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12.48 billion gal of ethanol

The 2004 US corn crop totaled about 11.7 billion bushels,

The entire 2004 US corn and soybean crop, converted to biomass fuels, could replace about 10.41 billion gal of petroleum (7.6 billion as ethanol and 2.81 billion as biodiesel).

A century ago, Henry Ford’s first car ran on alcohol, while Rudolf Diesel fired his namesake engine with peanut oil. But both inventors soon discovered that “rock oil,” when slightly refined, held far more bang per gallon than plant fuel, and was cheap to boot. Oil soon left plant fuels in the dust. Only in periods of scarcity—like the OPEC oil embargo of 1973—did the U.S. and other countries turn back to ethanol, mixing it into gasoline to stretch supplies.

A century ago, Henry Ford’s first car ran on alcohol, while Rudolf Diesel fired his namesake engine with peanut oil. But both inventors soon discovered that “rock oil,” when slightly refined, held far more bang per gallon than plant fuel, and was cheap to boot. Oil soon left plant fuels in the dust. Only in periods of scarcity—like the OPEC oil embargo of 1973—did the U.S. and other countries turn back to ethanol, mixing it into gasoline to stretch supplies.

U.S. Production 13.95 billion gallons 332.11 million barrels

U.S. Production 0.97 billion gallons 23.03 million barrels

Biofuel comes from petroleum products which come from below the ground. Ethanol, however, the "bio" part of biofuels, comes from corn.

Where does the first phase for biofuel production begin? The sun takes credit for the very first step in this process. The sun helps to grow crops and plants, which are then eventually used to produce biofuel. Biofuel is actually derived from biomass, which can come from gas, solid and liquid states.

These crops that are specifically grown to be used to produce biofuels are referred to as feedstocks. These feedstocks are the raw and unprocessed form that the bio fuel is derived from. Among the more common types of feedstocks and crops that are used for the production of biofuels are corn, sugar crops, and forests. In addition, even some of the byproducts of materials such as those that come from wood can be used in this process. These special byproducts are often converted to the liquid forms of biofuels, which include methanol and ethanol. With the ability to use these byproducts, production methods have gotten a lot less expensive since there is much less waste involved.

In addition, there are also certain natural oils that are also used to help produce this special type of fuel. For example, oil palm, soybean and algae are surprisingly capable of being burned directly in certain types of furnaces and engines and can also be blended with certain types of fuels or petroleum based fuels for a more powerful blended mixture.

Alcohol-based biofuels are produced in much the same way as liquor, though, of course with different emphasis. In fact, ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, which is the most commonly used bio-alcohol, is the same type of alcohol that is found in whiskey, vodka, gin, etc.  All of these are based on the fermentation of starches and sugars. The ingredients are gathered, ground up, mixed with water and left to ferment with the help of yeast or other organisms for some period of time (three years for Scotch whiskey!) before it is finally distilled into the final product.

Biofuels are made with biomass (biological material from living or recently living organisms) there are many kinds, for example biodiesel involves growing crops that contain large amounts of natural oil, these plants then go through a refining process and subsequently are mixed in with regular diesel to power cars. Bio petrol is made in a similar way; plants are refined to make a natural ethanol.

Biodiesel consumption was much lower, about 250 million gallons in 2006

which requires an annual increase in biofuels use to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.

Much of the gasoline in the United States is blended with a biofuel—ethanol. This is the same stuff as in alcoholic drinks, except that it's made from corn that has been heavily processed. There are various ways of making biofuels, but they generally use chemical reactions, fermentation, and heat to break down the starches, sugars, and other molecules in plants. The leftover products are then refined to produce a fuel that cars can use.

The U.S. currently produces 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol a year and consumes 9.6 billion gallons.

Biodiesel from soybeans costs an estimated $2 to $2.50 per gallon to produce. Biodiesel from yellow grease is about $1 a gallon cheaper, but the available supply in the U.S. is much smaller – enough to make 100 million gallons per year. Producers of biodiesel from pure vegetable oil are eligible for a federal excise tax credit of $1 for every gallon blended with conventional diesel. Biodiesel from used cooking oil earns a credit of 50 cents per gallon.

Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called "biofuels," to help meet transportation fuel needs

Today, ethanol is made from starches and sugars, but NREL scientists are developing technology to allow it to be made from cellulose and hemicellulose,

There have been studies that prove the many benefits of substituting fossil fuels (petroleum, etc) with biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. In its simplest sense, such biofuels are biodegradable which means they are derived from organic materials. They are naturally renewable. It can create numerous jobs since our own farmers can practically make them domestically. Consequently, our reliance on foreign sources of fossil fuels will be significantly reduced. Moreover, these biofuels emit nontoxic and cleaner emissions in comparison to traditional fuels. These alternative fuels also do not promote global warming, since the carbon they emit is taken back to the environment.

biofuel is far more simple and easy to use