Cheat Sheet: Biofuel
Biofuels are a growing topic of debate, especially in the past five years as national sentiments supporting energy independence and alternative fuels have gained momentum.
As the U.S. continues legislating, developing and promoting alternative fuels to supplement, and possibly replace, fossil fuels such as coal and oil (e.g. some of the provisions in the House-approved Clean Energy and Security Act), a refresher, and possibly an introduction, to biofuels might be helpful in sorting through this important issue.
What’s in a Name
To start, there are various types of biofuels. For example, it’s important to note the distinction between biodiesel, which only works with diesel engines (such as those found in semi-trucks) and ethanol, which is blended with gasoline and can be used to power a variety of vehicles.
In the beginning, scientists tested corn ethanol, however several problems made working with the vegetable harder than researchers initially thought. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com
All biofuels can provide an alternative combustion fuel source to gasoline and diesel. The main types of biofuels include:
- Biodiesel
- Corn, sugar beet or sugar cane ethanol
- Switchgrass cellulosic ethanol
- Waste-derived cellulosic ethanol
Biodiesel is a clean-burning, biodegradable, nontoxic fuel. It is made from a variety of sources, including plant oils (such as vegetable oil), recycled grease and animal fats. Also, algae biodiesel is an up-and-coming biodiesel source that turns algae into vegetable oil.
Because algae thrive off of carbon dioxide, it is also a promising carbon sequestration technology. One start-up company, Solix Biofuels, envisions algae stations set up at natural gas processing plants to absorb the CO2 coming from vents.
According to the National Biodiesel Board, although it does not contain petroleum, biodiesel can be blended with petroleum to create a biodiesel-petroleum diesel blend. Addtionally, biodiesel can be used directly in a conventional diesel engine, requiring little to no modifications to existing engines.
Corn, sugar beet and sugar cane ethanol are made from these respective crops and are often grown directly for the purpose of creating fuel. The most common type of ethanol is made from corn, and the most common method for turning a corn crop into a fuel source is called “wet milling,” where the starch is extracted from the grain, fermented and transformed into alcohol, the building-block for ethanol.
Switchgrass cellulosic ethanol is made from switchgrass, a perennial grass native to Central and North America. As evidenced by the fact that it can grow up to 10 feet tall, it is a highly productive plant, producing enough biomass to make it appealing for ethanol production.
Waste-derived cellulosic ethanol comes mainly from agricultural “waste” that either remains after harvest (such as the stalks of a crop left in a field), or is produced after the processing of a crop (such as the corn cobs that remain after the kernels have been removed). Additionally, other sources of cellulosic ethanol come from waste paper, wood waste, pulp sludge and grass straw, according to Oregon.gov Biomass Energy.
How It All Began
Ever since the oil crises of the 1970s, U.S. interest in ethanol fuel has increased. The idea that the U.S. could grow the energy it needed, and not buy from potentially hostile areas of the globe, was extremely appealing at the time.
Because of this, the U.S. government has since promoted the production of homegrown energy solutions such as biofuels, with more recent federal policies put in place like the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Waste-derived cellulosic ethanol is a product of agricultural waste such as corn stalks left in a field after harvesting. Photo: Jamie Lantzy, Wikimedia
This legislation worked mainly by enacting standards that raised the amount of renewable fuels that were to be incorporated into the total U.S. fuel supply and by providing subsidies to farmers who produced corn.
By requiring the production and use of 4 billion gallons of renewable fuels in 2006, increasing to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012, the law assured biofuel producers that a stable market would exist, thereby providing an incentive to ramp up production.
The act also makes the proclamation that “For calendar year 2013 and each year thereafter, the minimum required volume of renewable fuels would be an amount equal to the percentage of total gasoline sold in the Nation in 2012.”
To have as much biofuel as gasoline fuel available for energy consumption by the year 2013 will likely prove no small feat.
Early expectations for biofuels, mainly in the form of corn ethanol, included:
- Helping farmers obtain a better price for their crop by supporting the corn ethanol market. This could raise demand and help lower the excessive supply that was keeping corn prices low.
- Promoting national security by lessening the United States’ dependence on foreign oil
- Reducing carbon emissions by growing a plant, thus absorbing CO2
- Helping the environment by growing a fuel rather than drilling for one
But the promises offered by corn ethanol were not to be, and biofuels derived from corn have increasingly become a lightening rod of criticism.
Unintended Consequences
The rapid rise of corn’s prominence in the biofuel arena has presented a host of issues that landed corn ethanol in the hot seat. Since 2005, some of the main problems with corn ethanol discovered by researchers include:
- Devoting fresh water to growing a fuel, rather than making it available for human consumption, could pose problematic as fresh water becomes an increasingly stressed natural resource.
