What are biofuels?

At the forefront of biofuel development

These fuels are derived from renewable sources and do not release CO₂ when burned. These fuels' net CO₂ emissions are considered zero given that they're offset by the CO₂ that's absorbed by renewable energy sources, the origin of biofuels.

In line with our commitment to become a net zero emissions company by 2050, we produce biofuel and study different industrial processes.

20+

years

incorporating biofuels into our range of fuels

90%

savings

in emissions versus other fuels

2.8 MT

of CO2

in emissions reduction to the atmosphere in 2019

600,000

t/year in 2030

in high-quality biofuel production

What are the advantages of these fuels?

Net zero emissions fuels can be used in all existing vehicles, taking advantage of the current infrastructure without the need to develop new technology solutions or renew a fleet. They can be produced and distributed using existing industrial facilities and enable us to decarbonize industries that are difficult to electrify such as maritime, aviation, and heavy-duty transportation. All of this serves to drive the circular economy, diversifying the country's energy matrix and moving forward in its quest for energy independence.

Low-carbon footprint fuels |PDF| 2.5 MB >

Spain's first advanced biofuels plant

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How are biofuels produced?

Biofuels are obtained by transforming biomass, an organic material that comes from plants and animals. This is done using mechanical, thermochemical and biological processes, and depending on the origins of the raw material used to make the biofuels and the processes used, they can be classified as follows:

First-generation biofuels: These are fuels obtained from food crops, for example using vegetable oil.

Second-generation or advanced biofuels: These come from crop waste, from the agri-food industry, and from the organic fraction of municipal waste. Second-generation biofuels are also considered to be those obtained from agroforestry crops that are not intended for food production.

Third-generation biofuels: These fuels are extracted from algae and aquatic plants that have a natural oil content of at least 50%. This kind of fuel is still not produced commercially, but there are conclusive findings proving its feasibility.

Fourth-generation biofuels: The fourth generation goes one step beyond that, seeking instead to genetically modify microorganisms to improve efficiency in the capture and storage of CO₂. These biofuels are not being commercialized yet either, although there are currently pilot plants in operation in Brazil and the United States.

Our commitment to biofuel

There are different types of fuels capable of reducing the carbon footprint, such as advanced biofuels, made from renewable raw materials of biological origin, and synthetic fuels (e-fuels), produced using captured CO₂. Find out more about our projects.