We hear the word biofuel quite often, but do we really know what it means? Biofuel is any fuel that is derived from biomass – recently living organisms or thier byproducts, such as manure from cows. It is a renewable energy source. Agricultural products specifically grown for use as biofuel include corn, soybeans and flaxseed. Most biofuel is burned to release its stored chemical energy. Waste from industry, agriculture, forestry and households is the best kind of biofuel. When you have to grow a crop specifically to use as biofuel, it can be expensive and raise the prices of the food crop. An advantage of biofuel is that the energy in the biomass can be stored for an unlimited time period while remaining resistant to weather conditions and corrosion.
The production of biofuel to replace oil and natural gas is in active development. There are some amazing discoveries, like the possibility of grass being used as an alternative to oil.
We use oil for so many things. Oil comes from fozzilized remains of ancient marine plants and animals that take ten million years to become crude oil. We use more oil and faster than it is created. Eventually we will run out. Petroleum plays a big role in our daily lives and we need to find alternatives to gasoline. The next fuel has to be clean and affordable. Ethanol is one form of fuel derived from complex carbohydrates in plants. It has the potential as a fuel but researchers still need to figure out how to produce ethanol inexpensively and efficiently. A new discovery is a grass called switchgrass. This grass is found in the United States, Canada, Central and South America and parts of Africa. It may be what fuels your car in the next twenty years. It is showing much promise.
Researchers are working on many other things from chicken fat to chocolate based fuel, but most of these yield a low net energy ratio. Energy put out isn’t more than energy put in and the cost is also a problem. Switchgrass, a native perennial to the Americas grows quickly and easily. It is a tough and hardy species. It is resistant to drought and requires very little fertilizer, if any. It has a much higher energy ratio. Every unit of energy put into cellulosic ethanol production from switchgrass creates ten times the amount of energy. This is much higher than from corn. Switchgrass has lots of cellul;ose. It even has a by-product called ligin, which is created when water is removed from the cellulose. This also shows great promise. Gasoline, which we now use, requires more energy to produce than what it yields. Switchgrass ethanoil may require seventy percent less fossil fuel to produce gasoline. (Wang). SOUNDS GREAT! So, why do we have to wait years for it to be on the market?
Researchers are still looking for cheaper ways to break down the cellulose with enzymes. They want to find ways to bring the cost way down. Another problem is getting the ethanol from refineries to fuel stations. It is highly corrosive and can’t be shipped via pipelines as oil can. It is transported by trucks, which adds to the cost of production and lowers the energy ratio. The other hurdle to overcome is having enough land to cultivate it. We would need to have enough to keep up with the demand of gasoline use. We have enough money available for this research on cellulosic technology, but the research will be time consuming.
As with every new thing, there are sceptics and there is a compettition between corn use and switchgrass. One problem that I foresee is that if we use up the land for fuel, we will not have enough for food. Will food and energy compete for land? Food surplus programs for hungry countries may dry up. I guess we will have to wait and see. Another option that is showing promise is Vetroleum which is a product produced by Sustainable Power Corporation. SSTP has been doing research on biofuel. They are an international green energy service provider focused on environmentally safe biofuel. They do not work with food crops, instead they utilize plant materials like hay, palm waste, straw and chickweed. This seems to be a viable green energy solution. For more information check sustainablepower.com
Whether it be Vetroleum or switchgrass, one thing is for sure – the world is changing toward alternative fuels and we will not be using oil in the future.
