Pros and Cons of Biodiesel
Every day, oil is a topic that will make its way in the news, water dispenser chit-chat, and even family dinner conversations. Gasoline such is an essential part of people's daily comings and goings that it is difficult not to be affected by the increase of petrol prices, the fear of exhausting fuel reserves, and the effects petroleum has on the planet. All this concern over oil has brought out more interest in alternative fuels, including biodiesel.
Biodiesel is one of the major biofuels, fuels made from biological ingredients rather than fossil fuels. Biodiesel is usually made from numerous natural resources, like plant oils or animal fat, through a series of chemical reactions. It is used in diesel engines, and
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Should we advocate harder for the government to invest more in this biofuel? The opinion surrounding biodiesel is split with each proponent focusing on the advantages and disadvantages. But the best way to make an informed decision on the matter is to study the pros and cons.
List of Pros of Biodiesel
1. It is environmentally friendly.
Currently, biodiesel is the only biofuel to have successfully completed emissions testing in accordance with the Clean Air Act. It does not produce any hazardous emissions. It is biodegradable, so even if a biodiesel spill happens, it has less damage on the environment and the cleanup would be easier. In addition to that, it is also renewable. In fact, cooking oil or grease can be turned into biodiesel.
2. It is safer.
It is non-toxic and gives fewer particulates when burnt, reducing the risk of respiratory illnesses. Research shows that it is even ten times less toxic than table salt. Also, it has a higher flashpoint compared to conventional diesel. This means it is less likely to accidentally combust because it burns at a higher temperature, thus, it makes storage and transportation easier and safer.
3. It is ready to
pros-and-cons>. Hassett, Kevin A., and Aparna Mathur. "American Enterprise Institute. " Benefits of Hydraulic Fracking.
Both gasoline and ethanol have been around since the time of Henry Ford. Gasoline has been the more accessible of all of them. Ethanol and natural gas have been gaining more support over the years and now gasoline contains ten percent ethanol. Propane is mostly used in fleet vehicles. Cars today can run on gasoline with a little ethanol, but too much ethanol can severely damage a vehicle. Only flex fuel vehicles can handle more than ten percent ethanol in a system. Natural gas vehicles are starting to come onto the market. All three fuels have their pros and cons, but the ultimate decision is up to the consumer.
The diesel engines combustion process is a little different than the typical gasoline engine. A couple main things that diesel engines have that gasoline engines do not are, carburetors and spark plugs. Unlike a gasoline engine, air is first allowed into the cylinder rather than a fuel and air mixture. Once the air is compressed it creates a source of heat, then a mist of fuel is injected to start the combustion process which then creates the energy. Since diesel engines do not have spark plugs they are able to take in larger amount of fuel, this obviously means there will be more power and will guarantee better efficiency. Another thing that is very important is that diesel tends to be a better lubricant than gasoline, being that it is a better lubricant there will be less friction which will generally increase the life of the engine (Woodford). Diesel engines operate at slower speeds than gasoline engines, therefore diesel engines tend to have longer lifespans than gasoline
Biodiesel is considered an environmentally friendly alternative because it reduces the amount many toxic substances. Plants such as soybeans require carbon dioxide from the air to produce their stems, roots and leaves. During biodiesel production from soybean oil, carbon dioxide is produced and released in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered a green house gas (GHG). However, this cycle of GHG emission does not neccersarily contribute to the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This is because the next soybean crop will reuse the carbon dioxide emitted for its growth. Another important environmental benefit is that biodiesel reduces particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. These benefits occur because biodiesel contains 11% oxygen by weight. Oxygen allows the fuel to burn better, resulting in fewer emissions from unburned fuel. And lastly, biodiesel fuels do not contain any sulfur and does not have an unpleasant smell when it is emitted from vehicles.
A Modest Proposal for Methanol and Ethanol Powered Cars "We need more stringent regulations on car emissions. Let's add MTBE to the fuel- that will reduce pollution. If people would just stop driving so much, pollution wouldn't be so bad. " People have long recognized the problems with the gasoline we use now. We have tried everything from putting regulations on emissions, to putting additives in the gasoline (only to discover later that MTBE got into the groundwater), to campaigns to get people off the road.
They are rapidly bio-degradable and non-toxic to human beings and other organisms. Bio degradable oils can be:- • Vegetable oil based includes corn, soya bean, rapeseed, sunflower, peanut, olive oil and others. They are triglyceride molecular structures that possess good lubrication properties due to their polar nature, provide metal wetting attraction, keeps dirt and debris out of metal surface by acting as solvent, molecular structure provides high natural viscosity. But on the other hand, there are few performance limitations like poor oxidation, thermal and hydrolytic stability.
