Biofuels vs fossil fuels pdf files

This is meant to be a standalone unit, however we strongly recommend that teachers use this biofuels vs. Introduction to biofuel university of california, berkeley. For example, there are only 663 biodiesel filling stations in the u. Nov 17, 2019 the term biofuels generally refers to the gasoline substitute derived from corn, while biodiesel is a diesel substitute derived from soybean oil or animal fats. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit great lakes bioenergy. A couple of reasons, some of which are widely known and others of which are not widely known. Biofuels vs fossil fuels wisconsin energy institute. If we have to produce the fuel then we incur the entire cost of production, which is greater than the amount of energy that can be derived from their use. Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels.

Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels world. The same cannot be said for many biofuels or for electricity, which requires large and cumbersome batteries that generally only provide a fraction of the energy density of fossil fuels. Current production practices use fossil fuels for power. To understand what is biofuel, you need to know the different types of biofuel. Recently, a study out of the university of michigan energy institute suggested that biofuels are worse for the climate than gasoline. The fossil energy ratio fer is the ratio of energy output to nonrenewable energy inputs. This report focuses on ethanol and biodiesel, the most widely available biofuels. Use of energy sources consolidated and forecasted from 1850 to 2100 nakicenovic, n. Renewable energy is energy that is extracted from sources that are naturally replenished. All combustion, whether of a fossil fuel or biofuel, proceeds via the following basic. First, second and third generation the 2nd generation biodiesel includes liquid fuels derived from jatrapha seed oil and from a catalytic conversion pro cess of synthetic gas from the gasification of biomass.

Furthermore, when natural forests are felled to generate bioenergy or to replace the farm fields that were diverted to growing biofuels, greenhouse gas emissions go up. Known as first generation biofuels, they are found in two different forms depending upon their source material. Donald smith, scientific director of biofuelnet canada, explains the difference between biofuels and fossil fuels, in terms of carbon cycling. Are biofuels an effective and viable energy strategy for. Fossil fuels are carbonbased energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas. Worldwide proven oil, gas and coal reserves are 1,688 billion barrels bb. They apply their knowledge of these processes to the global carbon cycle to examine how use. Fossil fuels and biofuels the author of todays post, sheryl canter, is an online writer and editorial manager at environmental defense. Fossil fuels have provided more than 80% of total u. In the united states, 93 percent of the energy we consume comes from fossil fuels, much of it in the form of gasoline and diesel fuel. These fuels, while having their own personal drawbacks, have the potential to shift the dependence on gasoline and other fossil fuels. Pdf biofuels as the starring substitute to fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide and other gases into. That said, some forms of bioenergy do not increase competition with food or land, and using them instead of fossil fuels could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many biofuels are worse than fossil fuels when it comes to climate change when the biofuel in question is properly accessed for its carbon performance, including indirect land use change. Proponents of alternative energy argue that fossil fuels are inefficient, unsustainable, environmentally destructive, and the primary contributor to global climate change. Whether alternative energy sources such as biofuels, hydrogen, solar, geothermal, or nuclear energy can meet energy demands better than finite fossil fuels such as oil and coal remains hotly debated. Among the leading contenders are biofuels renewable, cleanburning fuels made from plant and animalbased source materials like corn, soybeans, discarded vegetable oil or animal fat. Biofuels needed but some more polluting than fossil fuels, report warns this article is more than 2 years old royal academy of engineering report backs increased use of biofuels but says more. Biofuels needed but some more polluting than fossil fuels. Nov 29, 2017 to combat our reliance on fossil fuels, the development of multiple biofuels are still being researched. Fossil fuels are made from the bodies of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago and were exposed. Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86%. Chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels focusing on todays major fuel resources ethanol, biodiesel, wood, natural gas, petroleum products, and coal this book discusses the formation, composition and properties of the fuels, and the ways in which they are processed for commercial use. Biofuels burn cleaner than fossil fuels, resulting in fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, particulate emissions. Comparison of heating value of pyrolysis oil and typical fuels pourable, storable and transportable liquid fuel energy densification relative to biomass contains approximately 5055% energy content of fossil fuel stainless steel piping, tankage and equipment required due to acidity requires separate storage from fossil fuels 12. Negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels.

