OCTOBER 15, 2017

CRITERION D- RESEARCH PAPER

 What are biofuels
Biofuels are fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material known as
biomass. These materials mostly include plant materials and animal waste. Biofuels
are used to produce bioenergy.

Bioenergy covers approximately 10% of the total world energy demand. Most of the
bioenergy produced comes from traditional unprocessed biomass such as fuelwood,
charcoal and animal dung. These are the main sources of energy for numerous people
in developing countries who mainly use it for cooking and heating.

However, more advanced and efficient conversion technologies now allow the
extraction or processing of biofuels from materials such as wood, crops and waste
material. Biofuels can be liquids, solid or even gases and can be derived from
agricultural crops, forestry, agricultural or fishery products, municipal wastes, as well
as food service by-products and wastes.

It is very important to note that there are two types of biofuels, primary biofuels and
secondary fuels. Primary biofuels are organic materials are used in their unprocessed
form, mainly for heating, cooking or sometimes even electricity production. They
include fuelwood, wood chips and pellets. On the other hand, secondary biofuels are
the result from processed biomass and include liquid biofuels such
as ethanol and biodiesel that can be used in vehicles and for other industrial processes.

Types of Biofuels
There are various numerous types of biofuels but the three main ones include:
Ethanol
Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be produced using any feedstock containing
significant amounts of sugar. This can include, sugar cane, sugar beet or starch. Sugar
can be directly fermented to alcohol, while starch is first converted to sugar.
The fermentation process is similar to that used to make wine or beer, and the pure

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ethanol is then obtained by distillation. The main producers of ethanol are Brazil and
the USA.
Ethanol can be blended with petrol. A litre of ethanol contains approximately two
thirds of the energy provided by a litre of petrol. However, when mixed with petrol, it
improves the combustion performance and lowers the emissions of carbon monoxide
and sulphur oxide. In fact, in most countries, it is mixed with gasoline to create a
blend that is sometimes referred to as gasahol. In the United States, the mixture is
usually 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. This is referred to as E10 and it
can be used in any car that burns gasoline. However, in Brazil, some cars can even run
on 100 percent ethanol, which is widely available due to the abundant supply of sugar
cane.
Biodiesel
It may be defined as any diesel fuel made by refining oil, fat, or grease collected from
plants and animals. The most common oil used to produce biodiesel is vegetable oil.
Like gasoline which is often mixed with ethanol, standard diesel fuel is often blended
with a biodiesel. The most common blend is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent
regular diesel. This blend is known as B20. There are several different chemical
reactions that can be used to produce a biodiesel, the most common being
transesterification. This is simply the process of breaking down fats in the presence of
methanol.
Biojet fuels
Biojet is a term that may be used to define a fuel made from renewable, biologically
derived raw materials and when blended with petroleum jet fuel, is suitable for use in
an unmodified jet engine. Various airlines are readily looking to biojet to diversify
fuel supplies and eventually lower fuel costs. This is because the emission of
greenhouse gases is still a very major problem in terms pf aviation.

Advantages of biofuels
1. Cost Benefit- Currently, biofuels cost approximately the same as gasoline in the
market. Biofuels are adaptable to current engine designs and perform very well in

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most conditions. This keeps the engine running for longer and it requires less
maintenance. With the increased demand of biofuels, they have a potential of
becoming even cheaper in the future.

2. Easy to Source- Biofuels are made from many different sources such as
manure, waste from animals and even plants grown specifically for this purpose. On
the other hand, fuels like gasoline are refined from crude oil, which happens to be a
non-renewable resource. Although current reserves of crude oil will sustain mankind
for a few more decades, scientists predict that our resources will run out in the near
future.

3. Renewable- Most of the fossil fuels will expire and end up in smoke one day.
However, biofuels are made from organic materials or waste, so there is practically an
infinite amount available. Plants are renewable and are not likely to run out any time
soon. The crops being used can just be replanted again and again.

