Biofuels: Historical Development and Their Role in Today’s Society

Abstract

Have you ever imagined what life would be like without energy sources? What would the growth of civilizations have been like without fuel? How would we live today if we did not have technological developments in energy? This and other questions may arise when thinking about the development of fuels to generate energy. Currently talking about fuels is a very daily topic, about which we do not ask ourselves its origin and the evolution that these have had in history. Thought history, the human being has searched for ways of putting energy to work for them. Due to growing population, human has been looking for faster, easier, and more efficient ways to produce energy. However, for years the human being has made excessive use of existing resources, causing them to be depleted at present. Likewise, the pollution generated using these resources is also causing considerable damage to the environment at a global level. For these reasons, there is a growth in the use of alternative energy sources to reduce pollution and meet their energy needs. In this chapter will describe the origin and historical evolution of biofuels. The social, political and environmental context that originated the need for their scientific and technological development. The biofuels with the greatest demand and potential to replace fossil fuels in the medium term will be briefly described.