The fossil energy ratio fer is the ratio of energy output to nonrenewable energy. Biofuels have the potential to reduce the energy and greenhouse gas emission. Petroleum, along with coal and natural gas, are what we call fossil fuels. Negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels. Any biofuel produced from sustainable feedstock will fit into this category.
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. Biofuels are fuels produced from plant raw materials or derived from living organisms hence their prefix bio. Less common biofuels are also being researched and improved as people seek to find alternatives to fossil fuel. History of the technology and use of biofuels until three centuries ago, navigation basically used the winds, ocean currents and. A costbenefit analysis of the production and use of biofuels. 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. Benchmarking biofuelsa comparison of technical, economic and.
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. In addition to climate change and energy security, the opportunity. These fuels, while releasing particulates, have less environmental impact than fossil fuels. 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. A couple of reasons, some of which are widely known and others of which are not widely known. Emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the world left and the u. 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.
Jan 29, 2015 in fact, burning biomass directly emits a bit more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels for the same amount of generated energy. Read chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels online, read in mobile or kindle. Spikes in oil prices, and now global efforts to stave off the worst effects of climate change, have lent new urgency to. This report focuses on ethanol and biodiesel, the most widely available biofuels.
One downside to fossil fuels is that farmland that could be used for food production is instead used to grow fuel. Pdf current global energy supplies are dominated by fossil fuels, with much smaller contributions from nuclear power and. Pdf biofuels as the starring substitute to fossil fuels. Things such as wood, sawdust, grass cuttings, and garbage, which can be directly burned, are included in this category. Here we develop a model for dynamic bioenergy lifecycle analysis. Fossil fuels carry enough energy in a small enough space to make them very practical for a number of uses, most importantly transportation.
A comparative study of combustion between biofuels and fossil fuels. For example, there are only 663 biodiesel filling stations in the u. The use of b20 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel, a common biodiesel blend in the u. In order to replace fossil fuels in cars and trucks, liquid biofuels must. 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.
Nan shi doris chen yu hui becky li songxu daniel wu. Fossil fuels, like oil, had been the major energy source ever since the start of the industrial revolution. Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels world. 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. Introduction to biofuel april 30, 2009 eep 142 presented by. Positives of biofuels the energy content of biodiesel is about 90% that of petroleum diesel. Biofuels are fuels of bio origin, most frequently obtained from crops. The energy content of butanol is about 80% that of gasoline. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel are made from crude oil or petroleum. This last post in our series on vehicle fuels and technology gives an overview of fossil fuels and their alternatives. Fossil fuels vs biofuels chemistry bibliographies cite.
Most secondgeneration biofuels will have energy balances as positive as for brazilian ethanol. 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. The effects of the use of fossil fuels and biofuels on the global carbon cycle and global climate change. 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. 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. 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. Life cycle analyses lca are used to compare biofuels to fossil fuels. Feedstocks and the future biofuels in the energy transformation making the generation. Are biofuels an effective and viable energy strategy for. All combustion, whether of a fossil fuel or biofuel, proceeds via the.
This is meant to be a standalone unit, however we strongly recommend that teachers use this biofuels vs. We hear a lot about biofuels and fossil fuels in the news, but sometimes the two terms can get tangled in our minds. 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. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit wisconsin energy institute. These analyses are made according to the iso 1404043 standards, which using a defined unit compare mass and energy balances. Currently, the global biofuel production is estimated to. 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. 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. Fossil fuels unit along with the entire suite of carbon time units.
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. 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. Pdf on jan 1, 2018, usman lawan muhammad and others. 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. First and foremost is the issue of cost both of biofuels and of its competitors. Biofuels vs fossil fuels wisconsin energy institute. The use of b100 100% biodiesel can reduce co 2 emissions by 74%. The energy content of ethanol is about 50% that of gasoline. Hill et al describe the features desirable in new biofuels. Worldwide proven oil, gas and coal reserves are 1,688 billion barrels bb.
Biofuels are among the few fuels for medium and heavyduty trucking that are renewable. Page 6 why do we say sustainable aviation fuel, rather than biofuels. Donald smith, scientific director of biofuelnet canada, explains the difference between biofuels and fossil fuels, in terms of carbon cycling. 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. Pdf a comparative study of combustion between biofuels and. Fossil fuels worksheets middle school dsoftschools. A general model of simultaneous use of fossil fuels and biofuels. Highcapacity offgrid solar generator rev 4 wiring diagram, parts list, design worksheet duration. The fossil energy ratio fer is the ratio of energy output to nonrenewable energy inputs. The development and use of these new fuels have many advantages both in financial and environmental terms.
Use of energy sources consolidated and forecasted from 1850 to 2100 nakicenovic, n. Fossil fuels and biofuels the author of todays post, sheryl canter, is an online writer and editorial manager at environmental defense. However, the direct combustion process used to generate energy from oil releases byproducts that drastically affect the environment. Biofuels shall significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as compared to fossil fuels. Biofuels issues and trends energy information administration. Burning fossil fuels produces co2 and other greenhouse gases 2.
They are thus in contrast to the fossil fuels that result from a degradation process taking several thousand years. Introduction to biofuel university of california, berkeley. Both of these fuels are mainly used in blends with fossil fuels, but they are. Biofuels vs fossil fuels unit great lakes bioenergy. 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. Biofuels, fossil energy ratio, and the future of energy production in. 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. Jul 25, 2006 negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and concerns about petroleum supplies have spurred the search for renewable transportation biofuels. Biofuel production costs and biomass availability 7. Biofuels can only reduce atmospheric co 2 over time through postharvest increases in net primary production npp.
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. Pdf chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels download. Biofuels burn cleaner than fossil fuels, resulting in fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, particulate emissions. Download chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels ebook free in pdf and epub format. To describe whats needed to wean the country off fossil fuels, people often use the word transition. Biodiesel co 2 emissions are assumed to be taken up again by growth of new feedstock, thus, tailpipe co 2 emissions. A woodgas burner, for example, can be mounted right on a tractor.