Bioodiesel

Can Bio-fuel be the solution?

The use of biomass instead of natural gas to power up facilities capable of producing bio-fuel is very expensive, however, the cost-efficiency of bio-fuel improves considerably when biomass is utilized to power up the facilities. Biomass can power up a facility while the waste can be reutilized to convert biomass into energy, and can also have other benefits such as electricity and a cleaner environment because it recycles waste to transform it into bedding for livestock or as potting soil. It can be produced within American soil and the residues can be utilized to feed cattle, however the cattle must be located within a 15 mile radius of a plant (“ALTERNATIVE FUELS,” 2007)., the use of bio-fuel can also damage the rubber hoses in some older engines and because of that it can cause a negative reaction among users.

Biodiesel reduces most forms of air pollution compared to petroleum diesel. Most importantly, biodiesel reduces compounds and air toxics known for causing cancer. Biodiesel contains 0-24 ppm sulfur, which significantly reduces sulfur dioxide emissions and it can also reduce the soot and smell of diesel exhaust. The oil used for biodiesel gets recycled, burned and the leftover plant material decomposes returning as CO2 which results in no accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere in comparison with regular diesel so it does not contribute to global climate. Although it sounds like bio-fuel is the key to actual energy problems it has one big down side to it, the cost to produce bio-fuel is really high in comparison with petroleum diesel. Government studies have calculated the net energy balance of corn ethanol from 1.3 to 1.7, which means that for every unit of energy used to produce corn ethanol, about 1.3 to 1.7 units are spend! (“ALTERNATIVE FUELS,” 2007). It seems out of logic to spend more energy to produce less, however the way the energy is produced is what pays off the investment and in the long run it does not only...