Algae can be grown in places where traditional crops cannot be grown and it consumes carbon dioxide, thus making it better than traditional sources of biofuels. Biofuels burn cleaner than fossil fuels, resulting in fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, particulate emissions. Biofuels issues and trends energy information administration. Renewable fuels can be produced by the agricultural sector planted crops and crop residues and the nonagricultural sector planted trees and tree residues, animal waste material and byproducts, slash and precommercial thinnings, according to the epa. The effects of the use of fossil fuels and biofuels on the global carbon cycle and global climate change. Fossil fuels vs biofuels chemistry bibliographies cite. But most calculations claiming that bioenergy reduces greenhouse gas emissions relative to burning fossil fuels do not include the carbon dioxide released when biomass is burned. A general model of simultaneous use of fossil fuels and biofuels. Petroleum, along with coal and natural gas, are what we call fossil fuels. Fossil fuels worksheets middle school dsoftschools. The energy content of butanol is about 80% that of gasoline. Introduction to biofuel university of california, berkeley. Read chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels online, read in mobile or kindle. This is meant to be a standalone unit, however we strongly recommend that teachers use this biofuels vs.
Fossil fuels in the form of coal, oil, and natural gas have been used to power industrial technology and transportation since the 18thcentury industrial revolution. 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. The climate impact of biofuels therefore depends on co 2 emissions from combustion of biofuels versus fossil fuels, the fate of the harvested land and dynamics of npp. We hear a lot about biofuels and fossil fuels in the news, but sometimes the two terms can get tangled in our minds. 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. To be a viable alternative, a biofuel should provide a net energy gain, have environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies. Jan 29, 2015 in fact, burning biomass directly emits a bit more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels for the same amount of generated energy. Biofuels are among the few fuels for medium and heavyduty trucking that are renewable. Here we develop a model for dynamic bioenergy lifecycle analysis. Burning fossil fuels produces co2 and other greenhouse gases 2. Feedstocks and the future biofuels in the energy transformation making the generation. Biofuels vs fossil fuels wisconsin energy institute. Nan shi doris chen yu hui becky li songxu daniel wu. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit great lakes bioenergy.
Environmental effects 195 1970 1980 1990 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 sulfur nitrogen million tons 1985 1995 0 4000 8000 12000 16000 20000 thousand short tons so 2 no x figure 1. Spikes in oil prices, and now global efforts to stave off the worst effects of climate change, have lent new urgency to. A woodgas burner, for example, can be mounted right on a tractor. Page 6 why do we say sustainable aviation fuel, rather than biofuels. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel are made from crude oil or petroleum.
Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels world. Introduction to biofuel april 30, 2009 eep 142 presented by. Department of energy doe is committed to advancing technological solutions to promote and increase the use of clean, abundant, affordable, and domestically and sustainablyproduced biofuels to. Benchmarking biofuelsa comparison of technical, economic and. Donald smith, scientific director of biofuelnet canada, explains the difference between biofuels and fossil fuels, in terms of carbon cycling. Apr 17, 2015 these slides use concepts from my jeff funk course entitled analyzing hitech opportunities to examine the increasing economic feasibility of algae biofuels. 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 development and use of these new fuels have many advantages both in financial and environmental terms. Download chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels ebook free in pdf and epub format.
The fossil energy ratio fer is the ratio of energy output to nonrenewable energy. Use of energy sources consolidated and forecasted from 1850 to 2100 nakicenovic, n. Comparison with fossil fuels, ethanol and biodiesel in europe and brazil through life cycle assessment lca. Fossil fuels and biofuels the author of todays post, sheryl canter, is an online writer and editorial manager at environmental defense. Negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels. Pdf current global energy supplies are dominated by fossil fuels, with much smaller contributions from nuclear power and. Biofuels shall significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as compared to fossil fuels. The key issue to take into consideration is that higher amount of biofuels may make the overall fuel costs more expensive than the fossil fuels on a shortterm horizon. Less common biofuels are also being researched and improved as people seek to find alternatives to fossil fuel. In order to replace fossil fuels in cars and trucks, liquid biofuels must.
