents and radioactive materials are arguably exceptions. But nothing has yet been found for transport purposes to quite match the convenience, compact density and high energy content of fossil-oil-derived liquid fuels.