A biofuel is a renewable fuel that is produced from vegetable and animal fats. The process that converts these oils into fuel is known as transesterification or esterification. in transesterification, the fatty acids and triglycerides that are within animal and vegetable oils react with methanol with a catalyst such as sodium hydroxide which results in the formation of fatty acid methyl esters. Structurally, both biodiesel and petrodiesel contain hydrogen and carbon atoms, however petrodiesel is a pure hydrocarbon compound whereas biodiesel has two oxygen atoms, an ester group (Goshen.edu). Biodiesel differs from petroleum as environmentally, as biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, and is more environmentally friendly compared to conventional diesel which is considered to be an environmental hazard as it is not renewable and contributes to the weakening of the ozone layer and global warming due to its carbon, sulphurous and nitrogenous dioxides, due to incomplete combustion. Biofuels can be a progressive move in society due to its environmental benefits in reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere, however the fuel does require more processes to be converted to fuel and by using food crops as a possible biofuel source, this could create a shortage in crops. However, by making biofuels the prominent fuel, more jobs could be created which would be beneficial economically but biofuels are more expensive to produce and purchase than normal petrodiesel so if
Anything containing oil has been an increasing problem to the environment and to people. The toxicants that the oil produce harms people with their health. In the film Fuel, the director Josh Tickell talks about how crops can produce fuel, which produces cleaner air and is safer for the public. There are also other ways that Biofuel could be produced, such as adding human waste onto algae. The way that society utilizes oil is hurting the world, which in fact is affecting the human population and environment, but people only realize it until it is too late. With biofuel people would not be in danger and it could be produced without struggling to find oil.
A major source of controversy when it comes to biodiesel and other biofuels such as ethanol is what ingredient are used to make the fuel. When oils from crops are used, a number of problems can arise. For instance, biodiesel and other biofuels are often touted as environmentally friendly since they are typically made from plants, which suck the global warming gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow. However, the land may be damaged in order to grow these crops as demand for biofuels grow for example, in Indonesia, biodiesel may be causing deforestation, as native forests are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. The chemicals from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides may also upset ecosystems.
To solve the rigorous threat to earth from global warming, bio-fuels serve as the most feasible source of energy all over the world. The environmental and economical performance of bio-fuel as compared to fossil fuel was analyzed by full Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) in Spain. The Spanish government CIEMAT, carried out two LCA’s so as to compare ethanol-ethanol mixtures with gasoline, and biodiesel-biodiesel mixtures with fuel oil according to ISO 14040-43 standards, these standards evaluate energy and mass balance for two or more objects. It was concluded that carbon dioxide emission during utilization of bio-fuel are lower than fossil fuel and bio-fuel requires less primary energy to be processed than fossil fuels. Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association submitted the letter to the editor of The Gazette in which he marked that “On an environmental level, conventional ethanol is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 34% compared to petroleum, including hypothetical land use change emissions” (qtd. in renewable fuel association). As the raw material for
Both biodiesel and ethanol are derivatives of biomass that have been processed to create a liquid biofuel. Both types of biofuels have been touted as secure and environmentally safe alternatives to fossil fuels, however the research verifying these claims is extensive but often contradicting. In the following paper, the efficiency and quality of the two types of biofuel will be discussed. The effects of variables such as source materials and production techniques on efficiency and quality will be considered. Due to the limited scope of this paper however, only generalized net analyses of ethanol and biodiesel production will be considered. The production of ethanol requires one of two source materials, cellulose
The biggest problem the United States faces today when we talk about becoming energy independent is replacing the gas we use to power our vehicles. When we talk about replacing gasoline as the fuel we use to power our vehicles, biomass, hydrogen, and fuel cells are the three most talked about alternatives. Biomass, which is organic material made from plants and animals, contains stored energy from the sun. Biomass in the form of bio fuels can be used to make the same products as those we make from fossil fuels. Its main advantages over fossil fuels are that bio fuels are better for the environment and can be produced right here in the United States. Although some experts complain that bio fuels release carbon
Nowadays, biofuels have become essential for future economic development and environmental protection. Primarily, their environment-friendliness and low carbon emissions are emphasized as the main advantages. However, in reality, few investigations were made to find out the disadvantages of such renewable alternative, and it may bring much more negative impacts than its advantages.
