Biofuels are a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass. The term covers solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases. Biofuels are gaining increased public and scientific attention, driven by factors such as oil price spikes and the need for increased energy security.
Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled greases. Biodiesel can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a diesel additive to reduce levels of particulates, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons from diesel-powered vehicles. Biodiesel is produced from oils or fats using transesterification and is the most common biofuel in Europe.
Biodiesel is becoming increasingly popular in Virginia, in particular. Companies like Piedmont BioProducts in Gretna, Va., which received a $1.2 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission to convert multiple types of perennial grasses into biodiesel, are gaining recognition. Other companies such as Virginia BioDiesel, Chesapeake Custom Chemical Corp, and Greenlight Biofuels Holdings, LLC are also on the rise.
Many scientists, and some economists, believe that increased productivity in biofuels can help ease the pain at that pump for consumers and reduce America's dependency on foreign oil. If this is the case, Virginia currently stands in pretty good position to benefit from this expansion.
In the US, more than 80% of commercial trucks and city buses run on diesel. The emerging US biodiesel market is estimated to have grown 200% from 2004 to 2005. "By the end of 2006 biodiesel production was estimated to increase fourfold [from 2004] to more than 1 billion gallons".
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