Essay on Potential for Large Scale Ethanol Production

to grow. Currently, 86% of vehicles run on fossil fuels, which create heavy amounts of carbon dioxide gas which puts heavy strain on our environment. It is up to large companies to research alternative methods of fuels and compare them to our most dominant fuel. At the moment, proposed alternative fuels are biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, and hydrogen fuel cells. If one of these proves to be a viable source, then we can move toward development of engines that accept these fuels and deviate from standard

necessary to find an alternative to fossil-fuels in transport energy. According to Shafiee, S. & Topal, E, the authors of the journal article ‘When will fossil fuel reserves be diminished?’ the supply of fossil fuels will drastically decline towards a potential shortage of fossil fuel from approximately the year 2042 [6]. According to The Economist, the increase of petroleum prices are due to a number of factors including the rising global demand and the supply of fossil fuels. Statistically, producers

In a time of energy crisis and a subsequent search for a renewable replacement for crude oil, biofuels have arisen as a source of hope.   Currently, the largest source of biofuels in the United States is corn-based ethanol. The large scale of corn-ethanol production and the potential promise of finding a domestic, reliable source of energy, requires the fuel’s viability as a replacement for crude oil to be evaluated.  However, there is debate surrounding corn-based ethanol’s environmental, economic

In a time of energy crisis and a subsequent search for a renewable replacement for crude oil, biofuels have arisen as a source of hope.   Currently, the largest source of biofuels in the United States is corn-based ethanol. The large scale of corn-ethanol production and the potential promise of finding a domestic, reliable source of energy, requires the fuel’s viability as a replacement for crude oil to be evaluated.  However, there is debate surrounding corn-based ethanol’s environmental, economic

common in today’s energy production crisis. Now more than ever the US needs its energy to be derived from natural, renewable resources. As George W Bush, an oil supporter, even stated, “America is addicted to oil” (Ratliff, 2012). It’s now become evident to those in authoritative roles in the American government that oil will not be able to sustain our nation unceasingly. Attempts at funding alternative energy sources have included exploration of various types of ethanol - sugar, corn and cellulose

Biofuels: Are they the Future? 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

facilitate early tests with biofuels. While a core group of airlines using a very limited supply of biofuel is testing the commercial viability of biofuels across diverse networks. Ethanol, made from corn, is part of the first generation biofuels, which are cheaper but have a larger impact on food supply. The price of ethanol is higher than the current gas prices when factors like transportation and labour are taken into account. However, airlines may find this type of biofuel

our problems in biofuel production? In recent years the increased interest in biofuel production has been sparked by the environmental damage, economic impact and dwindling reserves of petroleum-based fuels and chemicals [1] causing a huge influx in investment in improving biofuel production processes. Synthetic biology has allowed biofuel production to advance by providing new methods in which they can create optimal biocatalysts for sustainable and efficient production of biofuels [2]. Synthetic

are treated to allow them to be used by the yeast? One potential ethanol feedstock is starch. Starch molecules are made up of long chains of glucose molecules. Thus, starchy materials can also be fermented after breaking starch molecules into simple glucose molecules. Examples of starchy materials commonly used around the world for ethanol production include cereal grains, potato, sweet potato, and cassava. A great amount of ethanol fuel is currently produced by starch fermentation. This starch

world, but with a large population and a large number of vehicles being powered by petroleum, thick, grey smog filling the city and millions of residents commuting behind surgical masks for health protection can easily be noticed. Biofuels such as Ethanol, Biodiesel, Biogas, Biokerosene, Butanol, Other bio-alcohols are being seen as cleaner forms of energy but ethanol and biodiesel however are increasingly