4. Reduce Greenhouse Gases- Fossil fuels, when burnt, produce large amount of
greenhouse gases i.e. carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases trap sunlight and cause
planet to warm. The burning of coal and oil increases the temperature and
causes global warming. However, Biofuels do not release as much carbon as fossil
fuels do, and because of this, there are fewer harmful emissions out of biofuels.

5. Economic Security- Not every country has large reserves of crude oil. Importing oil
is a huge cost for them. If more people start shifting towards biofuels, a country can
easily reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. More jobs are also created with a growing
biofuel industry.

6.Safer- Finding these fossil fuels in the earth is dangerous. There is drilling, mining
and other activities that are done to get to traditional oil reserves. However, I don’t
think there is as much danger when all you need to do is grow the crops on a farm.

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 Disadvantages and solutions of biofuels
Despite their many advantages, biofuels are not all rainbows and sunshine. They have
quite a few disadvantages that include the large amounts of water required to irrigate
biofuel crops, large amounts of fertilizers which are needed for the crops and may
have harmful effects on the surrounding environment, the high cost of production of a
long-term operation and even monoculture which deprives the soil of vital nutrients
provided through crop rotation.

However, in my opinion, the main disadvantage facing biofuels is the fact that they
compete heavily with food production for land and other various resources. As the
world’s population continues to grow at an unimaginable rate, the demand for food
also becomes higher and higher.

Unfortunately, most of the crops used for biofuel production are also used as food
crops. As farmers continue to focus on growing crops for biofuel, it may cause a
shortage of food or a drastic rise in the prices of food. I think the question one needs
to ask in terms of this problem is; what if biofuels could be made without edible food
crops?

To solve this current or potential problems facing biofuels in relation to food

production, scientists have come up with numerous solutions. Firstly, rather than
using potential sources of food for biofuel, farmers could grow dedicated biofuel
crops that actually benefit the environment. For example, developing cellulosic
ethanol from the waste plant switchgrass. This plant grows with very little input from
farmers and is perennial so it does not require annual replanting. Instead of fuel from
food, switchgrass cellulosic ethanol will be giving us fuel from basically nothing.
Plus, it actually restores nutrients to the soil, boosting the next season's growth.

Another possible solution to biofuel's problems is breeding new strains of both fuel
and food crops that are more drought and saltwater resistant. This will mean that crops
for producing biofuels can be grown on salty, dry or generally unwanted land and
arable land can be left for food production. This solution goes hand in hand with

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solution of biofuels being extracted from plants that thrive in conditions where food
crops flounder so as to relieve land stress.

Such an example is the oil from jatropha which is not suitable for human
consumption. If jatropha plantations are planted on prime agricultural land, then the
biodiesel produced will most definitely decrease food supplies. However, if the
plantations are located on land that is unsuitable for food crop production, then the
effects are minimal, perhaps only limited to a reduction in some grazing land.

Conclusion

To conclude, I think that the whole concept of biofuels ultimately replacing fossil
fuels and helping to preserve our planet is very positive. However, I also think that
there are numerous challenges that first need to be solved before we can declare
biofuels as a full-proof plan for the future.

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 Bibliography

Venzon, C. (2012, August 20). What crops can be used for biomass energy? Retrieved
October 15, 2017, from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/biofuels/crops-
used-biomass-energy1.htm

The Advantages of Biofuels over Fossil Fuels. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2017,
from https://www.carsdirect.com/green-cars/the-advantages-of-biofuels-over-fossil-
fuels

Liquid Biofuels for Transport Prospects, risks and opportunities. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 15, 2017, from https://www.greenfacts.org/en/biofuels/l-2/1-definition.htm

Biofuels For Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from

http://biofuel.org.uk/biofuels-for-kids.html

Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels. (2016, December 24). Retrieved October

15, 2017, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-
disadvantages-of-biofuels.php

But what if biofuels could be made without food crops, using an inedible plant grown on less than
optimum farmland? That's exactly the thinking behind the push to