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. Learning objectives the positive and negative effects of using fossil fuels and biofuels, why fossil fuels are so prevalent, what are some alternatives to fossil fuels. To describe whats needed to wean the country off fossil fuels, people often use the word transition. For example, there are only 663 biodiesel filling stations in the u. This report focuses on ethanol and biodiesel, the most widely available biofuels. Fossil fuels, like oil, had been the major energy source ever since the start of the industrial revolution. 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. The fossil energy ratio fer is the ratio of energy output to nonrenewable energy inputs. These fuels, while releasing particulates, have less environmental impact than fossil fuels. Emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the world left and the u. The demand for fossil fuel has increased over the years, and the worlds demand for energy is projected to double by 2050 with expected population growth and the industrialization of developing countries. Currently, the global biofuel production is estimated to. Life cycle analyses lca are used to compare biofuels to fossil fuels. Most secondgeneration biofuels will have energy balances as positive as for brazilian ethanol.
Pdf on jan 1, 2018, usman lawan muhammad and others. They are thus in contrast to the fossil fuels that result from a degradation process taking several thousand years. Biofuel production shall not violate human rights or labor rights, and shall ensure decent work and the wellbeing of workers. Pdf chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels download. Any biofuel produced from sustainable feedstock will fit into this category. Positives of biofuels the energy content of biodiesel is about 90% that of petroleum diesel. A costbenefit analysis of the production and use of biofuels. The use of b100 100% biodiesel can reduce co 2 emissions by 74%. Biofuel production costs and biomass availability 7. The use of b20 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel, a common biodiesel blend in the u.
This last post in our series on vehicle fuels and technology gives an overview of fossil fuels and their alternatives. 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. The principle seeks to establish a standard methodology for comparing greenhouse gases ghg benefits. Fossil fuels carry enough energy in a small enough space to make them very practical for a number of uses, most importantly transportation. Biofuels are fuels of bio origin, most frequently obtained from crops. 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. A couple of reasons, some of which are widely known and others of which are not widely known. Worldwide proven oil, gas and coal reserves are 1,688 billion barrels bb. These analyses are made according to the iso 1404043 standards, which using a defined unit compare mass and energy balances.
Are biofuels an effective and viable energy strategy for. First and foremost is the issue of cost both of biofuels and of its competitors. Jul 25, 2006 negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels. Things such as wood, sawdust, grass cuttings, and garbage, which can be directly burned, are included in this category. All combustion, whether of a fossil fuel or biofuel, proceeds via the. Pdf biofuels as the starring substitute to fossil fuels. One downside to fossil fuels is that farmland that could be used for food production is instead used to grow fuel. Most of the literature on the green paradox that involves renewable substitutes is based on the assumption that the substitute is adopted only when the use of fossil fuels comes to an end. Both of these fuels are mainly used in blends with fossil fuels, but they are. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit wisconsin energy institute. The energy content of ethanol is about 50% that of gasoline.
However, the direct combustion process used to generate energy from oil releases byproducts that drastically affect the environment. Biofuels can only reduce atmospheric co 2 over time through postharvest increases in net primary production npp. Pdf a comparative study of combustion between biofuels and. Biodiesel co 2 emissions are assumed to be taken up again by growth of new feedstock, thus, tailpipe co 2 emissions.
Biofuels have the potential to reduce the energy and greenhouse gas emission. Hill et al describe the features desirable in new biofuels. Fossil fuels production peaks, declines and depletions depend on their proved reserves, exploration and consumption rates. When biofuels, as a general power source, first came onto the market, they were initially produced and aimed at substituting fossil fuel consumption in the road transport sector. Biofuels are fuels produced from plant raw materials or derived from living organisms hence their prefix bio. History of the technology and use of biofuels until three centuries ago, navigation basically used the winds, ocean currents and. A comparative study of combustion between biofuels and fossil fuels. Biofuels, fossil energy ratio, and the future of energy production in.