Glossary:Biofuels

Biofuels are liquid fuels from a non-fossil biological origin and a renewable energy source, to be distinguished from fossil fuels.

Biofuels can be split up into two categories, biogasoline and biodiesel:

Biogasoline includes:
- bioethanol (ethanol produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste);
- biomethanol (methanol produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste);
- bioETBE (ethyltertio-butyl-ether produced on the basis of bioethanol: the percentage by volume of bioETBE that is calculated as biofuel is 47 %);
- bioMTBE (methyl-tertio-butyl-ether produced on the basis of biomethanol: the percentage by volume of bioMTBE that is calculated as biofuel is 36 %).

Biodiesel includes:
- biodiesel (a methyl-ester produced from vegetable or animal oil, of diesel quality);
- biodimethylether (dimethylether produced from biomass);
- Fischer Tropsch (Fischer Tropsch produced from biomass);
- cold-pressed bio-oil (oil produced from oil seed through mechanical processing only);
- all other liquid biofuels which are added to, blended with or used straight as transport diesel.

Further information