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Renewable energy and non-renewable energy compare and comparison essay
Pros and cons of traditional sources of energy
Renewable energy and non-renewable energy compare and comparison essay
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Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas are currently the world’s largest energy supply sources. However, all of it is non-renewable resources which means that it will take extremely long time to be formed and with the huge amount of consumption rate, one day the world will ran out of its main energy source. Therefore, alternative energy sources are needed to cut off the dependence on fossil fuels. One of the best alternative energy sources is ethanol. Ethanol is a renewable energy source as it uses sunlight, which will last almost forever, as a part of its production process. Ethanol is also an environmental-friendly energy source because it helps in reducing smog pollution and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50%. This makes ethanol a perfect alternative energy source. Ethanol can act as a raw material for polymers such as polyethylene through the dehydration reaction. This dehydration reaction has been known and popular for many decades because of its simplicity, the reaction process is also claimed to be not cost-competitive, which is why ethanol can be used as a raw material for polymers.
Compared to fossil fuels, ethanol have some advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is its status as a renewable energy source, which is defined as a natural source that refills as time passes and is unlimited. Ethanol is a renewable energy source because it uses sunlight as a source for its production process. Sunlight is required for the photosynthesis process in plants such as corn which can be described by the equation:
The photosynthesis process helps plants to grow and survive before being converted into ethanol. Fossil fuels, however, is a non-renewable energy source.Thousand years are needed for fossil ...
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...ed States. The United States is the largest producer of ethanol fuel in the world. Many states in the country required ethanol blends, some of them required gasoline to contain at least 10 percent of ethanol. Both countries that are successful in using biofuel have something in common, they have the courage to make the policy that encouraged their citizen to use ethanol for their vehicles, as a result they are able to cut off their dependance on non-renewable resources.
Biobutanol has the potential to replace ethanol as a fuel in the future. Recent studies suggested that it does not damage car engines like ethanol does, it reduces fuel mileage , and it can blended with gasoline directly in the refinery. In conclusion, butanol can make up for ethanol’s weaknesses. However, butanol fuel is said to be too expensive and not competitive enough to compete with ethanol.
The majority of life on Earth depends on photosynthesis for food and oxygen. Photosynthesis is the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen using the sun’s light energy (Campbell, 1996). This process consists of two parts the light reactions and the Calvin cycle (Campbell, 1996). During the light reactions is when the sun’s energy is converted into ATP and NADPH, which is chemical energy (Campbell, 1996). This process occurs in the chloroplasts of plants cell. Within the chloroplasts are multiple photosynthetic pigments that absorb light from the sun (Campbell, 1996).
In conclusion, Corn Ethanol Biofuel has many negative and positive effects. It has a negative effect because it releases greenhouse gases but positive effects as well because it is inexpensive to produce and use, and is a renewable source. The future of corn ethanol is uncertain: “Corn-based ethanol will most likely not be the staple fuel source in the future, as it is only a short term solution and poses problems in the long run. Ethanol contains 33% less energy than gasoline, and corrodes engines that it is used in. Average production and final sales are 62 cents/gal higher than conventional gasoline. Even though political support is waning, Congress will most likely not abandon corn ethanol.” ("Future of Corn Ethanol.) I think corn ethanol
Cushman, Lynd, Nichols, Wyman. “Fuel Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass.” Science. March 1991. Vol 251 (4999):1321
So, after learning about what photosynthesis is and how it truly works is something that is remarkable and how plants are really the only living thing that uses this process. Such as photosynthesis is the process of taking in carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a gas that is exhaled from animals and goes into the air and is absorbed into a plant, water (H2O) which is absorbed through the roots of a plant or known as capillary action, sun light is absorbed through chloroplasts which contains chlorophyll or better known as the leaves of the plant. Sun light is what helps break down and rearranges the atoms of these two, which produces sugars (glucose, C6H12O6), and this is photosynthesis at its finest. With the photosynthesis process the plant can create a by-product known as oxygen gas which is released through the little pores into the atmosphere (Simon, Dickey, Hogan & Reece, n.d.). Photosynthesis is something that helps the plants to grow but it is also very beneficial to us for the fact that we need to breath oxygen to maintain our functions of life. Plants produce an abundant supply of energy that is stored because they are what I would like to call savers/hoarders. Plants store the extra energy that they produce into different things such as potatoes, carrots, and other different types of food in which we use to
Do the gas prices frustrate you every time you pull up to the pump? Gas companies are charging too much for the natural resource that is turned into what we know as gasoline. Gas companies discourage research and new ideas every year. Afraid of losing the market that they have cornered they buy patents. This way the patents will never be used and they still have the market cornered. Ethanol is a much safer and more economical solution to our gas problem. It is cleaner burning and it can be produced from year to year. Ethanol will allow the United States public to get away from the corruption of big gas business and finally be able to enjoy better prices at the pump. The gas companies do not need to be relied on any longer. The United States public should use ethanol. The economic help would be tremendous. It creates jobs, lowers gas prices, and reduces imports of oil to the U.S.
Cellulosic ethanol will not be able to meet its mandated output because in the past four years since demonstration and pilot sites started popping up it has only just started t...