First of all there is one well known way of making a man made oil which eventually becomes gasoline or diesel fuel, that has been around for a long time, it is called bio fuel. Bio fuel is a fuel that is made from plants or other growin...
it is lighter than aluminium, and is used in alloys used for aircraft, car engine casings, and missile construction
There are many different types of alternative fuels. Ethanol is derived domestically from corn and other crops it creates less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels. (fueleconomy.gov) Bio diesel is produced from oils which are from vegetables also some animal fats; it will most likely create less air pollutants than petroleum based fuels do in the environment. (fueleconomy.gov) Natural Gas is a fossil fuel that produces less air pollutants and greenhouse gases than most other fuels do. (fueleconomy.gov) “Hydrogen may be produced domestically from fossil fuels such as coal, nuclear power, or other things like renewable resources, such as hydro power; fuel cell vehicles which are powered by pure hydrogen do not tend to create any harmful pollutants in the environment.
Secondly, the use of biofuels is not a cost effective option as they are more expensive than fossil fuels. According to the County Commissions of the US Department of Agriculture and North Dakota State University, there are around seven biodiesel producers in the US. Biodiesel is the mix of biofuel and diesel in 20:80 ratio, which means that the cost of biodiesel will be around 20$ more ...
The main points I presented included whether or not to utilize alternative sources, such as: Geothermal, biofuels, or solar. Another stance on the topic is to remain using generic fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. The common ground would be to use both alternative sources and traditional fuels to sustain efficiency. There are multiple benefits to alternative sources. Benefits of biofuels include the fact that they can come from a variety of sources, such as plant materials, crops, and recycled vegetable oils, as per Christopher Cone of Science Progress stated. Another source is biodiesel, which replaces standard diesel. If utilized, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, secure energy supplies, and promote the standardization of renewable energy. More positives of alternative sources suggest possible tax exempts, lower costs overall, coming from domestic sources, and also the availability of blending with multiple sources at a time. Possible negatives include the disadvantage of being limited or refined by OEM companies (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and scarcity of refueling options. The Environmental Defense Fund suggests, “using alternative sources, as traditional fossil fuels are known to cause health concerns…” (EDF). These health concerns include toxic compounds attacking organs, causing brain damage, or possible death. In parts of the country where lakes and waterways have been contaminated with mercury from
...self to not be such a good place for hard earned taxpayer money. It shows great signs of reducing of automobile pollution, decreased foreign oil dependency as well as steps towards being a greener society. On the reverse, the implicated price would be significantly higher, at a starting price of $3.95 per gallon, the induced miles per gallon in FFVs takes a huge hit and are the miles per gallon are significantly lower which would lead to an even higher estimated cost for consumers. Not to mention the production of corn ethanol draws a net negative energy loss due to ethanol’s weak energy output. This all meaning that more money goes in to get less energy out. Over all, ethanol is a great idea in the mindset of moving towards a greener society and becoming self-sustainable as a country, but proves to be a negative investment choice as far as a government subsidy.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is an organism, such as a plant, animal, or any microorganism who’s had its DNA changed in different ways through genetic engineering that is not natural. It is an organism like every other organism, which produces thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen were specifically by humans. It creates unstable combinations of plants, animal, bacterial, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Majority of Americans in the US consume nearly 200 pounds of GMOs each year. 90% of US crops are genetically modified.
Diesel engines are an important component of society in how they are used efficiently and effectively. Diesel engines have been around since 1892 when inventor Rudolph Diesel was able to achieve his goal of developing an internal combustion engine that can achieve maximum efficiency as seen in the Carnot Theorem. The Carnot Theorem set the standard for determining the maximum
The oil refinery converts crude oil into valuable products and supplies. These products are made and sent to many countries abroad, in which are transported on land or along rivers and canals. Crude oil is then arranged and categorized into segments by fractional distillation. Raw crude oil, or unprocessed crude oil, is not normally beneficial in most industrial applications. Low sulfur crude oil has been valuable as a burner fuel to construct steam for the force of seagoing vessels. The lighter elements have the ability to construct explosive and dangerous vapors in the gas tanks. There are extremely hazardous, and are often used in war ships. The remaining hydrocarbon molecules are filtered from crude oil and used towards lubricants, feedstock, plastics, and fuels.