Bio-Fuels Project

Dr. Dawne MartinCollege of Business

Project

• Interdisciplinary groups of 3 -4 will be assigned• Each group will investigate and report on one input for

bio-fuels• Use internet research, industry tours and panel

discussion to gather information• Be sure to document (or cite) your information sources• Three bio-fuel afternoon sessions to develop your

poster and presentation• Report will be a poster presentation on Wednesday,

July 25, 1:30 – 3:30 pm in Engineering Atrium

Identify Bio-Fuel

Input

June 25, 2012

Overview of the

Industry

July 2, 2012

Agriculture & Business

Issues

July 9, 2012

July 16, 2012

Engineering Issues

Conclusions about the

future

July 19, 2012

July 20, 2012

Complete Posters

Poster Presentations

July 25, 2012

Bio-Fuels Project Timeline

Project Outline• Overview of the industry as a whole

– Current products produced– Size and Growth rate of the industry in dollars and output– Driving factors in the external environment – what is affecting this

industry?• Economic – economic growth, interest rates, number of cars sold• Social, cultural and demographic trends – environmental awareness,

population growth and more affluent people in China and India requiring more energy

• Political & legal – restrictions on emissions, subsidies for bio-fuels or for oil and gas

• Technological advances and changes – changes in technology for both creating bio-fuels and for powering transportation and other uses

• Natural resources – oil reserves, issues with crops, feeding the world

• Define the bio-fuels applications for this input – How is the bio-fuel used? Automobiles? Trucks? Energy generation?

Types of Bio-Mass Used

Project Outline (cont.)

• What are the agricultural, natural resource and sustainability implications of producing bio-fuel from this input?– Crop modifications, requirements and implications for resources and

food stocks– Placement of plants relative to growing areas– Issues of water, run-off and land use

• What are the engineering and environmental issues associated with producing, distributing and using this product?– Engineering challenges of producing and using the bio-fuel– Special engineering requirements for each input type.– Future developments

Project Outline (cont.)• What are the business considerations for producing and

marketing this product?– Capital requirements – Market(s) for this product– Issues in developing channels of distribution and transportation of the

product– Competitors and competitive advantage– New business opportunities

• What are your conclusions about the future of using your bio-mass “input” for producing bio-fuels? Will this be a good alternative to oil and gas? Is it economically viable? Will the production heavily affect food availability? Are there unintended consequences, for example, excessive water use or pollution.

Some Examples of Presentation Posters

• Project Questions?• Group Assignments

Web Resources

• Sciencedaily.com• Department of Energy – http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/biomass.html

• Renewable Fuels Association• Trade and Industry Associations• Alternative-energy-news.info