Advantages

Costs may decrease when using biofuels.

Biofuel advocates frequently point out the
advantages of these plant- and animal-
based fuels, such as:
Cost: Biofuels have the potential to
be significantly less expensive than
gasoline and other fossil fuels. This is
particularly true as worldwide demand
for oil increases, oil supplies dwindle,
and more sources of biofuels become
apparent.
Source material: Whereas oil is a
limited resource that comes from
specific materials, biofuels can be
manufactured from a wide range of
materials including crop waste,
 manure, and other byproducts. This
makes it an efficient step in recycling.
Renewability: It takes a very long
time for fossil fuels to be produced,
but biofuels are much more easily
renewable as new crops are grown
and waste material is collected.
Security: Biofuels can be produced
locally, which decreases the nation's
dependence upon foreign energy. By
reducing dependence on foreign fuel
sources, countries can protect the
integrity of their energy resources and
make them safe from outside
influences.
Economic stimulation: Because
biofuels are produced locally, biofuel
manufacturing plants can employ
hundreds or thousands of workers,
creating new jobs in rural areas.
Biofuel production will also increase
the demand for suitable biofuel crops,
providing economic stimulation to the
agriculture industry.
 Lower carbon emissions: When
biofuels are burned, they produce
significantly less carbon output and
fewer toxins, making them a safer
alternative to preserve atmospheric
quality and lower air pollution.
Disadvantages
Despite the many positive characteristics of
biofuels, there are also many
disadvantages to these energy sources.
Energy output: Biofuels have a lower
energy output than traditional fuels
and therefore require greater
quantities to be consumed in order to
produce the same energy level. This
has led some noted energy analysts to
believe that biofuels are not worth the
work.
Food shortage may become an issue with
biofuel use.
Production carbon emissions:
Several studieshave been conducted
to analyze the carbon footprint of
biofuels, and while they may be
cleaner to burn, there are strong
indications that the process to produce
the fuel - including the machinery
necessary to cultivate the crops and
the plants to produce the fuel - has
hefty carbon emissions.
High cost: To refine biofuels to more
efficient energy outputs, and to build
the necessary manufacturing plants to
increase biofuel quantities, a high
initial investment is often required.
Food prices: As demand for food
crops such as corn grows for biofuel
production, it could also raise prices
for necessary staple food crops.
Food shortages: There
is concern that using valuable
cropland to grow fuel crops could have
 an impact on the cost of food and
could possibly lead to food shortages.
Water use: Massive quantities of
water are required for proper irrigation
of biofuel crops as well as to
manufacture the fuel, which could
strain local and regional water
resources.
The Future of Biofuels
Biofuels are not a silver bullet for the
energy problems of the world. To solve the
issue of dwindling fossil fuel reserves, all
viable means of harvesting energy should
be pursued to their fullest. However, the
fact remains that biofuels are a reliable
alternative energy resource. With more
development and research, it is possible to
overcome the disadvantages of biofuels
and make them suitable for widespread
consumer use. When the technology is
available, many of the disadvantages will
be minimized and the market very clearly
has potential. Much of this could rely on
the ability of energy producers to discover
better plants to raise for fuel that use less
water, less land, and grows quickly.

Related Topics
What is Hydrogen Fuel?
Hydrogen does not occur free in nature in
useful quantities, but it is manufactured in
a number of ways. It can be made from
natural gas or it can be made by passing
electric current through water.

Advantages of Hydrogen Fuel

When hydrogen is burned, the only
emission it makes is water vapor, so a key
advantage of hydrogen is that when
burned, carbon dioxide (CO2) is not
produced. Clearly, hydrogen is less of a
pollutant in the air because it omits little
tail pipe pollution. Hydrogen has the
potential to run a fuel-cell engine with
greater efficiency over an internal
combustion engine. The same amount of
hydrogen will take a fuel-cell car at least
twice as far as a car running on gasoline.

