Fueling the future: Biodiesel

Biodiesel is renewable alternative fuel (non petroleum) produced form a wide rand of vegetable oil and animal fats. It is safe and biodegradable and the emissions are non toxic to humans.Biodiesel can be used in the pure form B100 or may be blended with petroleum diesel.Research conducted by petroleum producers have found out that petroleum diesel is better than biodiesel and bioiesel reduces the engine ware (at cost of creating less environmental hazards).The production of biodiesel on large scale is still under immense research and on the other hand, hundred and thousand of people who have switch their old and new vehicles on pure biodiesel that is produced at home yet there has not been no serious complaints about such ware and tear of the engine. It is facts that engine become a little less efficient. Another strong reason that people use biodiesel is that there is no need of war to fight over it.

According to the RTFO Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation 2007 introduced by Govt. of the United Kingdom, by 2010 their intention is that the renewable transport fuel should make 5% ,by volume of the total road transport fuel sales in the UK, by the time RTFO reaches 2010 it would be able to create a market of 2.5 billion liters of biofuels a year. This would reduce GHG emissions million tones of carbon a year. This would certainly produce an extra demand for vehicles that run on completely on biofulels. If you are planning to buy a new vehicle considering less green house gas emissions in to the atmosphere, these vehicles can come in handy for you and the environment.

Mercedes E320 CDI

VW New Beetle

VW Jetta and VW Jetta Wagon

VW Golf TDI

Liberty Jeep 2.8 Turbo diesel.

So, Don’t blow it,good planets are hard to find.

3rd Generation Biofuel Algae

As known as Oilgae as well, is being considered to be the third generation biofuel. Its production is low cost and high yield, almost 30 times more energy production per acre as compared to the land required by other conventional feedstock to produce biofuels. At present researches are being conducted by Alga culture (farming Algae) to produce different fuels to harvest for making vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol and other biofuels and it seems if the methodology is sustainable than other available biofuels then using algae to produce bio diesel would be the only viable method to replace the need of gasoline used for automotive today. Biofuels are considered to be the best way to reduce green house gas emissions and alternate to the pollutant fossil fuels. But recently, according to Nobel Laureate Paul Cortzen findings, some of the most commonly used biofuels Bioethanol from corn and bio diesel from rapeseed releases Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is contributing much more to the global warming than the fossil fuels are contributing right now. Processing of biofuel form algae has been tested that it captures large amounts of CO2 and N2O available in the atmosphere( 40% in a course of full day and 80% in sunny days) and an acre of algae can produce enough oil to make 5,000 gallons of biodiesel in a year. According to my point of view biodiesel and bio ethanol from rapeseed and corn is not only adding to global warming but economically it cannot be sustainable because its one of the main sources of edible oil. Ethanol demand can threaten the food prices. A recent study conducted by Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University reveled that considering the high-price crude oil scenario, U.S. ethanol production could reach 30 billion gallons by 2016, consuming more than half of U.S. corn, wheat and other coarse grain production and triggering higher meat prices for consumers, reduced production across-the-board for all segments of the meat sector, and even greater reductions in grain and meat exports. Taking in review the sustainability and economic factor biofuel from Alga culture seems to be most promising fuel for future.