Biofuel: An Alternative Energy Source

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1 Biofuel 1 Biofuel: An Alternative Energy Source Justin Yeh COSMOS, UC Davis, Cluster 2 Fundamentals of Science and Technological Applications Professor Niels Jensen and Diego Yankelevich August 1, 2007

2 Biofuel 2 Abstract Biofuel: An Alternative Energy Source As the world s source of fossil fuels diminishes, another source of energy must replace fossil fuels. This paper evaluates biofuel, one alternative form of energy by showing what biofuel is, how it works, its historical use, and benefits and drawbacks it pertains. I hypothesized that biofuel would be an effective alternative energy. My conclusion does not support my claim, but in terms of worldwide usage. Introduction: With the world s source of fossil fuels depleting, we need to find an alternative energy source. Biofuel is one considerable option. Although biofuel has not been used widespread, it has been used quite extensively in several countries. Such countries include Sri Lanka, China, India, and countries/regions in Africa that have large amounts of wood. Biofuel has appeared to be fairly effective in developing areas, and other countries have started using it. Background Biofuel is energy that is harvested from biomass through incineration, or combustion of the material. Such biomass materials may include wood, paper, charcoal, crop residue, and agricultural waste. Biofuel is renewable, because such biomass materials can be produced to create biofuel. Many rural areas use biofuels as their major energy source, because biomass tends to be abundant in such areas. Sub-saharan areas depend a lot upon wood. The combustion of biomass releases sources of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide,

I hypothesized that biofuel would be an effective alternative energy. My conclusion does not support my claim, but in terms of worldwide usage.

3 Biofuel 3 and hydrocarbons. There are many types of biofuel; some common ones include methanol and ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas. The combustion of manure produces one type of biofuel known as biogas, which composes of 65% methane. Biogas can be harvested from manure through a process called fermentation. By mixing water with manure and letting the manure to ferment, biogas is produced as a by-product and can be stored into a storage tank called a biogas unit. ((n.d.), circa 2000) The gas can be accessed at any time by being pumped. The methane in the gas (CH 4 ) is combustible and can also be used as energy. QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Tractor harvesting crops (corn) for biofuel production. Photo by Gary Lloyd. Retrieved July 31, 2007 from

By mixing water with manure and letting the manure to ferment, biogas is produced as a by-product and can be stored into a storage tank called a biogas unit. ((n.d.), circa 2000) The gas can be accessed at any time by being pumped.

4 Biofuel 4 History Biofuel usage has started since the 1800 s. Around this time, vegetable oils were used to purify glycerin used in soap production. ((n.d), 2003) Ethyl and methyl were by products of this process. They replaced many common oils as sources of complex fatty acids, which have biofuels as by product. Ethanol and methanol came from these two esters, and went into use. Methanol is currently preferred over ethanol because it can better be mixed with biodiesel, a currently used car fuel, than can ethanol. However, it is a bit more toxic than ethanol. Ethanol, which is harvested from corn and soybeans, is more widely in the Midwest. Around the late 1800 s, Rudolf Diesel demonstrated the first biodiesel made from peanut oil. Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum and gases used in engines. In 1908, Henry Ford designed his automobiles to run on biodiesel, thinking it would be a major success. Biodiesel did quite well in sales until the industrial period of the United States in the 1930 s. Many industrialists who invested in petroleum successfully discredited biofuels and renewable energy sources. Because of this, Ford closed his biofuel plant. After World War 2, new cars were brought into the mass public. The petroleum industry was the leader, and as roads, freeways, and highways were built, automobile and petroleum usage grew. Around the 1970 s, the United States was dependent upon foreign oil, as the supply in the United States was limited. The United States suffered energy crises, ((n.d.), 2003) as the price of oil increased. Around this time, people began to consider the use of biofuels.

Ethanol and methanol came from these two esters, and went into use.