Finite but very large amount of fossil fuel we are definitely going to run out of fossil fuel energy in a century or two. Long term issue fossil fuels are available now in huge scale unlike most other energy sources although price is high at the moment, cost of production is low. In the process, students investigate the carbontransforming processes of combustion, photosynthesis, fermentation and respiration. This last post in our series on vehicle fuels and technology gives an overview of fossil fuels and their alternatives. At the time many experts predicted biofuels would provide a renewable source of energy, help reduce the use of fossil fuels, and lessen the risks of climate change. Ll l l european commission 2012 impact assessment accompanying iluc proposal 12 the little book of biofuels the. Highcapacity offgrid solar generator rev 4 wiring diagram, parts list, design worksheet duration. You will use fresh vegetable oil as the agrofuel and motor oil as the. Its also known as grain alcohol because its often made from the.

Fossil fuels present much higher energy return, between 10 15 and wind energy has an energy return of 8 ulgiati, 2001. A biofuel is any fuel source thats made from biological materials. However, before delving further into the difference between biofuel and fossil fuel, let us first look at each fuel separately. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel are made from crude oil or petroleum. Liquid scintillation spectrometry of 14c in gasolineethanol and diesel oil was carried out using quantulus. History of the technology and use of biofuels until three centuries ago, navigation basically used the winds, ocean currents and. Fuel comparison activity objective oregon state university. The grid presents an advantage and di sadvantage for fossil fuels. The need for fossil fuel synthetic fibers are derived from fossil fuel, everything plastic originates from petroleum or. A woodgas burner, for example, can be mounted right on a tractor. Since most biofuels burn very similar to the fossil fuels that are currently in use, the question of actual biofuel benefits still causes debate among scientists and different energy experts. Conservation is a key strategy for reducing dependence on fossil fuels there is no one quickfix for weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels and the future will likely see a combination of sourcesfrom wind and ocean currents to hydrogen, solar and, yes, some use of biofuels. Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from organic matter rather than from fossil fuels, which are a finite and nonrenewable resource.

The effects of the use of fossil fuels and biofuels on the global carbon cycle and global climate change. First and foremost is the issue of cost both of biofuels and of its competitors. The two most common kinds of biofuels right now are both gasoline alternatives. Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels.

Exercises with answers like where will carbon atoms move when the fuel when it is burned. These fuels, while releasing particulates, have less environmental impact than fossil fuels. Biofuels, fossil energy ratio, and the future of energy production in. Petroleum, along with coal and natural gas, are what we call fossil fuels. Difference between biofuel and fossil fuel compare the. First, second and third generation the 2nd generation biodiesel includes liquid fuels derived from jatrapha seed oil and from a catalytic conversion pro cess of. One downside to fossil fuels is that farmland that could be used for food production is instead used to grow fuel. The energy content of ethanol is about 50% that of gasoline. Fossil fuels unit along with the entire suite of carbon time units. Biofuels are fuels of bio origin, most frequently obtained from crops. Alternative fuels including biofuels princeton university. Theres a lot of talk nowadays about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. However, there is significant evidence in the scientific literature to the contrary.

Biofuels have the potential to significantly reduce global ghg emissions associated with transportation, butas with all types of developmentcontrols are needed to protect ecologically important lands. Jan 29, 2015 furthermore, when natural forests are felled to generate bioenergy or to replace the farm fields that were diverted to growing biofuels, greenhouse gas emissions go up. The term biofuels generally refers to the gasoline substitute derived from corn, while biodiesel is a diesel substitute derived from soybean oil or animal fats. Burning fossil fuels produces co2 and other greenhouse gases 2.

Use of ethanol can increase emissions of some air pollutants because fossil energy is used during the farming of biomass crops and during biofuel production. Positives of biofuels the energy content of biodiesel is about 90% that of petroleum diesel. Biofuel vs fossil fuel the most obvious and the fundamental difference between biofuel and fossil fuel is that the first is a renewable energy source while the latter is a nonrenewable energy source. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit wisconsin energy institute. We hear a lot about biofuels and fossil fuels in the news, but sometimes the two terms can get tangled in our minds. A costbenefit analysis of the production and use of biofuels. Generations of biofuels objective oregon state university.