Cars Propelled by Hydrogen

Fuel Cells
There are companies which have been, and
continue to work on, developing hydrogen
fuel cells for cars. Many of these have
invested billions of dollars into the study of
cars that are more environmentally
friendly.

Honda has created the Honda FCX. This car

omits only water vapor as it is:
Propelled by electricity
Generated by hydrogen fuel and an
ultracapacitor (an energy storage
device)
The BMW 7 Series Large Sedan is one car
that BMW has come up with to promote its
Clean Energy program. The car
manufacturer announced that next year it
will begin trials of a new 6.0-liter V12
gasoline-hydrogen-powered model of the 7
Series.

Disadvantages
While many of the advantages of hydrogen
fuel are clear, the disadvantages must be
noted as well. Currently, it still costs a
considerable amount of money to run a
hydrogen vehicle because it takes a large
amount of energy to liquefy the fuel. Filling
up a car with compressed hydrogen gas
will probably prove to be more practical
and may also reduce the distance between
fills. Research shows that cars could store
hydrogen in high pressure tanks like those
used for compressed natural gas. It would
need to be packed tightly into a car's tank
in order to avoid countless trips to the
filling station every few miles.

The Department of Energy's goal is to

produce hydrogen at $2 to $3 per gallon by
2015. Right now, the cost per gallon is
between $6 and $8, in large part due to
the cost of natural gas being high. As
stated earlier, hydrogen can be produced
from water, but in some parts of the USA,
due to expensive grid electricity, that isn't
economical.

Alternative Methods to Produce

Hydrogen
Wind, solar (photovoltaic cells), and
nuclear hydrogen could be possibilities for
alternative forms of producing hydrogen.
Another form of technology is the use of
electrolysis. This method uses an electric
current to split water into oxygen and
hydrogen.

In the Near Future

Will we be seeing more cars run by
hydrogen fuel in the near future?

Although once thought to be the fuel of the

far-off future, hydrogen will be making a
big debut next year and in the years to
follow.
 Honda has plans to showcase a
limited line of passenger cars powered
by hydrogen fuel cells in 2008. They
also have a new hybrid car that will be
priced below $25,000.
GM has announced plans involving
hydrogen vehicles.
Mercedes will begin in 2010 with a
small-scale production of the B-Class
F-Cell vehicle.
Additionally, gas stations will have to get
on board and supply hydrogen as we
Will biofuels save the planet
Biofuels are a recent development, which has seen significant
attention recently due to humanity's ever-dwindling supply of
natural resources or more specifically our over-dependence on
fossil fuels.
This has stemmed a great deal of scientific research into the issue
of alternative energy and bio fuels have been seen as a
potentially environmentally and affordable way for us to reduce
our dependency on fossil fuels.
Biofuels is really an umbrella term and it can mean almost
anything, from hydroelectric power, which is generated from
waves to wind, solar and other forms of generating energy.
However, for the most part the term biofuels is used to refer to
that of alternative substitutes for petrol, diesel or aircraft fuel.
Up until recently, car manufacturers were highly reluctant to
invest significantly in bio fuels research for mainstream vehicles.
This was because biofuels are to some extent an unproven
technology we know it works; just there is little research on the
overall benefits of biofuels not only to consumers, but also to the
planet.
This has meant that until further research has been completed,
many industries are reluctant to join in to develop biofuels into a
sustainable and realistic form of energy.

