Future Of Biofuels

What Biofuel Means For Us, the Economy, The Ecology, And The Future Of Our Civilization

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It is a very human trait to look at the world around us and assume it will always be the same. It will provide us with all the resources we need because it always has. We have water, air, energy supplies and food. Mother Nature is kind.

Here’s the catch, though. Mother Nature was, in fact, designed to be self-sustaining. Had the environment been allowed to grow and thrive the way it was intended, we wouldn’t have a problem. Natural predatory systems would be in place. Plants and animals would be abundant. The earth itself would overflow with the precious natural resources we take for granted, including the oil we need to make our fuel.

Mother Nature didn’t foresee that human beings would interfere in her plan and screw everything up. She didn’t know how fast and furiously we would consume natural resources without replenishing them. She didn’t foresee that our population would grow exponentially to the point where we are running out of everything on our precious planet in a big hurry.

With the evolution of the earth’s natural rhythms our earth did not foresee that human beings would chime in and upset her timing mechanisms.

The Need for Biofuel

The earth has taken millenniums to replace natural resources used in the production of petroleum. It takes far less time than that to grow and convert natural oils which are capable of replacing fossil fuels in specific testing environments. This process is not unusual throughout the European continent.

Conventional biofuels are produced from sugar, starch and vegetable oils much like those you use in your kitchen. There are programs underway right now geared to the transformation of restaurant waste into biofuel. This illustrates the ease with which we can find the resources to give us a more sustainable energy future.

Biofuel Advantages

“We should increase our development of alternative fuels, taking advantage of renewable resources, like using corn and sugar to produce ethanol or soybeans to produce biodiesel.” – Bobby Jindal

Right now, we find ourselves in fierce competition for the natural resources needed to create conventional fuels with countries overseas. This competition drives up the price, limits the availability of the product and generally makes it a non-sustainable form of energy.

Raw materials necessary for biofuel can be grown domestically and not need to be imported. This results in a durable supply of a more sustainable system than we can count on at this moment. Biofuel is clean and drastically reduces the damage done to our air by our modern transportation systems. Production is also cheaper than using fossil fuels as an energy base.

The Question is then why doesn’t Biofuel Rule?

With its many advantages, one would think that biofuels would own the transportation market. The main answer to this question is in the way we manufacture automobiles. Many biofuel techniques and usages remain in the testing phase today.

In short, while we don’t see biofuel taking over the oil industry just yet, it’s only a matter of time. When that day comes, everyone’s going to feel the benefits. Starting with Mother Nature.

For those who were interested in the above article, you may go take a look at more related posts at Angie Tewis or this Angie Tewis Post.

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Biodiesel Equipment Guide

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Is the world going through a global warming? Is this something everyone needs to be concerned about? The more pollution that enters the world, the more dangerous it will be for future generations. Whether you agree with what everyone is saying about global warming or not, using biodiesel equipment will not only save the world on better energy consumption that is less destructive to our world, it will definitely save you money. You may not have the resources or the money to invest is such energy efficient options of wind or solar energy equipment, biodiesel is easier to create at home.

What type of special biodiesel equipment will you need as you begin the journey into making your own fuel? There are a few things that absolutely essential and a few things that are simply nice to have. You can purchase this equipment online from several respectable and trustworthy deals and suppliers. Do you know hat you need to look for as you begin your quest for making your own biodiesel. Here is a list of the basic biodiesel equipment and supplies that will need to make your own homemade fuel.

You will need a biodiesel processor. This is the necessary piece of equipment that you could not get by without for making your own biodiesel. You may want to invest in a dry wash, or heating and cooling system as well as other accessories such as barrel filters, a titration kit and pumps, among other items. These tools will give you the ability to create a premium fuel that will improve performance in your vehicles while it burns cleaner for a healthier environment.

Biodiesel is a better fuel quality that is completely biodegradable. It has an excellent lubricating property for better performance in your vehicle. It is cheap to make after the initial investment of equipment. Who knows? You may be creating a healthy hobby for future generations in your family who will pass their pollution reduction practices down to their children. The entire world will benefit for years to come.

You cannot deny that biodiesel is better for the pollution problems that exist today than regular fuel. It emits fewer hydrocarbons and produces a lesser amount of carbon monoxide and sulfates. It is cheaper to make and less expensive to use that petroleum fuel, also. Many places already sell biodiesel, it is so affordable to create your fuel out of vegetable oil, you may want to invest in your own biodiesel equipment and start making your own fuel.

