Biofuels

Biofuels: The Basic Facts and Its Benefits Edith del Rosario Prez Ibarra University of Guanajuato

Author Notes: Edith del Rosario Prez Ibarra, Department of Languages, University of Guanajuato This research was supported by Professor Cindy Hagenbaumer, Department of Languages, University of Guanajuato. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Edith del Rosario Prez Ibarra, Division de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Department of Chemical Engineering. Contact: blue_e16@hotmail.com

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Biofuels Abstract The constant change in climatic conditions on Earth is its desperate call to stop pollution. In the last two decades a wave has involved several countries looking for new sustainable alternatives to petroleum based combustibles. The scarcity and the high prices of the main

energy source, oil, have encouraged even more research to find a solution to these problems. By 2010 the world demand of oil was 86.95 million barrels per day and in 2009 it was 84.57 million of barrels per day which represents an increase in the demand of 2.81%. This demand will continue increasing, it is calculated that by 2030 the demand will be 118 million barrels per day which will be difficult to cover completely and the new, green and friendly fuels are an alternative to fully supply the demand. The development of biofuels, besides having benefits to decrease pollution, encourage to the creation of new technology, involving new sciences and students in its development and another great benefit is the creation of new jobs. All these factors make the development of the biofuels an important topic that needs the support of scientists, governments and general population.

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Biofuels Biofuels: The Basic Facts and Its Benefits The global interest in the development of new energy sources, like the alternative energies and the biofuels, has increased due three main factors: fears over energy security, a growing concern over global warming and high oil prices.

Nowadays, around the world 86 million barrels of oil per day are used; with foresight that this demand for liquid fuels will increase to 118 million barrels per day by 2030 this would jeopardize the coverage of such demand owing the lack of technology to produce them or due the shortage of the raw material. The global climate change has motivated growing interest in every single type of alternative energy source, including biofuels. The biofuels could help to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases from their combustion. Some countries have mandated the use of these green fuels. For example, in January of 2008 the European Union declared a goal that 10% of vehicle fuel be derived from renewable sources by 2020. The U.S. Energy Security and Independence Act requires that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into gasoline by 2022. According to Smeets (2007) the global potential for biomass that can be converted into fuels varies widely. One recent study concluded that by 2050, biomass theoretically could supply 65% of the worlds current energy consumption, with sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America accounting for roughly half of this global potential. In tropical countries, high crop yields and lower costs for land and labor provide an economic advantage that is hard for countries in temperate regions to match. All these factors have encouraged the development of new research looking for the best alternative to produce fuels different from the oil and an added benefit is that it could be a source of new jobs and the opportunity to create new technology that would generate advances in different educative institutions.

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Biofuels What are biofuels? Biofuels are defined as a renewable source of energy, which is produced from

biological material or biomass, such as sugar cane, corn, cellulose or vegetable oils. The main goal of production of biofuel is to supplement or even substitute fossil fuels, the amount of which is constantly and rapidly diminishing. Solid biofuels have been in use ever since man discovered fire. The first form of biofuel that was used by the ancient people was the wood for cooking and heating. One of the first inventors who convinced the people to use a biofuel (ethanol) was a German named Nikolas August Otto. Rudolf Diesel is the German inventor of the diesel engine that was designed the engine to run on peanut oil. During the World War II, demand of biofuels increased due to spread of their use as an alternative for imported fuel. In this stage of history, Germany was one of the countries that suffered a serious shortage of fuel. It was during this period that various other inventions took place like the use of gasoline along with alcohol that was derived from potatoes. Britain was the second country which joined to the concept of grain alcohol mixed with petrol. Technological changes took place, during the period of peace the oil prices went down and the use of biofuels was displaced by the oil. Another pioneer of biofuels was George Washington Carver. He was not directly responsible for inventing biofuels; the scope of his research was instrumental in the development of biofuels as well as other products derived from plants. A big part of his research involved peanuts and soybeans from which he developed literally hundreds of products and applications ranging from clean-burning biofuels to plastics, paint, food products, etc. What has really changed is the way these fuels are processed. Modern farming techniques have resulted in increased yields and efficiency, making these fuels competitively priced with petroleum based fuels.