Many people argue that the reason car manufacturers have

started to adopt biofuels as a technology is mainly because of
pressure from the world governments due to the environmental
impact that fossil fuels are having on the planet.
Speaking from an environmental perspective, the rate of
consumption for fossil fuels has risen exponentially in the past
twenty years and as a result, we are now faced with the reality
that fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel will run out within the
next hundred years.
Bio fuels are a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Many varieties
exist and they vary significantly. Some examples are that of
biodiesel, which entails growing crops that contain high amounts
of natural oil then through a process of hydrogenation or refining
a more compatible bio diesel, substitute is created. This creates a
biodiesel, which can be mixed with mineral diesel then used in
any diesel-powered automobile.
There is a similar process that takes place creating bio-petrol by
fermenting crops such as sugar cane. This creates a natural
ethanol, which can also be mixed with petrol to create a sort of
hybrid biofuel that can be used in any petrol powered vehicle.
However, problems exist due to the properties of ethanol as it is
more corrosive than petrol and as a result, it cannot be used in
many aircraft or boats.
These are examples of first generation biofuels and due to their
nature they may or may not be long-term economically or
environmentally viable. Arguments exist that both support the
continued use of biofuels and prove they are not the miracle fuel
we are waiting for.
The truth is that bio fuels technology is still young. In the next
twenty years, we look set to see biofuel research expand
exponentially as we get close to the day when fossil fuels are
exhausted.
Until that time comes, we will always have a reliance on fossil
fuels and we can only hope that biofuels as analternative is a
reality within the next twenty years.

2009 Biofuels

Biofuels effects: Social, Economic,

Political & Environmental
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Political
Subsidies and mandatory blending have created an artificially rapid growth in biofuel production,
worsening some negative impacts. Existing policies have had a limited effect in achieving energy
security and climate change mitigation and therefore need to be reviewed.
Government incentives and support for biofuels have been largely guided by national or regional
interests rather than a more global perspective.
 There is a need for an appropriate international forum to agree on sustainability criteria to
achieve environmental objectives without creating trade barriers.

Environmental
The overall performance of different biofuels in reducing fossil energy use and greenhouse gas
emissions varies widely when considering the entire life cycle from production through transport
to use. The net balance depends on the type of feedstock, the production process and the
amount of fossil energy needed.

When forests or grasslands are converted to farmland, be it to produce biofuel feed-stocks or to

produce other crops displaced by feedstock production, carbon stored in the soil is released into
the atmosphere. The effects can be so great that they negate the benefits of biofuels, and lead to
a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions when replacing fossil fuels.
When crops for biofuel production require irrigation, it exerts pressure on local water resources.
In addition, water quality can be affected by soil erosion and runoff containing fertilisers and
pesticides.

Changes in land-use and intensification of agricultural production may harm soils. The impacts
depend on the way the land is farmed. Various techniques and the use of certain plant species
can reduce adverse impacts or even improve soil quality.

Biofuel production can affect biodiversity. For instance habitat is lost when natural landscapes
are converted into energy-crop plantations or peatlands are drained. In some instances,
however, biofuel crops can have a positive impact, for instance when they are used to restore
degraded lands.

In order to ensure an environmentally sustainable biofuel production, it is important that good

agricultural practices be observed, and measures to ensure sustainability should be applied
consistently to all crops. Moreover national policies will need to recognise the international
consequences of biofuel development.

The combustion of fossil fuels increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases allow solar energy to enter the
atmosphere, but reduce the amount of energy that can re-radiate back into space, trapping
energy and causing global warming. However, some biofuels may reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, but net effects on climate change depend on where and from what raw materials they
are produced. Carbon emissions from land-use change when forest or pasture is converted to
cropland can largely negate the greenhouse gas savings obtained by using biofuels for transport.

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Socio-economic
Increased biofuels production will be achieved through improved land productivity and through
expansion of cultivated area, using existing cropland as well as less-productive land. However, it
is more likely that biofuels will intensify the pressure on the fertile lands where higher returns can
be achieved.
Should biofuel production be promoted?
Biofuels are considered to be a way of reducing the emission of the greenhouse gases. They can
also be looked upon as a way of energy security which stands as an alternative of fossil fuels
that are limited in availability. However, one of the greatest problems that is being faced by the
researchers in the field is how to covert the biomass energy into the liquid fuel.