Alexander Sutton has been helping people discover the simplest ways to improve their quality of life. For more information, please visit Biodiesel Equipment.

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Biofuel Advantages & Disadvantages

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Biofuels are derived from the decomposition of biological or organic waste. Most biofuels are formed from plant matter. They are found in liquid, solid or gas states.

Biofuels differ from fossil fuels in some important ways.

• They are a completely renewable energy type

• They emit much fewer pollution-causing green house gases

• They can be produced in one crop season, unlike fossil years which took MILLIONS of years to form

There are different “generations” of biofuels. Let’s look at each.

• First generation biofuels come from sugar, other starches, as well as animal and vegetable oils. Examples include biodiesel and biogas.

• Second generation oils are derived from industrial waste products, such as wood chips. Ethanol biofuel, other alcohols and diesels fall into this classification.

• Algae biofuel is the third generation. These are highly renewable because the algae can be easily grown on a large scale and they decompose quickly and easily.

• Micro-organisms are utilized in forth generation biofuels. Like third generation, they decompose quickly and so have a low carbon footprint.

Now that we have learned about the various types, let’s examine biofuel advantages.

As previously stated, all biofuels are extremely renewable. They are therefore able to lessen our reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels.

Compared to the extraction, processing and transporting of fossil fuels, manufacturing biofuels is much less expensive. Everyone is looking for home energy saving tips these days.

Biofuels are more environmentally friendly. Less green house gasses are emitted from them than from fossil fuels.

Biofuel Disadvantages:

In the creation of first generation biofuels, huge amounts of land are needed. The crops tend to be lesser varieties of the original, say of corn, for example, making it unsuitable for human consumption. This reduces acreage for good food crops and shrinks food production. The price of edible corn has therefore gone up in recent years. This has been a topic of heated discussion with many arguments on both sides. The belief by those who protest large-scale production of food crops for biofuels is that food should be solely for eating. They maintain that many poor people have already been negatively impacted by the production of biofuels.

Biofuel creation also requires enormous amounts of material. With much land devoted to this, less is available for growing edible food crops. So, as more and more land is used for both food crops and for biofuels, there is less and less natural habit for ecosystems of plants and animals.

Another issue is that most biofuels are produced in relatively small quantities compared to the large-scale production of coal, oil and natural gas. It’s difficult to maintain a regular supply of biofuel, so it cannot always be counted on unless you have a reliable source.

For these reasons, many feel the best future use of biofuels will be in developing countries. Here, where fossil fuels may be in short supply or unaffordable, small-scale biofuel production may be a viable renewable energy type. In the Indian state of Bihar, for example, the resourceful citizens are converting biomass from human waste into biogas for electricity.

Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels, we can see that they are not the perfect green energy source. If you are lucky enough to live close to some kind of manufacturing facility where waste is produced which could be turned into biofuel, then that would be terrific.

If you’re looking for home energy saving tips though, you’ll probably want to take a closer look at wind and solar power solutions. The energy-conscious home owner will find many savings with these.

Russ Harding is a DIY enthusiast living in Nova Scotia, Canada. For more information on biofuels [http://www.diy-solar-power-plans.com/biofuel-advantages-disadvantages] check out DIY solar power plans [http://www.diy-solar-power-plans.com/].

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels – The Energy Source of Our Future

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With all of the talk about our dependency on foreign oil and its economic and environmental costs people are very hungry a cheaper alternative that is also good for our atmosphere and biofuels could be that next energy source. We should however analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using biofuel to replace gasoline as the dominant fuel source not just in our country but globally.

Advantages of biofuel

1. It is a very green friendly fuel that can help to halt and even in some cases reverse our current rising levels of green house gas that oil has had a major contributing factor in.

2. It can be made from many sources such as plant material, fungi and algae and since these source are available in abundance and can potentially reproduced on a massive scale they are an energy source that is potentially unlimited.

3. It will end our need to depend on opec and other foreign countries for our energy needs and can potentially help to bring world peace.

4. Biofuels can also help to stimulate jobs locally and can thus have the potential to turn around a global economy that has been slumping for a while now. They are also much safer to handle than gasoline and therefore cause lesser long term health effects on the human body.

As you can see these are all very good advantages in favor of this awesome new fuel source but just like all others, there are also some negative factors involved here.

Disadvantages of biofuel

1. As of right now even though biofuels produce much lesser green house gases the machines that are used to cultivate and produce them still have some problems with carbon emissions so we still need to work on newer ways to produce them in a more greener way.

