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 because it will benefit our environment the most. The authors of this article are David Tilman and Jason Hill. David Tilman is a Regents Professor and McKnight Presidential
A Modest Proposal for Methanol and Ethanol Powered Cars "We need more stringent regulations on car emissions... Let's add MTBE to the fuel- that will reduce pollution... If people would just stop driving so much, pollution wouldn't be so bad..." People have long recognized the problems with the gasoline we used now. We have tried everything from putting regulations on emissions, to putting additives in the gasoline (only to discover later that MTBE got into the groundwater), to campaigns to
following table shows the range of petrol-ethanol mixtures used in this experiment. Table 1: Petrol 98 and Ethanol fuel mixtures Sample Fuel Name % composition of Petrol and Ethanol in the mixture 1 E0 100% petrol 2 E5 95% petrol and 5% ethanol 3 E10 90% petrol and 10% ethanol 4 E15 85% petrol and 15% ethanol 5 E20 80% petrol and 20% ethanol 6 E70 30% petrol and 70% ethanol 7 E75 25% petrol and 75% ethanol 8 E80 20% petrol and 80% ethanol 9 E85 15% petrol and 85% ethanol Apparatus: Calorimeter19
Missing Figures Ethanol Abstract: As of now we drive cars almost everywhere from home to the local store or different states. According to www.wikipedia.com there is “an estimated 243,023,485 registered passenger vehicles in the United States according to a 2004 DOT study!” 1That is a lot of cars. In a year the US alone consumes around 146 billion gallons of gasoline that is a huge amount. 2 According to figure 1 about 86% of all world energy comes from oil, gasoline, and coal; this leaves
Biodiesel vs. Ethanol 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
crops and exporting them” (Boddiger, 2007). Brazil is one of the major producers of biofuels, second only to the United States. Comparatively to other major biofuel-using countries, Brazil has no problem in land limitation to maintain supply of crops. To begin addressing the question of global food security in correlation with the increased use of bioenergy, it is imperative to account for the individual circumstances of each country. Figure 1: Fuel Ethanol and Biodiesel Production is Highly Concentrated
Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas are currently the world’s largest energy supply sources. However, all of it is non-renewable resources which means that it will take extremely long time to be formed and with the huge amount of consumption rate, one day the world will ran out of its main energy source. Therefore, alternative energy sources are needed to cut off the dependence on fossil fuels. One of the best alternative energy sources is ethanol. Ethanol is a renewable energy
same amount of carbon dioxide during growth as when it is burnt (Rutherford, 2009). Biofuels is much cleaner than petrol/diesel because of the considerable impact petrol/diesel has on the environment from the high fuel emissions. Biofuels will help decrease dependence on fossil fuels such as oil, gas, petrol, and coal. This paper will discuss the many crops that biofuels derive from, the various types of biofuels, and the advantages (Pros) and disadvantages (Cons) of biofuels. These biofuels will
In the world of global warming, all kinds of pollution and fuel shortages going on, renewable and clean/ green energy is increasingly the ideal solution of energy related problems we have to solve one way or another. Biofuel is one of the mainstream and highly supported solutions nowadays, an idea to make renewable fuel by living organisms such as fiber, corn, vegetable oil or sugar cane. Unlike nonrenewable fossil fuels over extracted by people causing various environmental problems like generating
production from food crops is not economically viable, thus the biofuel production from lignocellulosic plants is less likely to be. There are uncertainties regarding if the lignocellulosic crops are really going to decrease the water consumption of ethanol production. And finally, biofuel production can cause food insecurity within the producer countries and sometimes it can be expanded to the rest of the world due to the increase of prices. Therefore, with the current previsions of growth in world
animal feeds and other products. Molasses is a syrup, containing a mixture of uncrystallizable sugars, non-sugar solids originating from cane or beet, chemicals from the sugar manufacturing process and some water. The growing need of alcohol as motor-fuel additive has stressed the availability of raw materials, around the world. This has resulted in increased preciousness of every agro-based feedstock, which can be used for alcohol production. Molasses is a major feedstock for distilleries in the tropical
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Brazil Federative Republic of Brazil, Brazil, is the fifth largest country in the world, both by geographical area and population. It is also the largest country in South America, bounded by Atlantic Ocean on the east. Brazil has a coastline of about 7,500 km and shares a border with almost every country in South America and covers half the continent. Brazil has an extensive river systems, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean. Two of these
BRAZIL GENERALLY Brazil`s economy is characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sector. Brazil is expanding its presence in world markets. Brazil is the highest producing country in the Latin America in the field of agriculture. The excessive production has also led to the export of agricultural goods to other countries. Since 2003, Brazil has steadily improved its macroeconomic stability, building up foreign reserves and reducing its debt profile. After
read,” Fuel may contain 10% Ethanol.” I was a little taken back by the sticker. I didn’t have a full understanding of why ethanol was being used in the fuel for my car. I knew that ethanol was a bi-product of corn and other plants, so I found myself asking the question, is corn for food or fuel? I got back into my car and returned to the freeway with this question on my mind. While driving I started noticing stickers and labels on other vehicles that read: CNG (compressed natural gas), Flex Fuel (allows
carbon levels in the atmosphere raised about 36% from a high of 280 ppm to a whopping 390 ppm (Houghton 37). In order to test if fossil fuel emissions are to blame for the increase in the carbon levels in the atmosphere, scientists looked compared emissions from the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. They found that about 95% of the fossil fuels burned are in the northern hemisphere and when comparing the atmospheric levels in the northern and southern hemisphere it can be noted that
Even though production of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, is rapidly increasing, their contribution to total fuel consumption will remain limited. Biofuels are sources of energy produced directly or indirectly from organic material including animal waste and plant material. In order to be considered a biofuel, at least 80% of the fuel must be made from renewable materials. There are 3 main types of biofuels: ethanol, biodiesel and biojet fuel. Biofuels are considered to be renewable since
more flavour to our tea, coffee or simply in the process of baking. The sugar industries produce several types of sugar a few of which are white, brown and raw sugar. According to the case study, the sugar price is increasing due to some factors. Brazil, the first worldwide producer, India the second producer and the largest consumer of sugar are behind this increase. However the rising price of sugar does not happen naturally. It is a consequence of several factors which in this case are the demand
Should corn ethanol be used for fuel? Alternative energy is the world’s race as of now. As the space race concluded and the nuclear arms race died down, alternative energy became the race of the ages. In today’s society, with today’s technology there are all sorts of forms of alternative energies. These energies include hydro power, geothermal, biomass, nuclear power, and so much more. With all of these variations of alternative energy the question now becomes, which form is the best to use? Are
made. A Shift Away From Oil Is Crucial The consequences of the United States’ reliance on oil have brought together the nation’s leaders in ways that few issues have in decades. The call for action to deliver advanced biofuels and efficient flex-fuel vehicles now comes from national security experts and business leaders down to consumers. They have all come to the conclusion that as each day passes, more of the nation’s wealth is lost and complacency thwarts critical national policy changes that
including fungi. However, the purification of enzyme from these sources is expensive, on the order of $5.50 per gallon of ethanol produced. Genetic engineering or biotechnology has already played a key enabling role in the development of cellulosic biomass conversion technologies by dramatically reducing the cost of cellulase production from about $5.50 per gallon of ethanol to $0.10-15 per gallon of