Differentiation between fossil and biofuels by liquid. In this energy science fair project, you will determine if equivalent amounts of a renewable agrofuel release the same amount of heat energy as a nonrenewable fuel. Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are considered renewable fuels because. However, the environmental benefits and costs of the various paths. Mar 11, 2018 conservation is a key strategy for reducing dependence on fossil fuels there is no one quickfix for weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels and the future will likely see a combination of sourcesfrom wind and ocean currents to hydrogen, solar and, yes, some use of biofuels powering our energy needs. Fossil fuels worksheets middle school dsoftschools. Nov 29, 20 many biofuels are worse than fossil fuels when it comes to climate change when the biofuel in question is properly accessed for its carbon performance, including indirect land use change. Biofuels displace fossil fuels, mainly oil, in the transport sector. Biofuels issues and trends energy information administration. It also has to be said that biofuel production is becoming extremely attractive to developing countries that cannot afford big oil import since oil prices. However, the environmental benefits and costs of the various paths to biofuels production have not been fully explored.

In terms of emissions, biofuels emit the same amount as gasoline or more. Less common biofuels are also being researched and improved as people seek to find alternatives to fossil fuel. Energy information administration biofuels issues and trends 1 highlights biofuels is a collective term for liquid fuels derived from renewable sources, including ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable liquid fuels. Most biofuels are currently produced from food and fodder crops. Fossils fuels are hydrocarbons primarily coal, petroleum. The energy content of butanol is about 80% that of gasoline. Since biomass facilities are lightly regulated but heavily subsidized, they have little incentive to produce cleaner electricity and reduce emissions.

Fossil fuels fossil fuels iluc direct emissions 50% savings 35% savings no saving ethanol biodiesel 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 carbon intensity gco2mj dll. Compared to fossil fuels, solid fuel biomass power plants typically emit two and a half times more of the pollutants, such as dioxins, carcinogens, or heavy metals, specified in the clean air act. To cut down on emissions from fossil fuels, the government and car manufacturers have been pursuing cleanerburning biofuels, such as ethanol. Jul, 2017 biofuels needed but some more polluting than fossil fuels, report warns this article is more than 2 years old royal academy of engineering report backs increased use of biofuels but says more. Hill et al describe the features desirable in new biofuels. Conference on the ecological dimensions of biofuels. The story of fossil fuels begins 300 to 400 million years ago long before dinosaurs roamed the earth when much of the planet was covered in thickly vegetated swamps and prehistoric seas. Americas 246 million passenger cars burn 380 million gallons of the fossil fuel gasoline every year.

Any biofuel produced from sustainable feedstock will fit into this category. Since 1928, when consumption of natural gas surpassed that of biomass, the three fossil fuelspetroleum, natural gas, and coalhave been the most consumed fuels in the united states. Many respected laboratories, agencies, and researchers. Biofuels burn cleaner than gasoline, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and are fully biodegradable, unlike some fuel additives. Fossil fuels carry enough energy in a small enough space to make them very practical for a number of uses, most importantly transportation. The use of biofuels and synthetic fuels reduces the u. They also only provide a small benefit over fossil fuels in regards to greenhouse gases since they still require high amounts of energy to grow, collect, and process.

Department of energy doe is committed to advancing technological solutions to promote and. From these perspective is possible to realize that biofuels use a high amount of fossil fuel energy in the agricultural and industrial conversion stages. The world economy is strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Things such as wood, sawdust, grass cuttings, and garbage, which can be directly burned, are included in this category. Even as renewables increase, fossil fuels continue to. To combat our reliance on fossil fuels, the development of multiple biofuels are still being researched. The reason why fossil fuels are so much better is that mother nature spent the effort to produce them over hundreds of millions of years and we only need to harvest the end result.

Since biofuels which can be made from corn, sugar cane, soybeans or other organic sources are produced from renewable resources, goes the argument, they can go a long way to helping break america from its 21millionbarrelsaday oil habit and provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are carbonbased energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas created over the millennia from decayed plants and sea creatures that accumulated in the oceans. The carbon footprint of biofuels has often been a source of contention. Fossil fuels production peaks, declines and depletions depend on their proved reserves, exploration and consumption rates.