Ethics of Biofuel Production

Biofuel production is the processing of "fuel," energy for which has etiology in biological carbon fixation. Sources of biofuel are mostly starch crops such as sugarcane or corn, and cellulose biomass derived from trees and grasses. Biofuel production via these routes yields ethanol as the principle source of energy. The ethanol is blended with gasoline (fossil fuel) to stretch out fuel reserves.

According to the Canadian Red Cross (2011), almost 1,000,000,000 people go to bed hungry every night. In a world with starving men, women and children, who mostly die from hunger, is biofuel production ethical?

This question has been raised in multiple online forums filled mostly with scientists and engineers. Although the topic was introduced clearly, several people converged by demanding a "definition" of ethics. Definition of ethics? Suggested was a review of the collective works of world philosophers dating back to the time of ancient Greece.

Argued by scientists and engineers was the point that "ethics" is what is good for the many, and since fuel is needed by the many, biofuel production is a "good thing." This point of view was countered with facts (1-11) obtained directly from Michigan State University.

Globally, more than 1,300,000,000 people (19%) must "live" on less than $1 per day. Many people in the U.S. spend four times this much on one Starbucks coffee.

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Are Biofuel Wall Fireplaces Right for You?

When you begin to shop for ventless fireplaces, you will likely discover that there are a lot more styles to choose from than you imagine. You might also find that you are drawn to biofuel wall fireplaces. Even if you had your heart set on an electric model, there is something so magical about biofuel styles that makes them pretty hard to resist.

Biofuel is Not Gel

If you are like many other consumers, you might not be familiar with biofuel. You might even be under the impression that biofuel and gel are the same thing, but they are not. Although both are environmentally friendly and create a realistic flame that requires no ventilation, they are very different.

Gel is alcohol-derived. As it burns, it turns into tiny droplets of water, which are released into the air. On the other hand, biofuel is produced from sustainable plant crops like hemp, soya and sugar. These are crops that can easily be grown, harvested and grown again. This is obviously more attractive than buying wood for a traditional fireplace that likely contributes to deforestation and animal habitat loss.

Warming Benefits

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Ethanol Fireplaces As An Alternative To A Gas Fireplace

With the cost of heating growing, fire places are a positive addition to home heating. Trends toward environmentally friendly options and away from reliance on domestic or foreign fuel have made ethanol fueled fire places a well-known alternative recently.

While ethanol is thought of as a gas, it is actually a plant, usually corn, instead of a petroleum-based solution. Ethanol fireplace settings allow for a great deal of control. You can set the flame as low or high as required for comfort. In a disastrous situation an ethanol fireplace can be turned off, easily, efficiently and in seconds. Ethanol fireplaces, just like gas fireplaces, meet all the fire security specifications. Both provide real burning flames, unlike an electrical fireplace which just simulates fire.

Those who buy a fireplace that uses ethanol do this to save energy and to help the environment. Even so, the primary cost for the purchase and set up of an ethanol burning fireplace is considerably greater than for a comparable natural gas burning fireplace. Even so, burning ethanol rather than natural gas can substantially save on power expenses. The environmental positives go beyond a green fuel supply. Also, there are tax breaks.

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What Exactly Are Biofuels?

Biofuels are a source of renewable energy in the form of bioenergy, which is derived from organic waste. Organic waste can be both urban and rural. Commonly called agrofuels, biofuels are produced from organic matter including plant products like wheat, corn sugar cane, soya beans, rape seeds, straw, vegetable oils, animal fats, jatropha, algae and such. These fuels have great potency to be used in different sectors but currently their main purpose is actualized in the transportation sector (especially liquid biofuels) where easy fuel storage and less pollution are sought after. In rural areas, biogas has been seen as good alternative, both in cost and availability. It is also used as LPG for cooking.

Biofuel technology is nothing new. It has a history stretched right back to the 1800s when Rudolf Diesel used peanut oil to run a compression engine and Nicolaus Otto who developed a spark ignition engine which ran on ethanol. Since then this area has been in a constant development phase and has a bright future.

