⚡Biofuels⚡

Info from: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/biofuels/10-biofuel-crops.htm

Brief Summary

Biofuels fall into two main categories: bioalcohol and biodiesel.

To create bioalcohol, such as ethanol,

engineers use yeast and bacteria to break down the starch in corn and

other plants.

To create biodiesel, refineries use the oil already found in crops such as soybeans. These vegetable oils are treated with alcohol and turned into biodiesel.

For years, politicians, journalists and scientists have touted biofuels -- fuels made from plants -- as a way to decrease the world's consumption of fossil fuels, especially oil. !

These so-called "energy crops" include wheat, corn, soybeans and sugarcane. !

Biofuels burn cleaner than fossil fuels, releasing fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. !

They are sustainable, and energy companies often mix biofuels with gasoline. In other words, unlike oil, coal or natural gas, biofuels won't run out.

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There are, however, some drawbacks to these miracle fuels. !

Among other things, some energy crops compete with food crops for land, creating problems like higher food prices and deforestation. !

In addition, the costs of converting some energy crops, as well as retrofitting cars and power plants to run on biofuel, can be pricey.

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cons

CornWorkers first grind the golden kernels and mix them with warm water, and next add yeast. The yeast causes the slurry to ferment, or turn into energy-producing alcohol. Refineries blend ethanol with gasoline for use in existing car engines. !

Ethanol, whether it is made from corn, wheat or sugarcane, releases less carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur into the atmosphere than gasoline. Ethanol also reduces smog, which can minimise health problems for people, especially those living.

NO SO GREEN?!Growing and processing corn into a biofuel actually uses a huge amount of

fossil fuel. Once the refineries complete the distillation process, only about 20 percent of each gallon of corn ethanol is "new" energy.

Rapeseed/ CanolaRapeseed oil is an important biodiesel fuel. Unlike other strains of rapeseed, canola is low in eurcic acid, which makes it healthier for animals and humans to eat.!

Generally, biodiesel made from vegetable oil does not perform well in cold climates. Since most vegetable oil is high in saturated fat, ice crystals tend to form causing an engine to seize. However canola oil is low in saturated fat so it is harder for ice to materialise.

Rapeseed have a higher oil content than other vegetable plants, which means canola and rapeseed can generate more energy when burned. They release less carbon monoxide and are very efficient in powering heavy machinery

and other vehicles.

Sugar CaneBrazil started going green after the 1973 Middle East oil embargo reduced shipments of oil worldwide. When the price of oil climbed, the Brazilian government encouraged its farmers to plant more sugarcane which is processed into ethanol.!

Ethanol became less expensive than gasoline. Today, almost all cars in Brazil have "flexible" fuel engines that can run on either gasoline or ethanol.!

Brazil's climate is well suited to growing sugarcane. However, producing ethanol from sugarcane is six times less expensive than producing ethanol from corn. Growing sugarcane requires fewer chemicals, including pesticides and fertilisers.

NO SO GREEN?!When harvesting sugarcane, farmers must burn their fields, which spews

massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

SwitchgrassUnlike corn, using the cellulose in switchgrass to make ethanol requires less energy from fossil fuels. Furthermore, cellulose ethanol contains more energy than corn ethanol, so there's a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. !

Although there are no great switchgrass plantations or farms, scientists are currently working on various methods to make switchgrass the energy of the future. The scientists say that each acre can also produce 1,150 gallons of ethanol each year.

It will use less fertiliser, pesticides and water. It is a perennial so farmers only have to plant it once. Scientists say switchgrass provides five times as

much energy as it takes to grow, and it grows on marginal land not used for food production.

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Case study: Dallas

In Dallas, grease is good. And not just any grease, but the grease used to cook French fries, onion rings and yes, even pickles. !

In an effort to save money on fuel and reduce its carbon footprint, the city's school district is converting all of its 1,700 buses to run on a special engine that runs on both biodiesel and recycled vegetable oil donated by local restaurants. !

In 2009, the first bus, the Fryer Flyer, took to the road. Officials expect to save $400,000 each year by running its entire bus fleet on the biofuel.

biofuel stations