fossil fuels

Bio fuels – The Possible Answer To Our Future Fuel Needs.

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Bio-fuels differ from fossil fuels as follows:

1. Million of years are required for the creation of fossil fuels whereas in comparison. Bio-fuels can be created in a very short space of time, within days in some cases.
2. Fossil fuels are the main culprit behind the large amounts of pollution present today.
3. Fossil fuels unlike bio-fuels, cannot be renewed, once depleted, that’s it. game over.

There are four categories of bio-fuels. Which are First, Second, Third and Fourth generation. Which can be explained as follows.

First generation bio-fuels are mainly created from vegetable fats, starch and sugar which in turn come from food crops. Another derivative of first generation fuels is animal fats. Examples of this type of Bio-fuels are bio gas, bio-diesel and vegetable oil.

Waste biomass is the main source of second generation bio-fuels. Which in itself is a more balanced option in comparison to first generation fuels. Various types of alcohols and diesel created from wood fall into second generation bio-fuels.

Third generation bio-fuels are derived from algae. Large scale farming of algae is required for the creating of these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are very environmentally friendly because they easily decompose back into the soil without damaging the soil.

Lastly, the fourth generation bio-fuels use a method in which micro-organisms are raised which work with carbon dioxide to generate the fuel.

Bio-fuels have proven to be advantageous in the following areas:

1. Bio-fuels can reduce the burden on the gradual depletion of fossil fuels.
2. Being extremely environment friendly. Bio-fuels assist in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
3. And finally, bio-fuels are very cost effective for consumers. Especially bio-diesel.

However, bio-fuels are not without criticism. Though beneficial on the environment. There are disadvantages. Some of the main criticism’s are:

The debate on the viability of first generation bio-fuels has been ongoing. The main issue being the impact on food production when food is needed for the production of fuels. Some people believe that if food crops are used to generate fuel. The quality of the crops may no longer be fit for human consumption.

The creation of large quantities of bio-fuel would require large areas of farming land. Which would mean that to create bio-fuels without reducing farm land used to feed the nations. New land would be required which in turn could encroach on the natural habitat of plants and animals.

If we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the creating or bio-fuel. It does not seem as if there is a quick solution at hand. Although bio-fuel is regarded as the solution to our power needs. Maybe the answer lay with home owners who could start creating their own power requirements in their back yards. Just a thought.

 Make power at home with the ever present solar and wind energy available and reduce your electricity bill while doing your bit to preserve our Planet’s resources. Visit alternative fuels for information on our detailed guide.

Benefits of Biomass Energy

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From the very beginning of civilization biomass fuels were being used for the production of energy but from the last few decades, it has been a matter of great debate whether biomass energy is advantageous or not. With all the research and experiments scientists and researchers came to this result that it has many advantages over fossil fuels and it does help in reducing greenhouse effect.

Through this article we are going to discuss some basic advantages of such energy and what are the present steps that are being taken by different countries and organizations to make it popular.

Renewable source

Yes, the basic advantage of biomass energy is that it is renewable source of energy. It is derived from mostly plants and we all know that without plants there will be no life on this planet. So, as long as plants are going to be on this planet, there will a source for the production of these energy.

Reduces green house effect

Another great advantage of biomass energy over fossil fuels is that it helps in reducing green house effect.

It has been observed in the past, that people have raised questions on this very nature of biomass energy. The question is “in the production of biomass energy CO2 is released and also from fossil fuels CO2 is released, so how does this energy have advantage over fossil fuels?”

The basic difference is that all the CO2 which has been absorbed by plant for its growth is going back in atmosphere during its burning for the production of biomass energy while the CO2 produced from fossil fuels is only going to increase the green house effect. Fossil fuels not only produce CO2 but also sulphur dioxide and lead oxide during their burning which are very toxic gases.

Biomass also helps in controlling methane, another green house gas.

Fresh surrounding

The third advantage of biomass energy is that, it also helps in cleaning surrounding.

In the world of today with the increase in population, problem of disposing garbage is also increasing. For their own advantage people throw their garbage’s in river, nearby ocean or empty land which worsens our eco-system balance.

Whatever organic garbage’s are produced by human, animals and plants; they all can be used for the production of this energy and it helps in cleaning our surrounding.

Available in plenty

There is surely no doubt in this statement that biomass is available in plenty. Wherever we look, we can find the source of the production of biomass energy. This is also one of the great advantages of biomass energy over fossil fuel. As we all know that fossil fuels are not going to remain for next 500 years. Many researches are going in different nations to find a source of energy which is not only cheap but also available in plenty. Biomass energy truly is the answer for all their questions regarding seek of alternative form of energy.

So, know this information you can do your part in using biomass energy and help save the earth. Alternatively, you can also use other renewable resources such solar and wind energy. Use them in your homes and you will be able to save electricity and save money at the same time. How wonderful is that?

Yes, together we can save the earth and totally avoid global warming. With this in mind, we are going to increase the lifespan of our generations. Our children will be able to breathe fresher air and live life to the fullest because the earth is greener.

Let us spare some thoughts and take action to heal the world.

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Important Facts About Biofuel Production

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Biomass fuel production in different countries can be a touchy subject, because not all countries agree with the production and use of biofuels. India is very outspoken in their dissent, because of the mistaken belief that biofuel production takes away from the food supply and contributes to global hunger. Biofuels are produced from biomass, which is an organic material such as dead plant particles, manure or municipal solid waste. More than 20 countries so far have biofuel production facilities and programs in place, with others moving forward in this arena as well. Biofuels do not have to be made with corn or soybeans, Germany is using rapeseed, and there are many other sources that do not come from food crops. These fuels are the future of the energy used globally, because soon fossil fuels will be gone. Biofuels are an environmentally friendly alternative that will be used to meet future energy needs.

