Nanoparticles application on fuel production from biological resources: A review

Abstract

Over the last decades, global warming has been one of humankind's most critical environmental problems. Burning fossil fuels has been counted as a primary source of CO2 production, leading to global warming. Therefore, it is urged to replace fossil fuels with other green fuels such as bio-based ones, including biohydrogen, bioethanol, etc. To achieve this goal, the biofuels' production should be accelerated with higher performance and greener methods. The fast development of nanotechnology provides practical tools to use this fascinating technology in different applications, including biofuel production. Using different types of nanoparticles, especially the metallic ones, to produce various kinds of biofuels such as biodiesel, biohydrogen, biogas, and bioethanol can improve production performance and efficiency. The present review focused on the most critical improvement during the last decade about the using different nanoparticles and nanomaterials to enhance the efficiency of biofuel production, including biodiesel, biohydrogen, and biogasses.