- Shifting cropland from food to fuel is suggested to be a contributing factor to the food crisis of 2007, in which food costs rose dramatically around the world.
- Corn ethanol takes almost as much energy to produce as it provides. It also requires copious amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, contributing to the hypoxic (without adequate amounts of oxygen) dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where agricultural chemical runoff has killed off marine life.
- Because biofuel crops such as corn fetch higher prices than in the recent past, more farmers are clearing land from forests or grasslands and converting it in to cropland. Because of this, corn ethanol may actually increase global carbon emissions.
Cellulosic vs. Corn Ethanol
With these concerns in mind, alternatives to corn-based ethanol already exist. And although corn ethanol still reigns, waste-derived cellulosic ethanol is appealing because, unlike corn ethanol, it does not require extra fertilizers, pesticides, energy or water to grow. It takes a would-be waste product and turns it in to a valuable fuel.
Switchgrass cellulosic ethanol holds promise too, as the grass could be established on marginal land where other crops are not easily grown. To highlight this, a recent regulatory announcement from the EPA recommended that a higher percentage of total renewable fuel volume comes from cellulosic ethanol sources.
With renewable fuel standards pushing for more cellulosic ethanol, research and development may begin to trend toward cellulosic and away from corn ethanol production.
It should be noted that demonizing one biofuel and fully advocating another will not solve the biofuel debate, as many factors contribute to the benefits and detriments of a particular fuel. The local ecology of the geographic regions where biofuels are grown must be considered to determine what is the best option for a specific location.
- "Biofuel Technologies" Oregon.gov http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/Biomass/biofuels.shtml.
- "Cellulosic Ethanol" State Energy Conservation Office http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_ethanol_cellulosic.htm.
- U.S. Government "EPACT2005 Summary" Energy Information Administration http://eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/otheranalysis/aeo_2006analysispapers/epa2005_summary.html.
- "Biodiesel Basics " National Biodiesel Board http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/.
- Biodiesel.org http://www.biodieselsustainability.org/.
- "EPA Proposes New Regulations for the National Renewable Fuel Standard Program for 2010 and Beyond" U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/420f09023.pdf.
- Lee Rinehart. NCAT Agriculture Specialist "Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop" National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/switchgrass.html.
- Scharlemann and Laurance. (01/04/2008). "How Green Are Biofuels?" Science Magazine http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/319/5859/43.
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments. The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
Daily News—08/24 - Blog - BioDieselNow - Renewable biodiesel fuel
posted on August 24th, 2009 at 2:19 am
[...] The biofuel primer, biodiesel and ethanol, history and future [...]
Hoang Kim
posted on August 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Goodreads ! Thank you very much. I would like to share this papers at http://cropsforbiofuel.blogspot.com. Best wish regards.
Trey Granger
posted on August 24th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Restaurants can help generate biofuel by recycling cooking oil. There are even companies that will come in and collect the oil, in some cases paying the restaurant for it.
Russ
posted on August 25th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Cellulosic ethanol does not exist except in experimental quantities. Nobody has successfully produced affordable switchgrass cellulosic ethanol or waste-derived cellulosic ethanol. It is an experiment that may never pan out to be economically viable.
http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2009/07/cello-lesson-in-due-diligence.html
The only option available at this time is to use much less liquid fuel. A Prius for example uses well over 100% less fuel than the average American car. Efficiency is the real game, not replacing gas with biofuel in today’s outdated car technology. 80% of the energy in your car’s tank is wasted by a typical internal combustion engine car, whether it is ethanol or gasoline. And biodiesel made from soy, palm, or canola is worse environmentally than corn ethanol.
Daily News—08/24
posted on August 25th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
[...] The biofuel primer, biodiesel and ethanol, history and future [...]
sheda
posted on August 26th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
A new company, MicroFueler, provides a complete portable ethanol production and pump station that can be installed in your house in your community. The cost per unit is $10K U.S. Dollars, and the company estimates that this cost can be recuperated after 2 years. http://www.microfueler.com/
Alexandra Fischer
posted on August 27th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Wonderful article. Had never heard about algea biodiesel and it sounds really interesting. I intend to research this promising field.
Earth 911 Cheat Sheet on BioFuels | Green Eco Services
posted on August 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
[...] All biofuels can provide an alternative combustion fuel source to gasoline and diesel. The main types of biofuels include: Read more..… [...]
Earth 911 Cheat Sheet on BioFuels |
posted on August 27th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
[...] an alternative combustion fuel source to gasoline and diesel. The main types of biofuels include: Read more..…Similar [...]
