Biofuel - an environmentally conscious and cost-effective choice

Biofuel is today seen as an environmentally smart choice of fuel as it is both carbon-neutral and can be produced in Sweden. The development of new biofuels is very fast and in addition to pellets, biodiesel, and biogas, there are constantly new energy sources on the market.

Many people are currently familiar with the concept of biofuel but do not have full control over what it actually means. In the article below, we will go through the most important things you need to know about this renewable and cost-effective form of energy recovery.

What is biofuel?

One could say that biofuel is a collective name for the fuels made from organic materials. Organic materials are everything from trees and plants to sludge from treatment plants and slaughter waste. Biofuel contains amounts of energy and this energy can then be extracted into so-called bioenergy.

Biofuels come in a variety of forms. The fuel can be liquid in the form of ethanol or solid as pellets. At Ulma, we are experts in heating properties, agriculture, and housing through pellet heating.

For more information on how we use biofuel pellets, you can read our post with frequently asked questions and answers about just this.

Why is biofuel an environmentally smart choice?

Do you wonder how biofuel actually works and how this differs from other types of fuel? We have the answer to that.

Biofuels are primarily seen as an environmentally smart and sustainable choice of fuel. This is precisely because it is made from residual products from forestry and agriculture. When plants die and decay, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, which is then taken up by living plants in a so-called cycle. Fuels such as coal, oil, and gas consist of plant parts that decayed millions of years ago and are now burned to extract energy. In this process, carbon dioxide is emitted. Something that is a major contributing factor to today's climate change.

Read our article on heating houses with oil boilers.

When plants are burned for heating as biofuels, there is an addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, since the plants in the biomass have recently taken up the carbon dioxide when growing, this fuel is counted as carbon neutral. This is because the amount of carbon dioxide emitted is the same as that taken up by the plants. This is to consider one of the biggest benefits of biofuels.