Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ethanol expands, it can be used to increase ethanol production without causing
food shortages or demands, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our
dependence on fossil fuels.
5 Final Thoughts
Research on renewable and environmentally sustainable fuels has received a lot
of impetus in recent years. With oil at high prices, alternative renewable energy
has become very attractive. Many of these technologies are eco-friendly. Besides
ethanol, other environmentally sustainable fuels include biodiesel and biobutanol.
A recent United Nations report urges governments to beware the human and
environmental impacts of switching to energy derived from plants. There should
a healthy debate about turning food crops or animal feed into fuel and the conse-
quences of the switch to biofuels needs to be carefully thought out. Thus the focus
of biofuel production needs to be on non-edible and waste sources. In the case of
biodiesel, these include restaurant grease, non-edible sources like Jatropha as well as
microalgae. Biobutanol is a renewable, biodegradable, alternative fuel, which can be
used neat or blended with gasoline. Properties such as energy density, octane value,
and Reid vapor pressure (RVP) are similar to gasoline; hence current vehicles can
use biobutanol without any engine modifications. Biobutanol can be produced from
biomass by the fermentation of sugars and starches or by thermochemical routes
using gasification.
Ethanol is made through the fermentation of sugars, and sugar cane offers many
advantages. Unlike corn-based fuels, sugarcane requires no fossil fuels to process.
Cellulosic ethanol, derived from a range of crops, such as switchgrass and crop
waste, is more economical than corn ethanol because it requires far less energy.
While there is no single magic bullet that can completely replace our dependence
of petroleum, the focus needs to shift on fuels that can not only alleviate our
dependence on petroleum but are also renewable and environmentally sustainable.
References
1. World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas, Most Recent Estimates. Washington D.C.:
Energy Information Administration, August 27, 2008 (Accessed September 29, 2008, at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html
.)
2. Statistics (2008)
Oil and Gas Journal
106(36): 72-74.
3. Statistics (2008)
Oil and Gas Journal
106(33): 74-76.
4. Monthly Energy Review: October. Washington D.C.: Energy Information Administration,
1998.
5. Monthly Energy Review: September. Washington D.C.: Energy Information Administration,
2008 (Accessed October 3, 2008, at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/mer/pdf/mer.pdf.
)
6. Krause C. (August 1, 2008) Exxon's Second-Quarter Earnings Set a Record
The New
York Times
(Accessed September 29, 2008, at
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/business/
01oil.html.
)
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