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

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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Future of Energy: Biodiesel Generators

One of the most exciting new fuel solutions presented has to be biodiesel. For all people who have not heard about biodiesel, it is made from a combination of organic oils like corn, canola, or soy oil with other ingredients to produce a fuel that burns similar to diesel fuel used in vehicles. Biodiesel can even be combined with regular diesel to form a combination of the two fuels that is cleaner burning and safer.

Petroleum and oil are both fossil fuels that eventually run out, and with countries like China, India, and others starting to expand their society and add millions of vehicles and other gasoline powered machines, the supply will dwindle much faster. Thus biodiesel, a fuel that is made from organic oils, can be pretty much grown to meet higher supply and demand. This is one of biodiesel’s really strong points in that it is a highly renewable resource that also has less emissions so it is safer for the environment. Because organic materials used to make biodiesel can be grown, the farmers are supported by a bigger demand and the dependency on oil can be decreased. These points alone should make biodiesel a very great looking alternative fuel.

Biodiesel is currently being used more and more in all types of applications. Many cities are switching city vehicles and other emergency vehicles to use biodiesel as fuel source, thus decreasing cost and lowering pollution. Some gas stations already offer B20, a blend of biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel, that can be used in most diesel vehicles effectively and safely. Biodiesel can currently be used in most newer diesel engines without the need for major modifications or overhaul of the engine. This allows a quicker onset into the public than other fuel solutions. The abundance of many diesel fueled applications allows biodiesel to be used immediately to help cut costs and help the environment as well. Everything from cars, farm vehicles, generators, and a lot of other machines already can utilize biodiesel.

The future of biodiesel as a major energy source is definitely a great possibility. With more research on ways on developing and better utilizing biodiesel, it’s applications will greatly increase. Imagine being able to take cooking oil after frying something up, adding an additive to remove the smell and being able to use that waste oil as fuel for diesel engines. This can be the future of biodiesel and many restaurants that use a lot of frying oil can use this oil to fuel other appliances as diesel furnaces. The future of biodiesel as a major fuel source really depends on the fact that it is highly renewable and the great efficiency possible.

With the future of energy solutions still up for grabs, biodiesel will definitely be a contender. The emergence of new technology and the need to break the bonds developed from oil use will definitely push biodiesel usage up.

Jason Smith is the editor of PoweredGenerators.com, which provides consumer reviews, how-to’s, and uses for home and business power generators.

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