2. Our technological process to produce biofuels are way to costly for us to be able to afford on a massive scale. We still need billions of dollars of research money into having a manufacturing process that will produce them at a cheaper rate.

3. We still don’t have anywhere near the amount of biofuel converted cars to be able to take advantage of this fuel source. We will need to invest trillions of dollars to change the automobile infrastructure to allow us to take advantage of this awesome natural fuel.

4. Once we are able to build large manufacturing plants we will need to find a way to deal with the very bad smell that is the outcome of the biofuel production cycle and large towns will not want to put up with this bad odor produced.

While there are some disadvantages to biofuel the potential is just to great to ignore and push forward with. This is the energy source of the future so the sooner we can get it to the manufacturing process and made available to the masses the faster we will be able to solve the problems we are now facing with gasoline only lasting another 20 to 30 years.

Author loves writing about new alternative energy sources such as Biofuel. To get the latest information visit http://www.biofuelguide.net to get up to date on the latest biofuel research and information.

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BioDiesel Conversion – Starting a Biodiesel Business

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BioDiesel conversion can be a very profitable business for young entrepreneurs looking to start a new business or for seasoned entrepreneurs looking to add a new resource to their empire. In the U.S., there are over 30,000,000 gallons of waste vegetable oil that restaurants and fast food joints dispose of annually. Most pay to have their oil disposed of!

A few entrepreneurs that I know have made a lot of profit simply by charging the restaurants to collect their waste oil. They in turn, convert the oil to biodiesel after they charge the business to get the oil. Once they successfully convert the oil, they are able to receive both state and federal tax incentives for producing alternate fuel sources. The federal government pays up to $ 1.50 per gallon and the state incentives vary from one state to the next.

After this is done, they sell their biodiesel to both individuals and businesses generating another $ 1-$ 1.85 per gallon profit. They are producing 2.3 million gallons annually so after all of the overhead involved, they are successfully making $ 4-5 million in profit every year!

How does one get started in the business? The first step is to find a good commercial biodiesel processor. There are many of these on the market, however, you would want one that includes warranties and instructions to make your first batch of biodiesel.

Business startup costs and facts:

You can get a great commercial biodiesel processor that has an annual capacity of 2.3 million gallons for less than $ 50,000!
If you intend to collect your own oil, you will need a good truck to haul the oil in. You can get one of these for very little as well if you go to an auction or even check ebay.
Your raw materials needed for the conversion can be purchased cheap as well, however, you will need to buy the chemicals in bulk. This is also rather easy, simply contact the manufacturer and if they won’t sell the products to you direct, they will refer you to a distributor who will. You will need both methanol and NaOH or KOH.
You will need a building or structure of sorts to setup the equipment in. Keep in mind that the methanol and NaOH mixture (methoxide) releases a very harmful vapor. It is best to have the area well ventilated. A lot of entrepreneurs set their equipment up in a container trailer to start with. This provides a stable shelter without costing a lot of money and gives the owner a lot of flexibility for moving the business in the future. Is this method recommended? For just a little more, you can purchase a metal building that provides more room and durability for your business. It also provides you the extra room if you decide to expand.
What about the tax incentives that biofuel producers get? Though it is commonly known that the government gives large tax incentives to alternative fuel manufacturers, the process to get approved can be strenuous. You must file paperwork with EPA to get approved as a clean producer. It isn’t hard to be approved by the EPA if you dry wash the biodiesel. This essentially means that you have no waste water! Whenever you dry wash a batch of biodiesel, you are using a chemical (purolite) to wash the impurities out. This also allows for production of ASTM standard biodiesel.
It is recommended to purchase additional storage tanks. You can purchase a good tank with a 15,000 gallon capacity for your biodiesel for about $ 15,000. It is probably a good idea to get a storage tank for your fuel.
Who can you sell the biodiesel to? Check with local gas stations to start with. I recently read about this gentleman who started his business in September 2008. He has already exceeded $ 1,000,000 in sales in less than 4 months, not including the tax incentives! He talked with a few local trucking businesses and was able to offer the fuel to the trucking companies that save the truckers thousands of dollars weekly. The trucking companies were able to offer more competitive rates to their customers which in turn got them more business. The more business they picked up, the more fuel my client was able to sell. He actually just purchased his second commercial processing kit to keep up with his customer’s needs!

BioDiesel is the way of the future. It is a natural resource, burns much cleaner than petroleum based fuel, can be produced for much less, and breaks our dependency of the very pricey crude oil.

If you are looking for a commercial biodiesel processor or just home biodiesel conversion kit, visit http://www.greenfuelconversion.com.

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