Biodiesel vs. EthanolBoth biodiesel and ethanol are biomass derivatives that have been processed to create a liquid biofuel. Both types of biofuels have been touted as safe and environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels, however the research verifying these claims is extensive but often contradictory. In the following document, the efficiency and quality of the two types of biofuel will be discussed. The effects of variables such as starting materials and production techniques on efficiency and quality will be considered. Due to the limited scope of this paper, however, only generalized net analyzes of ethanol and biodiesel production will be considered. Ethanol production requires one of two raw materials, cellulose or sucrose, both complex sugars. Currently, corn and sugarcane are the primary sources of ethanol; however it can be produced from any plant cellulose. Ethanol is created using chemical and non-chemical processes. These processes include liquefaction, saccharification, fermentation and distillation (Malca and Freire, 2006). Today, the world's ethanol is mainly produced in Brazil using sugarcane. The second largest producer of ethanol is the United States, where it is obtained from corn. Ethanol has the greatest mass production of all biofuels (Powlson, Riche, & Shield, 2005). In 2003, Brazil produced 9.9 million tons, compared to 8.4 million tons produced by the United States and 1.75 million tons produced in Europe (Malca and Freire, 2006). Biodiesel is produced by subjecting triglycerides found in vegetable oils and fats to transesterification, which is the exchange of the alkoxy group of an ester compound with another alcohol. This creates an ox...... middle of paper...... dbio-ethyl tertiary butyl ether (bioETBE): evaluating the implications of allocation. Energy, 31: pp. 3362-3380. McCormick R, Graboski M, Alleman T, and Herring A. (2001). Impact of biodiesel source material and chemical structure on emissions of essential pollutants from a heavy-duty engine. Environmental Science Technology, 35(9): pp. 1742-1747.Pimental D and Patzek (2005). Production of ethanol using corn, switchgrass and wood; Biodiesel production using soybeans and sunflowers. Earth and Environmental Sciences, 14(1). Powlson D. S., Riche A. B., & Shield, I. (2005). Biofuels and other approaches to reduce fossil fuel emissions from agriculture. Annals of applied biology, 146: pp. 193-201.Van Gerpen JV. (1996). Testing the cetane number of biodiesel. Database of National Biodiesel Board reports, liquid fuels and industrial products from renewable sources.