It is not widely understood by many but biofuel production can help third world economies instead of causing problems. The production of these fuels offers many benefits to these economies. The entire economy of the local area can be improved. Using local employees and materials mean more income and taxes, as well as an improved infrastructure to serve the plant and community. Farmers would be paid regularly for their crops, and the transportation of these materials is much less because they are local. Biofuels and food do not have to compete, and farmers can grow food crops on fertile land and grow biofuel crops on land that is useless for any food farming.

One of the advantages of biofuel production is that biomass fuel can be produced at comparably low cost. Whenever fuel is produced, regardless of the origin of the fuel, cost is always going to be a factor. Just a few years ago biofuels were not widely produced, and this led to a higher cost for these fuels. Ethanol, biodiesel and biogas can all be produced at a low cost financially, and a large benefit ecologically. These fuels offer many benefits and are seeing more widespread use. Ethanol is alcohol based and created through a fermentation process. Biodiesel uses oils and fats from plants and other organic materials in a process called transesterification. Biogas is usually produced from specially designed landfills and waste to energy plants and programs. Using these biofuels can also help to combat a global warming.

In a recent amazing discovery, growing biofuel on trees is also possible. There is a specific tree, called the diesel oil tree, that can be tapped to recover an oil that is remarkably easy to turn into biodiesel. This tree will produce the oil for seventy years, and Australian farmers are growing plantations of them. A fungus, called Gliocladium roseum has been located in trees in the Patagonia rainforest, and it creates carbon chains identical to the ones found in petroleum. Unfortunately, right now these are only produced under very strict and narrow conditions, but the breakthrough has lead to more research. Biodiesel can play a big part in reducing pollution and global warming, and making the earth a better place to live for everyone.

The benefits of bio fuel production to the world are many. Fossil fuels are quickly being depleted and can not be replaced. Alternative sources of energy are numerous, and eco-friendly, but most of these, like solar, wind, and ocean energy, can not be used to power a vehicle. These technologies can be used to provide heat and electricity for homes and buildings though. Biofuels are carbon neutral so they do not speed up global warming, they are an environmentally friendly source of fuel that is renewable, and they are the answer to meeting the fuel needs of the future. Any organic material can be used to make biofuels, and these fuels can make a big difference to the planet. Until recently though, they were not in high demand because of the low cost and availability of fossil fuels.

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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All About Biomass

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Where renewable energy sources are concerned, biomass is the newest member of the family. Nevertheless, it is gaining ground as a viable source of energy production in a world trying to rid itself of dependence on fossil fuels. For all intents and purposes, biomass uses the biological material from living organisms to produce energy. These materials are normally incinerated for the purposes of producing electricity or heat. Examples of such biological material include:

• waste wood• grain alcohol• yard clippings• hydrogen gas• certain components of normal, everyday garbage

Dedicated Biomass Production

Though biomass as a renewable energy source still largely depends on the incineration of “excess material” such as dead trees and yard clippings, materials for industrial use are being grown specifically for biomass purposes. Various plants such as switch grass, hemp, and corn are being grown on farms dedicated to supplying material for industrial biomass applications.

Despite the apparent success of dedicated biomass farming, there is some argument as to whether the energy benefit from such practices is greater than the energy output required to grow the material. There are also questions about the ethical justification of using agricultural land that could produce food for the world’s hungry for biomass production instead.

Biomass in the Fuel Industry

Over the last several years biomass energy has made great inroads into the automotive industry as a fuel source. Engines that can operate on both fossil fuels and biomass fuels are being produced and brought to market. Ethyl alcohol, made from common corn, is an alternative fuel that has been slowly making its way to both urban and suburban gas stations across the country. While the efficiency of biomass fuel tends to be somewhat less, the cheaper cost of the fuel itself still makes it an attractive option to green-minded drivers.

This past summer however, corn prices increased around the world as product was being diverted from the food industry into the biomass fuel industry. Governments in Europe and North America were heavily criticized for reducing the public availability of a food source in favor of fuel. Regardless of whether or not the criticisms were legitimate, the push for biomass fuel in the auto industry continues.

Biochemical Conversion

There is no perfect energy source which is both 100% efficient and 100% friendly to the environment. Where biomass is concerned, one of the biggest contradictions science is trying to overcome lies in the incineration process. Incineration releases CO2 into the atmosphere regardless of the material being burned. Biomass material doesn’t produce any less CO2 than fossil fuels, and in fact, in some cases it produces even more. A 2009 study of Asia’s frequently occurring “giant brown haze” revealed that the haze was caused more by biomass emissions than that of fossil fuels. This is but one example.

To combat the problem, scientists are developing biochemical conversion processes that can turn biomass material into energy without incineration. Biochemical conversion uses bacteria, enzymes, and other micro-organisms to convert biomass into energy. Other biochemical conversion methods are also being studied and developed in labs around the world. If science can overcome the CO2 issue, biomass looks to be a promising technology for the future of energy.

You can keep abreast of all the latest developments in biomass energy by visiting the Clean Green Energy Zone web site. For additional information about renewable and green energy in general, be sure to check out their Green Energy Center.

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