A TERM PAPER
ON
BIOFUELS
OLUCHUKWU C. OBINEGBO
BLACKBOARD ID: oluchukwu1.obinegbo
STUDENT ID #: 3002661138
COURSE NUMBER: EEL 4930
LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: DR JIM P. ZHENG
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
After the discovery of electricity, effective and efficient methods have been sought to store energy for use on demand. Over the last century, industries which work towards the effective storage of energy have been evolving and adapting to change in energy requirements and advances in technology.
Energy storage systems help in providing various technological approaches to the effective and efficient management of electricity in order to create a more resilient energy infrastructure and maximize cost savings to consumers.
Biofuel is a form of fuel produced under biological carbon fixation (such as anaerobic digestion and agriculture). Biofuels are in various forms and are used widely in achieving energy storage needs. Biofuels are a known source of renewable energy because of its great environmental advantages, which includes reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The form of biofuels is categorized into three generations, with each generation containing various fuels.
• First Generation Biofuels: This generation of biofuels are generally gotten from arable crops. They are different from the second generation biofuels in the sense that they are derived from plant dry matter (biomass), agricultural residues and woody crops. First generation biofuels are referred to as the original
Biofuel is a fuel produced from any fats sources, obtained from either animals or plants, and is a renewable and environmental friendly source of energy. How can we say the biofuel is environmental friendly? According to Vasudevan, Palligarnai T and Michael Briggs:
Biofuels are fuels that are produced by a biological process. A biofuel is a mixture of organic substances that are used as fuel in an internal combustion engine. Derivative of biomass, organic matter originated in a biological process, spontaneous or provoked, usable as an energy source.
Bio-fuels are also known as agro fuels. They are a renewable source of energy made from animal and vegetable material and a large portion of municipal solid and industrial waste. Bio-fuels are major sources of fuel from biomass. Biomass is any organic material stored in the tissues of living plants and animals. Plants generate their energy from the solar power using the chlorophyll in the leaves to create tissue from water in the ground and carbon dioxide in the air and animals take their energy from plants either by directly eating plants or by eating other animals that have eaten plants. Even though biofuels are sources of energy obtained from renewable resources, the positive effects to the environment are far outweighed by the negative effects to the environment from the production of these biofuels. Our need for energy is increasing day by day for heating, cooling, cooking, driving, etc. One of the major reasons for the development of bio-fuels is the act that fossil fuel oil reserves are limited. Based on total worldwide oil reserves of 143.1 thousand million tons of oil (end 2001) and a worldwide oil consumption rate of 3510.6 million tons, it is estimated that the oil reserves will probably last until 2044. Also, there has been increasing concerns regarding global emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides. Biodiesel, which is the most popular form of bio-fuel, is used in any diesel
Biofuels are better than traditional fuels because they decrease the national dependency on foreign fuel. The Minnesota biofuel association provides the article “ETHANOL AND REDUCING FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCY” expressing how the dependency of fuels decrease due to biofuels. “ethanol has helped America lessen its dependency on foreign oil. In fact, increased production of renewable fuels such as ethanol were key components of the Energy”(1). Biofuel contains materials that are found locally. Therefore, there would be no need to find fuels in foreign places. There would be no need to go underground or under the sea to find fuels. It would also decrease the dangers many people put themselves through in order to find the fuel. Also the article “what
M-Global has an extreme passion for energy conservation and dedicates itself in finding alternative energy sources that are innovative and constructive. Biofuel is the emphasis of our company and our purpose for this pursuit. According to Green Choices of Cornell University, “biofuels are energy sources made from living things such as plants or from waste that the living things produce”. (http://www.greenchoices.cornell.edu/energy/biofuels/) Biofuels will reduce greenhouse gases that car oil and gasoline produce. Emissions enter the ozone layer trapping heat resulting in warmer temperatures in each season. A first generation biofuel will consist of gasoline such as biodiesel, which will be discussed in this portfolio.
Biofuel has become the focus of society in recent years, because the discharge of CO2 has been increasing year after year, energy crisis and environment pollution problem stunted economic growth. To solve these problems, biofuel is a good option since its low pollution and renewability.
