Biofuels

Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable, and produces less air pollutants than petroleum-based diesel.

For over forty years now, scientists and researchers have been tirelessly searching for an alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuels have become an interesting contender in the search for the replacement of the non-renewable energy source. Biofuels have been used throughout history for over thousands of years. There is a large debate over biofuels and its true impact on the environment. Those involved in the discussion debating whether biofuels have any real overwhelming benefits compared to fossil fuels could argue for its usage. According to recent research performed by the University of Michigan, biofuels may not be the best alternative for fossil fuels. Regardless of its impact on the environment, biofuels are becoming more popular particularly when the price of oil rises.

A biofuels is a fuel that is produced through biological processes, such as agriculture rather than a fuel produced by geological processes. Hence a biofuel is a fuel which is gained from the living matter. A biofuel is a hydrocarbon that is made from a living organism hence we humans end up using this to power something. In a short amount of time, if a hydrogen fuel is produced from organic matter hence this is known as a biofuel being produced. Biodiesel is an fuel which is similar to fossil diesel. Therefore biofuel is any fuel from which energy is gained through a process of biological carbon fixation. Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oil, animal oil/fats and waste cooking oils. A well known process used to convert these oils

Scientists are constantly looking for new and more efficient alternatives for fuel. Not only are these for environmental purposes, but because of depleting fuel levels caused by over-consumption. One common substitute for fuel-commonly>??? made of crude oil or petroleum is ethanol fuel. This fuel, also know as ethyl alcohol, is created by the fermentation and distillation of corn. There are three main advantages and disadvantages when contemplating the use of this alternative fuel.

Green energy stands for the energy sources as well as technologies that give the maximum benefits to the environment that we live in. These are sources that produce electricity yet have an environmental profile that is graded higher than the conventional technologies for power production and does not emit any anthropogenic greenhouse gases. It is worth noting that some green energy sources however have some impact on the environment, albeit very insignificant impacts for instance the building of a dam for hydroelectric plant could dismally affect the immediate surrounding at the dam as well as fisheries down the river.

There is no question that our world is changing, whether it be with technology, people, climate, or even the economy. With the constant hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we tend to overlook some issues that may not affect us now, but will eventually come back to haunt us. Instead of spending time worrying about our own selfish interests, maybe we should focus on more important issues at hand. Have you ever thought about how our extracurriculars or our beloved sports might impact our environment? One of the sports that comes to mind when I think of a sport that negatively impacts our environment is NASCAR. I think the racing industry should be forced to use biofuels.

In today’s society fossil fuels are the primary source of energy for most of the industrialized world. Utilizing fossil fuels has been vital to the industrialization development. Throughout industrialization of many parts of the world, energy has been needed at a much higher density then before and fossil fuels have fulfilled that need. Coal, gas, and oil are the three major sources of fossil fuels in the world. Despite other means of energy, such as wind power, hydroelectric power and so on, fossil fuels are still the main source of energy across the continent. Without a doubt, fossils fuels are critical to the function of society. “Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) are the dominant source of energy today and will be for decades to come.” (Everett, B. 2012, October).

Has the time come for the world to give up on what it’s relied on the most, fossil fuels? “Oil fuels the modern world. No other substance can equal the enormous impact which the use of oil has had on so many people, so rapidly, in so many ways, and in so many places around the world” (Duplar 1). There are facts showing that fossil fuels are damaging the environment, people’s health, and even our own wallets. People say that we need to go green, and find new energy sources that are affordable, reliable, and don’t damage the environment. These are the first steps towards and cleaner earth, and they are already taking

For the past three decades Oil dominates the agenda of political discussion. With scares over price volatility, sizes of reserves, international imports and least of which are the environmental impacts due to carbon dioxide and other emissions. Various speculations and educated guesses place our total depletion of crude oil within the next 50 years and there is a general consensus between environmentalists that we steer toward a hydrogen transportation system given the projected work and nonexistent carbon dioxide emissions (Environmental Technologies class lecture, Santa Clara University). However many barriers stand in the way of attaining such a goal, most of which pertaining

Some organisms produce energy by photosynthesis. These organisms convert sunlight to energy that is chemical, and this energy is in the form of sugar (Freedman 2013). The sugars from these organisms can be used as biofuels by fermenting the sugars (Bourne 2007). Some photosynthetic organisms are more efficient than others. Based on our reading, I found out that algae plants are the most efficient organism for biofuel because they do not have cellulose and lignin that sugarcane and corn both possess (Bourne 2007). Biofuels could eventually replace diesel fuels that we continuously use, and will soon run out of. Diesel fuels have been proven to damage the environment, and biofuels would help this issue.

The fact that 86% of our energy comes from nonrenewable, polluting, costly fossil fuels and only 14% is renewable is diabolical. Why must we harm our environment to contribute to our energy production when renewable energy sources are so abundantly present so that we may be symbiotic with nature? To lessen our environmental impact and be able to avoid the high expenses of non-renewable fossil fuels in the near future it should be obvious that we start to use more renewable energy sources than we do nonrenewable resources for apparent reasons. It’s the only answer, as we have already contributed to the now unstoppable melt of the glaciers in Antarctica soon to raise the sea level, according to scientist, four feet higher (Coghlan "Collapse of Antarctic Glaciers").

With the free reign you have given us on this paper, I have made the decision to look at the comparison of fossil fuels and other sources of energy that we use compared to the use and acquisition of bio fuels. I will explain, show and support the opinion of the comparison with biofuels being the more positive and safer choice. The different areas I will show this will be both economically and environmentally by far.

Sugar based biomass: Biomass that is derived from crops such as sugarcane or sugar beet. Starch based biomass: Biomass that is sourced from crops such as corn or wheat. Lignocellulosic biomass: Also known as plant residue and is derived from woody waste such as sugarcane bagasse, corn Stover and wheat straw i.e. non-edible parts of the plant. It is composed of mainly cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. (4)

The world currently faces a major problem. This problem is the need for alternative energy sources which can be converted into electricity because the main energy source currently used is coal and the coal deposits will not last forever. The main alternative energy sources that many countries are currently researching are wind, solar, hydro and nuclear. But there is currently another source of energy that is heavily debated to see whether the pros outweigh the cons. This energy source is natural gas. The main reason for the heavy debate of natural gas is not because of the energy source, but rather the mining process of the energy source through the process of hydraulic fracturing. In this report the following topics will be discussed to get a better understanding of natural gas and the hydraulic fracturing process. An overview of natural gas will be discussed. A detail description of the hydraulic fracturing process will be provided. The advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic fracturing will also be compared. Finally the report will look at hydraulic fracturing in a South Africa context and weigh all the information before deciding if the hydraulic fracturing process is advantageous or disadvantageous for the country to use.

As we all know gasoline is the fuel of the past, and were all looking towards the fuel of the future.