5 Biofuel 5 Today, the United States has over 200 major fleets/ships running on biodiesel, ((n.d.), 2003) and some farms grow crop for the production of biofuels. Currently, many rural areas have also turned to biofuel as their major source of energy Pros/Cons: Biofuel has many advantages. It is fairly environmentally friendly; although producing it emits greenhouse gases and other pollutants, it emits much less than does fossil fuels. One big advantage of biofuel is that it is renewable. One common crop used in the United States for harvesting ethanol (one type of biofuel) is corn. Since corn and other common crops can be grown on farms, they can be processed to produce biofuel. Biofuel also reduces dependence on imported oil, as much of the fuel can be produced within a country. In addition, much of the biofuels can be conveniently stored. Biogas can be stored in a simple tank, and biodiesel can be stored in a container. Biofuel, especially biogas, has many advantages for poor families. Such families can harvest biogas just from manure. One special way that biogas can be harvested is through manure fermentation. Mixing manure with water ferments the manure; this releases biogas, which can be collected in a storage tank. After the manure is done fermenting and has dried up, it can be used as a rich fertilizer. ((n.d.), circa 2000) In general, these families save much time and effort as they can easily harvest the fuel and do not need to dispose of manure.

It is fairly environmentally friendly; although producing it emits greenhouse gases and other pollutants, it emits much less than does fossil fuels.

6 Biofuel 6 QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Biogas storage unit and pump. Retrieved July 30, 2007 from There are also many disadvantages to biofuel. Fossil fuel energy must be used to produce biofuel. According to a calculation made by Cornell Univerity researcher David Pimentel, (West, (n.d.)) producing ethanol from corn required 29 percent more energy than the end product itself is capable of generating. Although some greenhouse gas emission is unavoidable in the process of producing biofuels, poorly managed biofuels can cause large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Poorer countries that have abundant biomass materials often supply the biomass for other countries. Demand for biomass materials can cause inflation of food prices in the supplying countries. One major issue of biofuel is that its widespread usage would create the issue of converting land to areas of crop growing, as crops are often processed to produce fuel. Conversion of land may cause an increase in food prices. In the United States, corn prices could rise dramatically, as corn is the major source for ethanol. Food prices would increase because converting land would severely decrease the amount of crop farms that would instead be transformed for biofuel production. As Matthew Brown, (West, (n.d.))

Although some greenhouse gas emission is unavoidable in the process of producing biofuels, poorly managed biofuels can cause large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

7 Biofuel 7 energy consultant and former energy program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures says, 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. Results/Discussions: Biofuel does not seem to be a viable energy source globally, but it appears to be somewhat viable mostly in rural areas. Biofuel has some critical advantages that can possibly make it an effective alternative energy source. Biofuel is renewable, and is fairly easy to produce, as long as biomass such as crops, wood, etc. are available. It is quite beneficial especially for rural and poorer regions/countries, as biomass is abundant, and some biofuel can be easily produced with only manure. However, biofuel seems to have more critical drawbacks that make it not a viable source. Energy must be exerted to process biofuel, which makes it less efficient. The energy exerted to produce biofuel may be less than the amount of energy produced. Also, much land, especially in the United States, have to be converted to crop farms designated for production of biofuel. This could lead to other problems such as inflation of food prices and shortage of certain foods.

Results/Discussions: Biofuel does not seem to be a viable energy source globally, but it appears to be somewhat viable mostly in rural areas.

8 Biofuel 8 Conclusion There may not be one exact viable energy source. However, some are generally better than others and may become major sources of energy in the near future. Though biofuel does not appear to be a very effective source, continued research in this form of alternative energy may yield more advantages of it.

9 Biofuel 9 References 1. (2000). Biogas: power from cow dung. Retrieved July 18, 2007, from Practical Action Web site: 2. (2007, 9 July). EU highlights biofuel drawbacks. Retrieved August 2, 2007, from EU Business Web site: erm=biofuel 3. (2003). A History of Biodiesel/Biofuels. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from Yokako Biofuels Web site: l

EU highlights biofuel drawbacks. Retrieved August 2, 2007, from EU Business Web site: http://www.eubusiness.

10 Biofuel Giampietro, M., Ulgiati, S., & Pimentel, D. Feasability of Large-Scale Biofuel Production. JStor, Retrieved July 25, 2007, from 04a00080/13?citationAction=save&charset=u&frame=no frame 5. West, Larry The Pros and Cons of Biofuel. Retrieved July 30, 2007, from About.com: Environmental Issues Web site: uels.htm 6. Yevich, R., & Logan, J.A. (June 30, 2002). An assessment of biofuel use and burning of agricultural waste in the developing world. Global Biogeochemical Cycles

West, Larry The Pros and Cons of Biofuel. Retrieved July 30, 2007, from About.com: Environmental Issues Web site: http://environment.about.

11 Biofuel 11 i>, Retrieved July 19, 2007, from policy/cop/india/yevich%20and%20logan.% pdf.

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