When researching the effects of biodiesel versus vegetable oil on a vehicle the results were interesting. Due to the increasing gas prices and the Obama Administration to wean the U.S. off of the addiction of oil, people are starting to switch to alternative fuel. ("Diesel vs. Biodiesel vs. Vegetable Oil | Homegrown Fuels - Consumer Reports." Diesel vs. Biodiesel vs. Vegetable Oil | Homegrown Fuels - Consumer Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.) this would include farm crop and renewable organic material. they are also in use with biodiesel and Vegetable oils. Developed from vegetable or animal fats, biodiesel is functionally identical to petroleum diesel. Adherents claim it pollutes much less than regular diesel. A relative of biodiesel is plain, edible cooking oil. Because it's not financially practical to fuel a car with cooking oil from grocery store shelves— a
When it comes to the environmental issues that surrounds the use of biofuels. Biodiesel contains less amount of sulfur. An example of this will be that they are carbon neutral which is the amount of carbon dioxide released when the issue is that the same amount is absorbed by the plants as they grew and if this happens that this would reduce the production of this greenhouse gas. Thus while biofuels produce less carbon dioxide overall thus there are no results for the production of carbon neutral, the result is that fossil fuels are used in their production, an example is the making of fertilisers for growing plants. Biodiesel production is the process of producing the biofuels, biodiesel through the chemical
Biodiesel was synthesized in order In lab 6, the toxicity of the biofuels was measured to determine which fuel was most toxic and degrading for human life. The toxicity level of each fuel is extremely important in determining which biodiesel is most suitable for the environment since Life . A form of measurement of toxicity is the LD50 or the amount f a toxic agent that is sufficient to kill 50 percent of the population of animals usually within a certain time.* The toxicity will vary depending on the size The data measured from the toxicity of each biofuel will determine which is most suitable.The amount of biofuel and . Though the germination of a set number of radish seeds with a fixed concentration of biofuel a determination of which one is most lethal for life was determined. In lab 7, the viscosity of the biofuels were determine to see which one would be most efficient for modern machinery use and . The more viscous a solution is, the faster it will travel to start an engine. This makes a care more efficient because it takes less energy to start and will
Jevanni CousinsProfessor ReidSCC 101 Biofuel’s Future in the U.S. and the WorldOne of the major problems confronting the United States and the World today, is the growing lack of fossil fuels and the accrual emissions of carbon into the atmosphere. The United States is still dependent on fossil fuels today such as coal despite numerous efforts to decrease that dependency, and are also relying on imported oil from multiple foreign countries particularly in the Middle East. The use of fossil fuel has generated great anxiety in greenhouse gas emissions and governments from all over the world, including the United States which is leading the effort in combating this issue. The problems have grown so huge in this century that President Barack Obama made it a major initiative during his administration to overcome it. He once said “we cannot drill our way to energy but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power and advanced biofuels” (Obama). In this paper, I will discuss biofuels, the types biofuels, along with its potential and challenges that it may face in our growing society. In recognition of the issues that exist due to fossil fuels, the United States elective bodies has been preaching the encouragement for the uses of biofuels, which has prompt an increase in
“All Biofuels Are Not Created Equal” is a very informative article that everyone should be aware of. The authors of this article show how biofuels can be made to benefit Earth. Our ecological footprint is so big that everyone requires 2.5 Earths to maintain the same lifestyle. What does this reveal? It reveals that Earth’s resources are being diminished. This means that the world needs to do something to prevent this so Earth can last for future generations. The way that biofuels are being made is not very effective in helping this problem. This is because it either requires deforestation or the burning of fossil fuels, which the world is trying to stop. Instead of using corn or sugar cane as ethanol, alternative crops should be used
1.0 IntroductionBiodiesel is defined as mono-alky esters of long -chain fatty acid. It is a fuel that derived from the vegetable oils, animal fats, which is similar to the diesel fuel except that it is made from the crops. It is produced from domestically grown, renewable sources, such as crop oils or animal fats which are then chemically converted into biodiesel (Habmigren, 2003). Unlike diesel, biodiesel contains no petroleum products and free of sulfur compounds and aromatics (Habmigren, 2003). Until today, it is still the only alternative fuel for motor vehicle. The biodiesel blends have ranged from 2/98% (B2), 20/80% (B20), to 100% (B100) (Hafman, 2003). The reasons biodiesel is a viable alternative to diesel from fossil fuels for
Biofuel can be used as substitutes for conventional fuels e.g. petro fuels. Mainly, biofuel contains hydrogen and methane which are particularly
To answer the call of this crisis, the world may turn to other energy sources like biofuels, which are a relatively developed, yet innovative alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuel is a cleaner and renewable source of fuel that is able to combat fossil fuel price increases in relation to the limiting supply of fossil fuels with many existing and currently developing biofuel technologies to lower greenhouse gas emission and environmental damage. Biofuel technology derives from organic biomass which may include trees, grasses, plants and aquatic plants. From the photosynthesis of these biomass materials, plants convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into carbohydrates (simple sugars) and lignocellulose.
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.”