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Major Challenges in the Oil and Gas Industry

The oil & gas industry keeps on changing dramatically. Increasing consumption of oil and gas in developing countries such as Brazil, India and China are posing an uncertainty in future trends. Oil is obtained from the earth's crust. Crude oil can be collected from under the sea from sea creatures that died and got buried billions of years ago. It was formed when animals and plants got decomposed under mud and silt deposits.

The process involved in the oil and gas industry follows this order: Exploring > extracting > refining > transporting > marketing Exploring involves finding the new locations for oil, which leads to the extraction and refining. Refining converts the oil into a usable form (like gas or diesel) which we use in our daily lives. Transporting involves pipelines through which the oil is transported to oil tankers that take it to different places. Exploration might seem simple but it is rather complicated. It is not easy to explore new areas in a short duration. There is a great demand for oil in the world market to carry out industrial, commercial and domestic tasks. This demand is more than the actual production of the oil. This is why the countries that have a lot of oil are among the richest countries.

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Fossil Fuel Supplies and Renewable Resources

Will we run out of fossil fuels? Yes and no. There are two forces at work in the fossil fuel market: supply and demand. As we use a non-renewable resource, we must progressively move toward more difficult sources to maintain supply. At the start of the oil industry, crude oil could be scooped up from the ground or pumped out of wells only a few feet deep. As these were used up, we moved to deeper wells, off shore installations, and now sand and shale deposits with each move increasing extraction costs.

 No matter how much prices increase, there is a limit to how much fossil fuels can be extracted from the earth. Once this "peak" has been reached, production steadily decreases regardless of the technology applied. Studies put peak oil happening somewhere between 2004 and 2020, while coal has a similar time frame. Natural gas may last longer, but North America is already hitting peak production despite an increase in well drilling. On the demand side, the developing world is rapidly increasing its energy usage, which is leading to a major jump in worldwide demand. Even if current production rates could be maintained, this demand means increases in fossil fuel prices.

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Biomass, Biofuels and Biogas

In recent years there has been a lot of interest in renewable and alternative energy sources. This has seemingly become an even bigger issue in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis, where the nuclear plant at Fukushima was damaged by the earthquake and resultant tsunami on March 11th. There is now a real danger that harmful radiation could escape from the site. People have always been uncertain of the safety of utilising nuclear power and such a scare only serves to heighten their concerns. That is why increasingly people are looking for alternatives. One such alternative is the use of biofuels.

What are Biofuels?

The term 'biofuel' refers to a broad range of fuels that are created from 'biomass' (see below). Biofuels are often used as an additive rather than as a 'pure' fuel. Bioethanol is an example of this. It is an alcohol created by fermenting the sugar components of plant materials and whilst ethanol can be used as a fuel for cars in its purest form, it is normally added to petrol to improve the emissions from the vehicle and increase octane.

Ok, so what is Biomass?

Biomass is a renewable energy source. It refers specifically to biomaterials from living organisms and recently living organisms - examples of which are wood, waste and alcohol fuels. There are actually several different sources of biomass energy, so in addition to the three just mentioned, there are: garbage and landfill gases. There are a few different mechanisms by which biomass can be converted to energy:

Thermal Conversion

This involves the use of heat in order to convert biomass into an alternative chemical form. There are different forms of thermal conversion - two examples of which are torrefaction and pyrolysis.

Chemical Conversion

This is quite simply where a range of chemical processes are used in order to convert biomass to alternative forms.

Biochemical Conversion

This involves harnessing the power of naturally occurring biochemical conversion processes. Microorganisms are used to break down biomass - Anaerobic Digestion is an example of this.

Biogas

Biogas is a type of biofuel that is produced by anaerobic digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials, including biomass. Biodegradable waste can, for example, be converted to methane - which is a renewable energy source.

So are Biofuels the answer?

It remains to be seen whether or not biofuels are a long term solution to the problems surrounding the energy industry. There are certainly discussions to be had about the impact that the production of biofuels has on carbon emissions and biodiversity, but these are certainly not the only issues.

Projen Project Management Consultants are experts in Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas: http://www.projen.co.uk/

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

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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Tips And Advice For Buying Small Solar Panels

Energy capture technology that uses the power of the sun is now no longer a far off dream. Solar panels have become a ubiquitous sight in our lives. They offer a simple way to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. If we were all to adapt this green technology, the damage being caused to the environment and atmospheric systems would be reduced almost immediately. If you have an interest in learning more about this renewable form of energy, and integrating photovoltaic cells into your life, the following information should be of use to you.