Jessica Gray
posted on August 28th, 2009 at 5:55 am
One of my friends converted a van to run on “veggie diesel” and used the left over vegetable grease from restaurant fryers. He drove across the country from Seattle to Michigan. Amazing!
Chris
posted on August 28th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Diversification. In accounting, you are told to diversify to prevent any drastic or unexpected losses. This thought process should be used with fuel as well. I don’t think any one way should be used to fuel America, or any place. Hurricane Katrina and the recent recession have shown how vulnerable people are.
When possible, multiple fuel types should be available. In addition, we should not rely on one location to provide a majority of the fuel. Life is good when things work, but one catastrophe can send the economy down the drain.
Finally, I don’t like to see farmland taken away for creating energy. With the population growing, not only do we need more food, we also need more land to live on. If we rely on other countries to supply our food, we will end up with a food crises some day.
Chris
posted on August 29th, 2009 at 11:53 am
One point the author made that I would take exception with is the water issue. Yes, it is true it does take water to produce ethanol, but here in Minnesota the total amount of water used in one year by all of the ethanol plants (combined) does not surpass the amount of water used by the top 8 golf courses (combined) to water their grass in the same time period. The amount of habitat is troubling as more woodlots are cleared for more corn production, and what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico is something that more people should be made aware of. However, I would say that that is not just due to particular ag practices, but also how people are caring for their lawns in cities, towns, golf courses and country homes. But all in all a well stated piece for a reality check as we find diverse means of fuel as we as a nation move away from our heavy a dependency on Middle Eastern oil – and oil in general.
Silent Spring
posted on September 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Good article. Biofuels are good intermediate alternatives to use until proper long term sources of energy are discovered and/or invented. But I do worry when I hear that certain farms are cutting back on their normal range of crops to focus primarily on planting foods for the growing biofuel market.
I agree with Chris it should be about diversification. We could get ourselves in another quandary if we focus too much on this novel way of obtaining energy.
The world population is growing at an alarming rate and we will need all of the available land to feed the people of the world. We can’t afford to look too deeply into the possibility of using fuel obtained from foods to fully deal with the growing global energy crisis.
New Partnership to Generate Gasoline from Garbage – WIH Resource Group « WIH RESOURCE GROUP
posted on September 6th, 2009 at 9:08 am
[...] New Partnership to Generate Gasoline from Garbage – WIH Resource Group Posted September 6, 2009 Filed under: Alternative Fuels, BioMass, CH2M Hill, CNN News, Casella Waste, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Consulting Solutions, Environmental Protection Agency – EPA, Environmental business journal, Global Economy, Global Econoy, Global Fuels, Greenhouse Gases, Landfill Gas Recovery, Landfill gas, MBA, Merger and Acquistion, New Green Deal, Obama Administration, Oneida-Herkimer, Producer Responsibility (EPR), RW Beck, Renewable Energy, Resource Recovery, Solid Waste, Surface Transportation Board, Sustainability, Transportation, URS, WIH Resource Group, WIH Resource Group Press Release, Waste Management Consulting, Waste to Energy (WTE), Western Governors Climate, Western Governors Climate Initiative, Weston Solutions, bob wallace, consulting, energy, environment, hybrid, obama, railroad, recycling, renewable fuels, republic services, sex, solutions, the daily green, waste management, waste savings | Tags: afvi, Alternative Fuels, bill gates, bio mass, BlueKaizen, bob wallace, CH2M Hill, Clean Energy, cleanscapes, collectionvehicle rerouting, commerical collection, engineered solutions, fleet route, franchise auditing, GBB, grabage, hawaai, inc., is partnering with Valero Energy to invest in a technology that can turn biomass into high-octane gasoline., MixAlco, MSW, MSW solutions, new york trash, NRC, operaitonla improvemnet, organic waste, Precision Task Group, r.w. beck, recycling, route audits, route optimizatin, route optimization, Route Smart, Routeware, routing, RW Beck, rwbeck.com, sand diego, sewage, Solid Waste, Solid Waste collection route optimization, solid waste consulting, solid waste solutions, solid waste transfer station, solutions, SWANA, t. boone pcikens, Terrabon, The largest solid waste handler in the U.S., The Masa group, transfer station design build, trash, Valero facilities, waste management, wastecon, WIH Resource Group | The largest solid waste handler in the U.S., Waste Management, Inc., is partnering with Valero Energy to invest in a technology that can turn biomass into high-octane gasoline. [...]
Yes, You Can Recycle Cooking Oil - Earth911.com
posted on December 8th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
[...] biofuel or biodiesel companies will often expand their number of drop-off points around food-related [...]