Today, biofuel is already providing nearly 2 percent of the world’s fuel for transportation. Biofuel production is increasing, production costs are decreasing and more sustainable technologies and efficient processes are being developed. The International Energy Agency believes that biofuels may be able to meet as much as a quarter of the world’s energy demands by the middle of this century.

This course overviews basic concepts in development and use of biomass, with an eye towards developing sustainable energy systems for the future. At the end of this course you should be able to:

+ Define biofuel and biomass.
+ Understand the basic production of biofuels.
+ Recognize advantages and disadvantages of biofuel use.
+ Describe various applications for biofuels.
+ Describe briefly the history and potential future of biofuels.