Is BioDiesel Good or Bad for the Environment?
December 20, 2008 by admin
Filed under Alternative Energy, Alternative Fuel, BioDiesel, BioFuels
The Biofuel Debate – What’s all the fuss about?
There has been much talk of biofuels and in particular biodiesel being touted as a more carbon friendly alternative to traditional petroleum based fuel…
- Because biodiesel is made from renewable resources (unlike fossil fuels) and it has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel
- Because it is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar
- Because it is made entirely from renewable resources such as soybeans, sunflowers, rapeseed and palm oil as well as waste vegetable oil (used cooking oils)
it surely follows biodiesel must be better for the environment…or is it?
Over the last few years through the Kyoto Protocol, governments have discussed the global issue of climate change with a view to setting targets to reduce greenhouse gases. Whilst there has been general agreement that something needs to be done and targets have been set, the United States is the only developed country that has not ratified the treaty and yet it is one of the significant greenhouse gas emitters.
The dilemma seems to be that biodiesel is undoubtedly greener than traditional petroleum based fuel. On the other hand however, as there is no stipulation how and where this fuel is produced, could this ‘green’ fuel actually be doing more harm to our environment than good?
Let’s look at some of the contributing factors to this debate…
Biodiesel – The Good
As an alternative fuel, biodiesel would seem to be a very good alternative to fossil based fuels:-
- Mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions
- Making best use of the remaining limited supplies of fossil fuels
- Reducing air pollution along with the associated health risks to the public
- Benefiting domestic economies by reducing the dependence on importing foreign petroleum
- Relatively easy to produce in small or large volumes
Biodiesel – The Bad
The main problem with bio-fuels today is the source of the raw materials:-
- Biodiesel and ethanol are produced from plant oils and from edible crops meaning competition for basic foodstuffs, food or oil?
- Rain forests are being converted to palm oil production (palm oil is a key ingredient of food and other consumables…it can also be used to produce biodiesel)
- Current crops cannot keep pace with the bio-materials needed for producing biodiesel
Does this mean if we replace traditional petroleum based diesel with biodiesel we’ll compromise our supply of foodstuffs?
Biodiesel – The Future
The Biotech Industry has begun to help with the need to find alternative fuel sources for the future by looking at how to get more from less:-
- Increased production of more plants
- Improving crop yields – corn, a common biofuel crop in the USA, yields under 200 barrels (per square mile per year) whereas Jatropha for instance can yield over 2,000 barrels
- Use of marginal land – look at crops (see below) that can be grown on arid land rather than take away arable farmland needed for essential food production. Using arid land in the poorer regions could provide social and economic benefits for that region
New sources that lessen the threat of environmental impact include:-
- Algae – grows quickly, renews quickly but to be a viable option cost effective harvesting remains a challenge
- Jatropha – can be grown in arid climates, has a high yield compared with traditional biocrops, has the potential to increase fertility of the land
- Camalina – Researchers say the Camelina plant is an excellent source of biofuel; it can be grown in arid land, with less water, fertilizer and pesticides
Biodiesel – Many Complex Issues
Diesel engines were in fact originally designed in the early 1900′s to run on biodiesel made from oil seed crops and not to run on petroleum-based diesel. Was it a mistake not to encourage the development and take up of biodiesel back then instead of depending almost solely on petroleum?
Despite agreement in principle that biodiesel has a role to play in helping to reduce emissions unless politicians give clear guidelines about the future of renewable fuels there will continue to be a haphazard take up around the world. Most governments have been proceeding with caution and rightly so but mixed messages from governments around the world have only added to the uncertainty around the use biodiesel fuel. What should be the governments role be in promoting the use of biodiesel?
We live in a world today that has largely grown up in a throw away society without due regard to the consequences of waste. This wasteful attitude has been exacerbated by the lack of proper education in the basic skills of survival. It is only relatively recently that modern day governments have begun to encourage large scale recycling.
The challenge we face is to educate the public about the issues surrounding biofuels and what is good or bad. Honest debate not influenced by individual hidden agenda’s is the only way to arrive at political choices that embrace all the issues surrounding the use of biofuel.
So, is biodiesel good or bad for the environment?
One thing is for sure, first generation biofuels once thought to be the alternative fuel source of the future, have come under increased scrutiny recently. It is becoming clear that more information is needed about the potentially destructive elements of first-generation biofuels and the impact they have on the environment.
Environmentalists are concerned that the inadvertent consequence of using biodiesel fuel is unrecoverable damage to the environment. Furthermore, developing a dependence on traditional first generation biocrops may result in food competing with fuel over the use of land. We need to determine what the true balance is between good and bad from an environmental perspective.
