BIOFUELS

FOSSIL FUELS: WHY WE SHOULD BE

CONCERNED:
Fossil fuels are used around the country in order to power vehicles and
provide electricity, however, many are not aware of the hidden downsides
of fossil fuels.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOSSIL FUEL USE

When fossil fuels are burnt, carbon dioxide, CO2, is produced; carbon
dioxide is a gas that traps heat in the earths atmosphere and over the
last 150 years the burning of fossil fuels has led to a 25% increase in the
carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. This extra heat in our atmosphere will
have a variety of impacts: in coastal areas sea-level rise due to the
warming of oceans and melting of glaciers will lead to inundation of
populated areas and agricultural zones could suffer an increase in the
frequency of droughts. Many other harmful gases are released from the
use of fossil fuels, for example carbon monoxide which can kill you in
excess amounts and place strain on those with heart disease and nitrogen
oxide which case cause pneumonia and decrease the effectiveness of your
immune response. Fossil fuel use also produces particulates, including
dust, soot, smoke, and other suspended matter, which are respiratory
irritants. In addition, particulates may contribute to acid rain formation.
There are smaller concerns such as Thermal Pollution to worry: water
which is used as coolant can be heated and returned to rivers and lakes
where it can upset the aquatic ecosystem. There is a larger problem,
beyond what affects us as individuals. The worlds dependence on fossil
fuels mean that we will do anything to ensure that we have a supply of oil.
By 2030, as we stand, we will rely on the Middle East for two thirds of our
energy supply.

WHAT ARE GOVERNMENTS DOING?

The government are financially backing and encouraging the production of
vehicles which run on alternative fuels, on top of this ownership of a
vehicle is made easier due to subsidies for fuel efficient cars (lowered car
tax). We are also clearly told which competitive products are better than
each other using the Energy Star rating on most appliances. Many other
companies give bursaries towards energy efficient products over less
efficient ones (solar powered baths etc.).

BIODIESEL
Biodiesel, n - a fuel comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain
fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats.

BATCH METHOD OF PRODUCTION:

Add Vegetable and or animal fats and oils to methanol to produce Methyl
Ester- Biodiesel. Using Potassium Hydroxide as the catalyst at 55 degrees
C. Was with water to remove soap and separate glycerol from biodiesel.
You can test for the presence and quality of biodiesel by Gas
chromogrpahy and Mass Spectrometry and by using the BOMB
CALORIMETER.

CONTINUOUS METHOD OF PRODUCTION

Continuous Reactor with vegetable oil, ethyl acetate as the reactant and
lipase enzyme as the catalyst. Allow to run ~6 hours for optimal reaction.
Test for presence and quality of biodiesel with bomb calorimetry and

GC/Mass Spec.

BIOETHANOL
Bioethanol, n - Ethanol produced from plants such as sugar cane
or maize, used as an alternative to petrol.

METHOD:
The basic steps for large scale production of ethanol are: fermentation of
sugars, distillation, dehydration and denaturing. Prior to fermentation,
some crops require or hydrolysis of carbohydrates such as cellulose and
starch into sugars. Enzymes are used to convert starch into sugar.

FERMENTATION
Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar. The only economically
viable sugar/starch that can be used is sugar cane and corn. However
there has been much scientific research into breaking down cellulose into
sugars and subsequently converting that into ethanol.

DISTILLATION
For ethanol to be usable water must be removed, to do this distillation is
used.

DEHYDRATION
Currently, the most widely used purification method is a physical
absorption process using a molecular sieve, for example, ZEOCHEM Z303Another method, azeotropic distillation, is achieved by adding the
hydrocarbon benzene which also denatures the ethanol). A third method
involves use of calcium oxide as a desiccant.

SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOFUELS
Many describe biofuels as carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide released
when they are burnt is the same as the amount taken in during the life
cycle of the plant. However, this does not factor in the amount of fuel
needed to produce the biofuel from living matter as well as transporting it.
We must also acknowledge that the crops being used to produce biofuels
could also be used to provide food, especially in a world where food is
soon going to become a valuable resource as the population rises rapidly.
Some studies show that biofuels are actually worse for the environment
than fossil fuels due to the inefficient production process. The
deforestation caused by taking the crops could also cause a lot of harm for
habitats which use the forests. However if the manufacturing process can
be optimized and we also find a way to cure world hunger then biofuels
will be the best alternative to fossil fuels
Social implications of switching to biofuels
Biofuels have many negative and positive social and economic impacts.
For example, though still rarely used in comparison to fossil fuels, biofuels
are keeping down the price of fossil fuels. A FICC trader at BAML said that
without biofuels crude oil would be 15% more expensive and gasoline
would be more than 25% more expensive. Biofuels have also been
commented on for their ability to employ people in areas which are high in
poverty. Biofuels could become the worlds largest market mainly centred

in countries with large rainforest areas. A large amount of jobs would

become available.
There is a risk of diverting farmland and crops for biofuels production in
with the global food supply being compromised. Essentially the debate
refers to the possibility that by farmers increasing their production of
these crops, often through government subsidy incentives, their time and
land is shifted away from other types of non-biofuel crops driving up the
price of non-biofuel crops due to the decrease in production. Therefore, it
is not only that there is an increase in demand for the food staples, like
corn and cassava, that sustain the majority of the world's poor but this
also has the potential to increase the price of the remaining crops that
these individuals would otherwise need to utilize to supplement their
diets.