Biofuels
the fuel source of the future
Cali Pfleger
Move 1: Our Dependency on Fossil Fuels
Recently coal consumption per capita has been rising at the same rate as the population, until the last decade. “In the period since 2000, there has been a huge rise in coal consumption in China and in other developing nations, particularly in Asia.” This increase in coal consumption seems to be related to the increase in manufacturing in Asia.
To read my entire Move 1, click here.
Move 2: Fossils Fuels’ Impact on the Environment
Both urbanized and developing countries contribute to pollution in different ways; urbanized countries have dense populations where human burn a lot of fossil fuels for transportation, industrialization and domestic purposes and developing countries contribute to air pollution by having poorly regulated vehicles and industrial plants. The pollutants that humans release cause the formation or increasing amounts of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
This graph shows that places where coal is the primary fuel source have significantly higher amounts of CO2 releases.
To read my entire Move 2, click here.
Other Impacts on the Environment:
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Toxins from coal plants seep into fresh water supplies, contaminating the source.
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Smog and other debris from burning coal pollute the air.
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Green house gases that are being trapped in the atmosphere are increasing the climate around the world.
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This change in climate is impacting weather paterns.
Move 3: Biofuels, the Solution to Our Energy Crisis
What are biofuels?
Biofuel is made of crops that contain sugar, starch, or cellulose, and therefore it is inherently a renewable energy source, because crops can always be grown. Crops that are the best for producing biofuel are sugar, wheat, corn, sugar beets, and other cereal. Biofuel is a “reliable alternative energy source”, because of its renewable properties.
Why are they not being used?
The government is subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, and the motor industry. These strong ties are what is holding us back from alternative energy sources.
How are biofuels benefical?
The process of obtaining and processing fossil fuels is extremely expensive, and harvesting and processing biofuels is cheaper and economically stimulating, which is why we should convert to using biofuels. The techniques used to obtain fossil fuels, fracking and strip mining, are extremely expensive and detrimental to the environment. The clean up from these sites is very costly and economically draining. Biofuel is made from harvesting plants such as soybeans and corn providing economic benefits for both large and small scale farmers. Even the byproducts from biofuel that are not used as energy can have an economic benefit.
To read my entire Move 3, click here.
Move 4: Are Biofuels Really An Alternative Fuel Source?
Converting to biofuel will take away resources for people; making it an unrealistic alternative fuel source. Land that was once used to produce food for humans and animals will be converted into land for producing the biofuel. This is a main concern for food shortages, because there are already food shortages worldwide. “Replacing only five percent of the nation’s diesel consumption with biodiesel would require diverting approximately 60 percent of today’s soy crops to biodiesel production.” There is already a food shortage worldwide and decreasing the amount of crops by that much will have detrimental effects on food prices and famine.
Not only will the plant life be destroyed by converting to biofuel, but the soil is also compromised. When land is changing from forests “to agricultural status almost always means fertilizers are going to be used.” When it rains this fertilizers often runs off and then contaminates waterways and effects the marine life of surrpndfing areas.
Biofuel is not the solution to the worldwide energy crisis, because it requires large amounts of energy and money to produce quality biofuel. To even start manufacturing biofuel large amounts of money will need to go to the purchasing of machinery that will harvest and process the crops, and manufacturing and refinement plants will also need to be built.
This refinement and distillation processes that are required to remove water and other impurities from the dilute alcohol product are too expensive to be used commonly. Even if biofuels were commonly used they have a lower energy output than fossil fuels and need to be refined to achieve the same energy output, and “producing ethanol from corn requires 29 percent more energy than the end product itself is capable of generating.”
To read my entire Move 4, click here.
Conclusion
Through my research there were different paths that I could have taken, such as focusing more on the pros and cons of biofuels, the impact the government has on our dependancy for fossil fuels, why dams are not the solution to our energy crisis, how the water crisis is limiting some alternative energy options, and how we could uses solar panels or wind farms as an alternative energy source. Many of my high points were finding more alternative energy sources that are obtainable for our use, but the low point that goes hand and hand with my high point is that so many of these options are ready for use and are ignored. I have learned through my research is that biofuel could be a viable solution to our worldwide energy crisis, but it will most likely need to be aided with other alternative energy sources.
To read my entire conclusion, click here.
