Biofuels: Clean Energy to Boost Colombia's Role in the New World Order

Abstract

Written by an environmental manager from the Universidad de Antioquia and a chemical engineer, production director at Biodicol S.A., this article analyzes biofuels as an energy alternative to fossil-fuel dependence, from a conceptual framework grounded in thermodynamics. The authors present biodiesel, obtained from animal fats and vegetable oils, as a more environmentally friendly option than petrochemical diesel, and discuss arguments for and against biofuels, including the controversy over land use compared to alternatives such as Jatropha curcas, which grows on degraded soils. The text documents Colombian regulations establishing a mandatory 5% biodiesel blend in diesel starting in January 2008.