Fuel such as methane produced from renewable biological resources such as plant biomass and
treated municipal and industrial waste.

Large-scale production of biofuels from crops requires large land areas, so liquid biofuels can
only replace fossil fuels to a very limited extent. Current production is equivalent to less than one
percent of world transport fuel demand.

Biofuels are accused by the UN and others of pushing up world food prices, and exacerbating
the effect of the most severe drought in the US in half a century. US legislators called on the
environmental protection agency this month to waive its ethanol mandate that stipulates 40% of
the American corn crop is turned into biodiesel. The US department of agriculture said the corn
yield would be the lowest for 17 years, raising grain prices as it means there will be more
demand for wheat to be used as animal feed.

Prices for liquid biofuels and for the crops needed to produce them are partly driven by fossil fuel
prices. Government support schemes also play a key role as most biofuels are not generally
competitive without subsidies, even when crude oil prices are high.

The crop and energy markets are closely linked, since agriculture both supplies and uses energy.
Agricultural crops compete with each other for land and water and farmers will sell their produce
to markets regardless of end use, be it for biofuel production or food use.

When the market value of a biofuel crop is high, prices for other agricultural crops that also need
land and water will tend to rise too.

The main drivers of government support for biofuels are concerns about energy security and
climate change as well as a political will to support the farm sector.

Agricultural and forestry policies have had a strong influence on the bioenergy industry.
Agricultural subsidies and price support affects both production levels and prices of feedstocks
for first generation biofuels. Agricultural policies have also shaped world trade patterns for
agricultural products including bioenergy feedstocks.

Food prices generally declined during the 40 years up to 2002, if inflation is taken into account.
Since then they have risen sharply, with vegetable oil and cereal prices showing large increases.

These high prices are partly the result of rising demand from developing countries and for biofuel
production. There have also been poor harvests in some countries at a time when reserve stocks
are at a relatively low level.
Biofuel demand and supply are expected to continue their rapid increase. And although the share
of liquid biofuels in overall transport fuel supply will remain very limited, the projected increase in
production of crops for making biofuels is substantial relative to the projected increase in total
agricultural production.

Increased biofuel production could come from using more cropland for biofuel production and
from improved yields. However, if grasslands or forests are brought into agricultural production
for this purpose, this would have environmental consequences.

The biofuels policies in place in the EU and the USA, have distorted national and international
agricultural markets. This results in high costs for the taxpayers in developed countries and
discrimination against producers in developing countries. As a consequence, production does not
necessarily occur at the most economically and environmentally suitable locations or with the
most efficient technologies.

Coordination of biofuel policy at international level is needed to correct global agricultural policy
failure and improve allocation of resources.

The positive contribution of biofuels towards energy security and greenhouse gas emission
reductions is increasingly being challenged. Their unintended impacts on market prices and food-
security have frequently been overlooked in policy discussions. Uncertainties regarding the
economic viability of biofuels remain, because of the influence of oil and crop price fluctuations,
as well as future policy and technical developments. Biofuels are influenced by a wide range of
policies, and a coordinated approach is needed to consider overall benefits and risks.

Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels isnt the answer. Replacing fossil fuels isnt even an option
current energy use, especially in the industrialized countries, is not sustain

Biofuels are made from the same thing that fossil fuels
are made of: dead organic material. It's only the length
of time that has been dead that differentiates biofuel
sources. Wood, corn, grass and animal waste are all
sources currently in use to make biofuel. Biofuel sources
are plentiful, they are renewable and their conversion
has become economically practical in a world of
diminishing fossil fuel resources. (Biofuel Plants)

Plant or animal material must be processed before

it can be used as fuel. The process may be as simple as
trapping methane gas escaping during decomposition or
as complex as the rendering of ethanol from corn, using
several toxic chemicals. Basically, the carbon in the
organic material must be "harvested" and reformulated
or refined so that it can be used to generate energy for
everything from electricity to automobiles.