The production of biofuel can have nothing but a positive impact on the environment. This is because biofuel is biodegradable and therefore safe when released into the environment. Biofuel is produced to reduce gas emissions from greenhouses. It also mitigates the effects of global warming which is caused by the use of fossil fuels.
Petroleum-Based Products Are Not Sustainable
Reliance on petroleum products is not sustainable in the long run. Coal and oil are especially detrimental to the environment for the following reasons:
- They are both responsible for the release of greenhouse gases when they are burned.
- The means of collecting them be particularly hazardous.
- They are both nonrenewable which means they are exhaustible.
A number of countries in the world have seen the necessity of ridding themselves of their reliance on oil and coal. They are doing this by replacing these products with biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Learn more about biofuel by clicking on MBP Solutions Ltd
Farmers can take to growing energy crops which can be used to generate biofuel. Such crops include:
- Corn
- Soy
- Rapeseed
- Switchgrass
Biofuels Burn Clean
Biofuels do not produce toxic fumes such as sulfur or aromatics. In addition, there are no unpleasant smells produced such as those associated with synthetic fuels. They produce greenhouse gases but at much reduced levels and they capture carbon.
Consider some of environmental disasters that have happened in the past, like oil spillage in the sea which have caused insurmountable damage to the world’s sea life. There is nothing of the sort to be apprehensive about with biofuels. Corn or soy is highly unlikely to poison the sea.
Is it Possible to Switch to Biofuel Now?
It is not possible to do so right away, but the switch is being made gradually. There are some massive changes that need to be made in farming in order to grow the crops that would facilitate the creation of biofuels. Moreover, there would be the need to use chemical fertilizer extensively in order to grow the required energy crops. This could create problems for water-borne plant and animal species which could be choked by the algae that would grow as a result too much fertilizer.
Uses of Biofuel
Biofuels help to meet the demand for transportation fuel. There are two main components of biofuel: ethanol and biodiesel.
- Ethanol
This is a renewable fuel that is derived from plant materials which are collectively classified as biomass. Ethanol is an alcohol. It is used together with gasoline as a blending agent to reduce carbon dioxide and increase octane. Other smog-causing elements are also reduced.
E10 is one of the most common blends of ethanol-gasoline which is combined at the ratio of 10% to 90% respectively. Vehicles known as flexible fuel vehicles are designed to run on E85, which is a gasoline-ethanol blend of 51% to 83%. This however, is dependent on the geography and the weather conditions presented by the seasons.
Most ethanol today comes from plant starches and sugars. Scientists are looking into the possibility of developing technology that would facilitate the use of elements like cellulose and non-edible fibrous plants as well.
- Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel that is derived from renewable materials such as used vegetable oils, new vegetable oils, and animal fats. It is a cleaner-burner that is used in the place of petroleum-based diesel in to fuel compression-ignition engines. It is biodegradable, meaning it is nontoxic and is used as a compression-ignition fuel, like the petroleum-based diesel it replaces.
It can be combined with petroleum diesel in any percentage, but the most common blend is the B20 which contains biodiesel-petroleum diesel in the ratio of 20% to 80% respectively.
Biodiesel is produced by combining vegetable oil, recycled cooking grease, animal fat and alcohol.
The world is moving on from petroleum-based fuel to biodegradable fuel. Now more than ever, the world has recognized the need to use products that will not harm the environment further.