Clearly governments need to further embrace the concept of reducing greenhouse gas emissions but should they be more proactive in finding a green source for our fuel as well?
Instead of destroying forests maybe we should look to new more “green” raw materials for producing biofuels. We must embrace the promotion of second and third-generation biofuels in an effort to help solve many of the current problems surrounding the use of first generation biodiesel.
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Alan Folkard is an avid devotee and follower of all things Biodiesel and supports the adoption of biodiesel as an alternative fuel provided a way can be found to balance the good and bad from an environmental perspective. Learn more about what biodiesel is. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Folkard |
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Ethanol – Things You Should Know
December 7, 2008 by admin
Filed under Alternative Energy, Alternative Fuel, BioFuels, Ethanol
Due to the price of gasoline, world tensions, and environmental issues there has been a lot in the news lately regarding alternative-fuels. One of the more talked about alternative-fuels is ethanol, what follows is a basic fact sheet on this popular biofuel.
• Ethanol is a vegetable oil based fuel as opposed to standard petroleum fuel.
• Pure ethanol is a clear, colorless liquid.
• Ethanol cuts poisonous exhaust emissions when compared to standard fuel.
• Chemically, Ethanol is a kind of alcohol.
• Ethanol melts at -114° C (-173°F) and boils at 78.5°C (173.5°F).
• Simple sugars are the raw materials that make Ethanol.
• Currently, Ethanol is use mainly by large corporations or government branches who can afford to invest in their own fueling stations, although this is changing.
• Nissan, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, and Ford among others make cars that run on Ethanol.
• The vegetables most often associated with the manufacture of Ethanol are corn, barley, trees, grasses, and wheat.
• Ethanol is sometimes used in combination with gasoline, the most popular mixture known as E85 which is 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline.
• Despite it’s resurgence in popularity, Ethanol has been looked to as a fuel for decades. In fact, Henry Ford originally planned the Model T to run on alcohol.
• Almost all car manufacturers now approve of the use of ethanol in their warranty information.
• The fermentation and the distilling of crops with high sugar content is the basis for making Ethanol.
• Usually industrial grade Ethanol has been denatured, which means a small percentage of unpleasant chemicals (some poisonous) have been added, so it cannot be consumed by humans as an alcoholic beverage.
• Neither the manufacturing or the burning of ethanol adds to the greenhouse effect.
• Ethanol is 100% biodegradable.
• Ethanol is a very high octane substitute for conventional fuel.
• Ethanol can be manufactured privately on an individual level using a still, although it is a little more complex than the manufacture of Biodiesel.
Ethanol is just one of many cleaner burning, sometimes cheaper, better for the world alternative fuels. With the proper research and development, a world that depends less on oil and oil producing countries is a reality.
Mark Allen is a strong supporter of the continued serch for a viable alternative-fuel. More information at http://www.biodieselplans.info
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What is Biofuel?
What is Biofuel? (also called agrofue) It can be broadly defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from biomass. The definition used here is narrower: biofuel is defined as liquid or gas transportation fuel derived from biomass. Biomass can also be used directly for heating or power: this is commonly called biomass fuel: see biomass heating systems. Biofuel is considered a means of reducing[2] greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security by providing an alternative to fossil fuels.
That is why biofuels are used globally: biofuel industries are expanding in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The most common use for biofuels is in automotive transport (for example E10 fuel). Biofuel can be produced from any carbon source that can be replenished rapidly e.g. plants. Many different plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacture.
Humans have used biomass fuels for heating and cooking since the discovery of fire. Following the discovery of electricity, it became possible to use biofuels to generate electrical power as well. However, the discovery and use of fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil, have dramatically reduced the amount of biomass fuel used in the developed world for transport, heat and power.
Liquid biofuels have been used since the early days of the car industry. Nikolaus August Otto, the German inventor of the internal combustion engine, conceived his invention to run on ethanol. Rudolf Diesel, the German inventor of the Diesel engine, designed it to run on peanut oil. Henry Ford originally designed the Ford Model T, a car produced from 1903 to 1926, to run completely on ethanol. However, when crude oil became cheaply available (thanks to oil reserves discovered in Pennsylvania and Texas), cars began using fuels derived from mineral oil: petroleum or diesel.
Chuck is a college student and is studying biology. He is studying addition methods of new alternatives in energy and you will read some of his articles and research in these areas. To find out more about biofuels go to http://new-biofuel.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_R_Mitchell
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