Biofuels are liquid or gas shaped fuels which can be used to run combustion engines. They are made from oil plants, wood or other organic material. This is also where they get their name from. The first syllable “bio” does not mean that bio fuels have an ecological origin, but rather that their components are based on organic matter.
Compared to conventional fuels such as gasoline, diesel or natural gas, biofuels have the advantage that during the process of production no fossil fuels are required. Only renewable raw materials are needed. This means that biofuels are much more environmentally friendly and sustainable than fossil fuels. Regular combustion engines can be adapted for the use of biofuels without greater effort. Moreover, biofuels can be mixed with fossil fuels in adapted internal combustion engines in any ratio.
Since biofuels have an energy density similar to fossil fuels, cars can still reach the same distance as before when their engine is adapted to run on biofuels. This makes biofuels economically competitive. Unfortunately the oil price is at a very low rate at the moment, which results in bio fuels not being profitable in many countries. Therefore, people still prefer to use conventional fuels although they are aware that these have a negative impact on the climate. This explains why biofuels only have a small market share.
We at Ecoenergy already work in the field of biofuels since 2010 and have a long lasting co-operation with the company VWP-Europe (United workshops for plant oil technology) in Bavaria. Our technicians have been schooled in the adaptation of engines for plant oil use by technicians from VWP-Europe. Through this cooperation we have acquired great knowledge concerning the adaptation technique and the production of biofuels.
Ecoenergy uses biofuels in their backup generator. In the outdoor areas of the company headquarters, 28 kilometers outside the city Pucallpa, our staff planted sufficient amounts of the oil plant Jatropha curcas for the companies’ energy needs. The oil of the Jatropha is used to refuel the former diesel engine which was adapted to be able to run with plant oil. This engine supports the solar panels as a backup generator. For Ecoenergy, the combination of solar panels and biofuel engines running with plant oil is the best solution for independent electric systems. Specially for communities in the Amazon region, which do not have access to the central power grid.