In the world of global warming, all kinds of pollution and fuel shortages going on, renewable and clean/ green energy is increasingly the ideal solution of energy related problems we have to solve one way or another. Biofuel is one of the mainstream and highly supported solutions nowadays, an idea to make renewable fuel by living organisms such as fiber, corn, vegetable oil or sugar cane. Unlike nonrenewable fossil fuels over extracted by people causing various environmental problems like generating a considerable amount greenhouse gas, current technology already lets renewable fuel like biofuels to shrink a certain amount of greenhouse gas production, making it a more ‘clean’ source of energy.
Biofuel is obtained from lifeless or living microbial resources. Also, various plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacturing. In order to be considered a biofuel, the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable resources. An important process to generate energy, photosynthesis, is the main route through which oxidised carbon (carbon dioxide) is decreased in the daytime and oxidised back to carbon dioxide to generating energy in the night. Biofuel is originally derived from the photosynthesis process and can therefore often be referred to as a part of solar energy source.
Recent discussion in the world of environmental issues and the bettering the world has brought about the topic of biofuels. Biofuels are an energy source that can be harvested completely from crops, such as corn, and algae among other various natural items. Environmental specialists are currently considering whether or not biofuels are be the correct route for people to start taking in regards to more efficient and less harmful energy source. Fossil fuels are noted to be bad for the environment as well as the inhabitants of earth due to the fact that these fuels cause carbon pollution. Being that they are carbon energy producers, fossil fuels make air worse for humans and wildlife, and cause acid rain and other semi-natural pollution-based faults that can kill organisms, such as plants or wild animals, and also damage the water sources scattered across the Earth. But, with a change in the current energy usage fashion, utilizing biofuels can be very beneficial and helpful to the environment, and deplete much of the air pollution that causes environmental issues such as the global rising of temperature. These fuels will also help push the world’s energy technology to a new level, and introduce new ways to utilize the easily obtainable resources that humans often take for granted, and put the energy gained from the new technology towards things like cars that run completely on biofuels and other creations that run on
Biodiesel is essentially diesel that made from renewable resources. Biodiesel is not used very much in America, however in countries in Southeast Asian are embracing this alternative fuel source. Biodiesel can be made from a variety of biological organisms such as corn, grass, or fats. “Biodiesel has a net energy balance of 2.8, with a range of -0.27 to +5.3 based on different assumptions for how to assign energy usage and by-products.”
Unlike gasoline or diesel, biofuels release little pollution. It can also be used to produce electricity by heating water using biofuels and using the steam produced to rotate a turbine. Another method is to allow the biofuel to decay and produce methane. Methane is commonly used as fuel for car, heating, cooking, and producing electricity.
A biofuel, by definition, is a fuel that’s made from living things or their waste [6] and the most commonly extracted and used is ethanol and diesel and are usually produced from crops such as wheat, soybeans, corn and sugarcane [7]. Obviously, as prices of crude oil are soaring biofuel is becoming more and more in demand and it does have
Over time there has been a growing focus towards the environmental consequences that the world faces at present due to the constant global use of fossil fuels. Increasing fuel prices and the high cost of fuel imports have caused the issue of depleting Crude Oil supplies to become a global concern. Determining whether Biofuels deliver benefits over fossil fuels requires thorough investigation into factors such as direct and indirect inputs and outputs for their full production and life cycles. Throughout this report current and well supported public data will be presented on focusses covering; fuel prices, production plant efficiencies, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and other environmental effects.
Biofuel is a fuel that is made up of dead biological matter. This is how a biofuel is distinguished from a fossil fuel." In order to be considered as a biofuel, the fuel must contain over 80% renewable materials"(1). The organic matter (biomass) that makes up biofuel can be gotten from corn, soybeans or various other photosynthetic plants. The specific type of biofuel produced from grains is Ethanol, the other one who produced from mostly oil and fat is Biodiesel. Biomass is organic instruments made by plants and animals. It is contains stored energy from the sun. At the bottom of the food chain, plants merge with solar radiation through photosynthesis. They then change it into chemical energy in the form of glucose, or sugar.
Biofuels are combustible fuels created from biomass. Biofuels are just another type of energy. Biofuels are sources of energy, just as such, as fossil fuels, wind energy, solar energy and geothermal energy. They are a renewable source of energy. Biofuels are made to ease all our energy needs. Biofuels are also expected to increase the sustainability of Earth’s other resources. Biofuels have