Ethanol production was developed in hopes of severing our ties with fossil fuels in favor of alternative energy, such as biofuels. Although, VOCs emissions are released during production of ethanol in a factory, the quality of air is greatly improved when burning ethanol versus fossil fuels. Burning ethanol instead of fossil fuels reduces the amount of cancer-causing greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. Ethanol production ranks at the bottom of industrial water usage, but is still not out of the woods with the abundance of water usage needed in corn feedstock and ethanol manufacturing and processing facilities. Many acres of land are needed to grow corn crops, however, many corn farmers are successful in growing more corn on less acreage.
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration help sustain life on planet earth as both are metabolic processes in their own way. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and other organisms use energy from the sun to form glucose from water and carbon dioxide. From there, glucose is then converted to ATP by way of cellular respiration. To convert nutrients that are biochemical energy into ATP, a process such as cellular respiration that has reactions needs to take shape in the cell of an organism, releasing waste products at the same time. For the continuous energy cycle that tolerates life on Earth as we know it Photosynthesis and Cellular respiration very essential. They have a few stages where energy and various connections occur within the eukaryotic cell. Cellular respiration takes place in the lysosome, an organelle that is found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. It uses enzymes to break down biomolecules including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Photosynthesis involves the chloroplasts, which contain pigments that absorb the sunlight and then transfigure them to sugars the plant can use. Those specific processes are crucial in how far and diversified evolution has
“Photosynthesis (literally, “synthesis from light”) is a metabolic process by which the energy of sunlight is captured and used to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into carbohydrates (which is represented as a six-carbon sugar, C6H12O6) and oxygen gas (O2)” (BioPortal, n.d., p. 190).
With the fuel crisis that is happening in the world today it is now more important than ever to begin the look towards alternative fuel sources. One smart step for the US would be to wean the country slowly off of the gasoline fix and to look into alternative fuels to replace the “never coming back” fossil fuels. It turns out that Ethanol as a hybrid fuel proves to be a notable candidate for this gasoline intervention, per say. Now the United States is currently looking to subsidize fossil fuel alternatives. However, before considering ethanol production as a governmental subsidy, using large amounts of hard earned tax payer money, there has to be many alternative factors that come into play such as making sure the pros out weight the cons as far as environmental benefits and performance output and not to mention looking at the entire matter from an economic or investment perspective. First we need to consider what the ethanol we are talking about actually is and how can we obtain it.
One disadvantage with renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate as much electricity that fossil fuel generates. This means that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use or simply build more renewable energy facilities. Another disadvantage of renewable energy sources is reliability. Renewable energy relies on the weather for its source of power. Hydro generators need flowing water, wind turbines need wind to turn the blades, and solar panels need clear skies and sunlight to collect heat and make electricity.(SOLARSCHOOLS). When these are unavailable we can 't attain energy from them. The current cost of renewable energy technology is also more expensive than fossil fuel technology. This is because it is a newer technology and as such has extremely large capital
Photosynthesis is a process in plants that converts light energy into chemical energy, which is stored in bonds of sugar. The process occurs in the chloroplasts, using chlorophyll. Photosynthesis takes place in green leaves. Glucose is made from the raw materials, carbon dioxide, water, light energy and oxygen is given off as a waste product. In these light-dependent reactions, energy is used to split electrons from suitable substances such as water, producing oxygen. In plants, sugars are produced by a later sequence of light-independent reactions called th...
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants and other organisms convert the light energy from the sun or any other source into chemical energy that can be released to fuel an organism’s activities. During this reaction, carbon dioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. This process takes place in leaf cells which contain chloroplasts and the reaction requires light energy from the sun, which is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll. The plants absorb the water through their roots from the earth and carbon dioxide through their leaves.
Ever since I began studying science and mathematics at all levels of educations I have always had an interest in the production of useful materials. In the growing turmoil of today; a world full of global warming and diminishing resources, questions often arise in my mind such as, "can we make a more efficient, more durable and a renewable resource that will overshadow fossil fuels? and have less of an impact on our environment?" Up to now, I have not found a solution to these questions and answering these questions is a personal aspiration of mine which I aim to fulfil by achieving a degree in Chemical engineering and eventually I will contribute to the field in my own unique way. The debate surrounding sustainable energy fascinates me, having recently learned from personal research I have understood what an authoritative role chemists and chemical engineers play in the industry at the present time and how, by working as a team, they contribute to an improved future for the whole world. However, one of the main reasons that has single-mindedly driven me this far to want to study chemical engineering is a book I have read, “Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering” While reading this book, I had solidified my understandings of what chemical engineering is all about. Also, one of the main processes mentioned was polymerisation and is something I already study in A-level chemistry, it is something that not only interests me, but is a personal career aspiration of mine. Reading this book gave me a determination to be the person who helps improve the future of the industry and provide an answer to the questions I always ask myself by studying this degree.
This chemical energy, stored in plants is the fuel that sustains life. PHOTOSYNTHESIS: The Light Reaction. ----------------------------------- Photosynthesis takes place in the leaves of plants. There are two stages; the light-dependant or light reaction and the light-independent or dark reaction.