First of all it is worth noting that there are a number of different panels available today. These can be classified into three groups - portable, residential, and commercial. Over the last five years there has been a lot of research into the usability of small photovoltaic cells.

Small, portable, energy harnessing systems have a number of useful applications. There are now solar panels available that can be used to charge up various electronic gadgets, for example mobile phones and netbooks. Also, those that are of a compact size can be integrated into outdoor lighting to reduce the need for mains supplied electricity.

If you have an interest in purchasing a photovoltaic panel for personal use, there are a number of factors that you should analyze prior to making a purchase. An important consideration will be the cost. As the technology become widespread, the outlay involved is a lot more affordable. There are now portable solar chargers available that can be had for less than two hundred dollars. These are a great gadget to have on hand when on an outdoor expedition or fishing trip. Likewise, you can purchase PV lights that would not cost you a great deal more than a regular design.

The wattage of the panel is also an important consideration, this relates to the amount of electricity that can be produced. It is useful to be aware of your energy requirements before investing in a product. Related to wattage, the efficiency of photovoltaic cells does differ. Always understand how suitable the panel would be for the amount of sunlight that is available in your region.

Another important factor, that should help you to make the right choice, is the warranty. Most solar cells have no mechanical parts, for this reason they have an inherent durability. Nevertheless it is still important to opt for a product that has an extensive warranty in case a circuit becomes damaged.

Great tips and advice for buying small yet effective solar panels now in our

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Alternative Fuels - Are Biofuels the Way to Go?

Biofuels, for those who aren't yet aware, are one of the most promising ways to help to lower our dependency on fossil fuels as well as on oil from foreign countries.

Bio- fuel technology is available for those who want use it and sustainability is just one positive benefit of biofuel techniques. Biofuels are not, however, the be-all and end all that they have been touted as. In fact, many professors, energy experts, and scientists are warning that biofuels are still carbon fuels, a fact which tends to escape many of us as we proclaim them to be preferable for the environment.

The reality is that long term testing hasn't been done on biofuels and we don't know the effect they may have on our environment. That being said, biofuel are the prime example of a totally renewable source of energy and the production of biofuels to power vehicles and other engines would be a major step to taking us away from our reliance on other countries and on the oils and fossil/carbon fuels that are not so renewable.

Ethanol, one of the most popular types of biofuel is simply not sustainable because it uses almost as much energy to convert the corn as the energy it may provide, meant that it is simply too inefficient to be used. Scientists though think that they may have an answer and it's one that offers more fuel energy per a smaller amount of fuel materials needed.

The latest biofuel exploration seems to be heading out to sea. The most serious limitation that we have in our present exploration of the non-fossil fuels is the lack of products with which to make them, as well as the high cost that is incurred for their use--one issue feeding into the other.

Soybeans and corn, the major feed stock materials that are also used to make most biofuels are not an endless supply. The same can't be said though of the algae that scientists are working with. Algae is nearly endless in the supply and with the right conditions, that is to say, just about anywhere at all that has brackish water or salt water or swampy areas, you can grow the algae. The growth of algae is not a seasonal one, which means that you can get more than 20-30 times the production of the normal crops that have been typically used for biofuels.

Crops of algae can be grown on wastewater and even have a positive potential for help to recycle carbon dioxide that is currently spewing from business and industries. One man, Professor Cushman who has been working with algae as a replacement for other crops in the making of biofuels has found a way that he could extend the growth season up to about nine month even in a cold climate, making algae our best bet for new sources of biofuels.

Of his work, Cushman says that their long term goal is to find strains of algae that are the most suitable to making biofuels. They want to identify the most viable and most energy producing algae strains to learn how to improve the production of the fuels that we need It is the belief of science that they can significantly alter the biofuel industry using algae to produce it.

The bottom line is that we've got a far better chance of making some truly lower cost and far more usable biofuel with algae. It not only grows better, it actually puts out more energy or fuel, than land based crops.

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