Biofuels

Question 1

Why are biofuels considered carbon neutral?

Answer 1

• They absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide throughout their lifetime as they release when burned

Question 2

Why are biofuels not actually carbon neutral?

Answer 2

• To grow the biofuels, we have to clear land by cutting down trees. This means the trees can no longer photosynthesise and absorb CO2 themselves, and will also release large amounts of CO2 if burned
• It usually requires a lot of energy to harvest, process, and transport the biofuels, which itself will produce a lot of CO2