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Biofuels Kinds of Biofuels Biofuels can be classified in two categories: first generation and second generation,

even some classifications can include third or fourth generation biofuels. This classification is according the kind of raw material needed to produce these green combustibles. First Generation Biofuels First-generation biofuels are made largely from edible sugars and starches. First generation biofuels are ethanol produced from corn or sugar cane and biodiesel produced from canola oil, soybean oil, or palm oil, which are produced exclusively for their use as the raw material for biofuels. The technology to produce these exists and they can be and are produced widely now. The only issue about their generation is their cost. Second Generation Biofuels Second-generation biofuels are made from nonedible plant materials. Second generation biofuels are also typically ethanol (and in some cases, related alcohols such as butane). The difference is that second generation ethanol is produced from cellulose rather than sugar made from corn or sugar cane. By not using food crops as the source of sugar, second generation biofuel production is more sustainable and has a lower impact on food production. Biofuels production In 2010 worldwide biofuel production was 105 billion liters it increased 17% from 2009 and biofuels provided 2.7% of the world's fuels for transport, the main contribution for this figure is due bioethanol and biodiesel, which are the most known biofuels. Global ethanol fuel production (first generation) reached 86 billion liters in 2010, being the United States and Brazil the world's top producers, accounting together for 90% of global production. The world's largest biodiesel producer is the European Union, accounting for 53% of all biodiesel production in 2010. As of 2011, mandates for blending biofuels exist in

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Biofuels 31 countries at the national level and in 29 states/provinces. According to the International

Energy Agency, biofuels have the potential to meet more than a quarter of world demand for transportation fuels by 2050. World Demand Almost 40% of the increase in global ethanol production should be due to the increase in the production of ethanol based on sugar cane, mainly from Brazil, to meet both domestic and US demands. Roots, tubers and molasses are expected to be used as feedstock for ethanol production in developing countries. Wheat, coarse grains and sugar beet should be used in the European Union to produce ethanol. The total production would decrease from almost 90% over the base to about 75% by 2019. This is due to the development of the production of biodiesel based on the seed of jatropha mainly in India, to the increasing use of animal fats to produce biodiesel in the US and to the availability of biomass based second generation biodiesel in the latter years of the projection period. Biomass based biodiesel should represent almost 6.5% of total biodiesel production by 2019. Advantages and disadvantages of biofuels Advantages The development of new processes to produce biofuels will provide sustainable ways to get energy. The main advantage of the biofuels is what when they are burned they release fewer greenhouse gases contributing with the environment in a positive way. Another advantage of the use of green combustibles is that through the use of waste the second generation biofuels can be produced, a great quantity of this waste or garbage couldnt be used to produce anything else, and it would just be waste that would pollute if it couldnt be converted in fuels.

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Biofuels The installation of new plants specializing in the production of biofuels would create several jobs and the economy of the cities where they be established would be helped. Disadvantages Nowadays, the technology to allow the use of pure biofuels in engines of industrial apparatuses or even in the engine of a car still does not exist, it is necessary to improve the engines and make new modifications that will allow the use of pure biofuel avoiding the use

of the petroleum derivatives which produce huge quantities of greenhouse gases. This can be seen as a disadvantage and an advantage because now it is impossible to count on the technology, but when it is developed will be an advantage because the researches about biofuels will have created new lines of investigation and development. Another disadvantage of biofuels is what the first generation biofuels need grains that could be used as food for the people and if there is a big demand of grains like corn to produce bioethanol people will need it also and could be impossible to satisfy the two markets besides the prices will rise. Land will be needed to plant these grains and the quantity of water to have a productive harvest will increase, aggravating the outlook of water scarcity. Additionally it will be necessary to produce a bigger quantity of fertilizers to get a good crop resulting in an increase of pollution from the companies that produce them.

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Biofuels References

Biofuel Development Shifting From Soil To Sea(2009), Specifically To Marine Algae, Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081220084424.htm

Davidson, S., (2008),Sustainable Bioenergy: Genomics and Biofuels Development Nature Education,
http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/sustainable-bioenergy-genomics-and-

biofuels-development-44571

Herzong, A.V., Lipman T. E., Kammen D. M., Renewable Energy Sources, Energy and Resources Group, pages 13-23

OKray, C., Kang, W.(2010); Biofuels in China: Development Dynamics, Policy Imperatives, and Future Growth, International Association for Energy Economics,23-24

Olanlyl, A.(2007); Biofuels Opportunities and Development of Renewable Energies Markets in Africa: A case of Nigeria, CEJAB Africa, 4-6

Smeets, E., Faaij, A., Lewandowski, I. (2004), A quickscan of global bio-energy potentials to 2050, Copernicus Institute, pag. 2

William, H., Clark, C., (2008) Biofuels and Sustainable Development, Sustainability Science Program, 3-7

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Biofuels Appendix A Biofuel production 2010-19

The Changes of production of biofuels by feedstock over the projection period shows that the major feedstock for ethanol production should remain coarse grains. The use of coarse grains for ethanol production should grow relatively less after 2015 when the mandate for Conventional Renewable Fuels reaches its maximum in the US. And the main major feedstock for biodiesel should be the vegetable oil. Below are shown some charts of the production of bio combustibles by feedstock:

Figure 1 Global ethanol production by feedstock

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Figure 2 Global biodiesel productions by feedstock

Figure 3 Share of feedstock used for biofuel production in global production

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