Biofuel is yet another possible energy source we can have for the future. Many people still don’t know what biofuel is, though! Coal and oil are fossil fuels, they’re made from long-dead plants and animals. Biofuel is the same thing, except that they come from recently dead plants and other similar material. You can even use algae to make it, and avoid using foodstuffs that people need more!
We’ve been using biofuels for a long time now, as wood we burn in stoves. Ethanol and vegetable oil are more examples. How are they better than biofuel, though? Let us compare normal diesel gas and bio-diesel.
1. Biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable! Much safer for humans! It has zero emission as well. The exhaust actually smells rather nice!
2. It is harder to burn. When a car filled with biodiesel crashes, it’s not likely to explode! It’s also safer to transport because of this.
3. It can run in any normal diesel engine! No modifications needed! It can even be mixed or blended with normal diesel very easily with no problems. Many countries already do this.
4. It’s good for your vehicle! Biodiesel lubricates the engine more, thus extending life and requiring less maintenance.
How about you? What do you think of biofuel?
9 Comments
May 6, 2008 at 9:31 pm
That was clear and concise - thanks for clarifying biofuel without techie padding out.
I might even buy one of these cars next time!
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May 8, 2008 at 7:27 am
[...] 4 Good Things About Biofuel [...]
May 8, 2008 at 8:05 pm
But what about the world wide food shortages? Ridunkulous percentages of corn production has shifted to ethanol while people starve. And there is some evidence that across the lifespan of biofuels (from cultivation to burning) the impact is equal to conventional fuels. Food for thought.
May 9, 2008 at 2:58 am
Even if the biofuel have those advantages, according to TIMES magazine, biofuels eat up the rainforests such as Amazon. So, I generally disagree that biofuel is enviromental.
May 9, 2008 at 9:23 am
Biofuels are already causing food shortages in the poorer nations. That land would be better used to grow fuel for people, not cars.
Having said, recycling used fast food fat into fuel is a good idea. But pumping money into new high tech energy sources is a better one. We should be concentrating on how to make cheap solar panels in bulk, better for everyone.
May 9, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Re: Ben’s post –
Much of the corn that is grown actually goes into livestock feed — not to feed humans. In fact, much of our arable land worldwide is devoted to either (a) grazing land for livestock; and (b) growing grains to feed this livestock. Worldwide food shortages would be better addressed through wiser use and allocation of arable land, obviously a scarce resource. The simplest and most effective way to do this is to slowly wean ourselves off of our unnecessarily high-protein diets. This is not to say everyone should immediately switch to vegetarianism, but rather that we should reduce our meat intake, no matter by how much (especially red meat), as a matter of morals.
I don’t doubt that the production of biofuels probably bears a similar impact on the environment, pollution-wise, but I believe that the main impetus in seeking alternative energies is for their sustainability. I.e. petroleum is an increasingly limited resource, while corn can be grown as long as there is land, water, and sun.
May 9, 2008 at 6:43 pm
K.K.,
I agree. Biofuels are hardly environmental. No form of combustion energy is. Their main utility lies in that they are more or less a ’sustainable’ source of energy, unlike fossil fuels.
And as I’ve mentioned in my previous comment, a growing, and unnecessary, demand for meat pushes countries in Central and South America to burn several acres of rainforest every day to create grazing land for cattle. There’s our 29 cent hamburger.
At least with biofuels, we get some productive/sustainable return? Of course, we shouldn’t burn rainforests at all, but of the two alternatives, I’d much rather prefer the fuel.
C’est la vie.
May 10, 2008 at 12:10 am
I would switch my car to biofuels now if I could. I can see why you would be hesitant to tout it but since we’re already in a downward spiral with oil why not switch to a better known alternative until we find the best alternative?
May 15, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I’m using also biofuel for a long time, my car last revision says all it is working fine, did not see any problems on it.
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