Are Biofuels Sustainable?
All of us are experiencing the pain at the gas pump, unless you have a hybrid, hydrogen or electric vehicle. Meanwhile, oil companies are experiencing tremendous profits, thanks to many reasons, including gas guzzling vehicles, successful marketing campaigns, and starry-eyed consumers. Many consumers bought into the marketing lie that "bigger is better" and now they financially suffer at the pump, while also negatively impacting our small planet. As we look at the various alternatives to petroleum, we must ask, are biofuels really sustainable? A document prepared by the House of Commons Environmental Committee (January 2008), addresses this very question. The fact is that biofuels are contributing to a global food crisis. According to a recent article in the Guardian, "Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian."
Considering the growing rhetoric of the depletion of oil reserves, let's take a look at the pros and cons of five sources of biofuels: corn ethanol, sugar-cane ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, algae biofuel, and biodiesel.
Corn Ethanol
Pros: Could reduce US reliance upon oil imports and decrease greenhouse gases.
Cons: Production is energy intensive and the price of corn, meat and grain have gone through the roof. 450+ pounds of corn are required to fill a 25 gallon tank with an ethanol (enough calories to feed one person for a year!).
Sugar-Cane Ethanol
Pros: Less energy to produce than corn and yields more per acre than corn.
Cons: Requires a warm, rainy climate to grow.
Cellulosic Ethanol
Pros: Made from wood chips, nonfood crops, and farm waste.
Cons: More expensive than sugar or corn and very energy intensive.
Algae Biofuel
Pros: Algae grows quickly and can produce 30x more energy than other biofuel alternatives.
Cons: Growing algae is expensive. The technology is not yet developed to make extensive fuel from algae.
Biodiesel
Pros: Made from vegetable oil, like canola and soy, and animal fat. Unfortunately, it requires 90% more energy to create it than to use it. Biodiesel is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-80%.
Cons: Boosts "agflation".
Related articles:
U.N. Says Food Plan Could Cost $30 Billion a Year (New York Times, June 4, 2008)
All Biofuels Are Not The Same (Washington Post, June 16, 2008)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy
Algae: A Renewable Source of Diesel Fuel?
When you think of algae what comes to your mind? Your fish tank in dire need of cleaning? A pond after a long dry spell? What about a source of renewable fuel? Yes, fuel! Solazyme, a start-up in Northern California (where else?!) has recently partnered with Chevron to perfect its cutting edge technology of converting algae to fuel . They forecast that within 2-3 years, Solazyme will be able to produce biofuel at a competitive price, even if crude oil drops in 1/2 from the current $89 a barrel.
The idea of converting algae to fuel is not new. In fact, scientists have explored the idea of producing methane gas from algae since the 1950's. Beginning in 1978, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory invested 20 years in the research of more than 3,000 strains of algae to see which one had the most potential of producing significant volumes of oil. After twenty years of intensive research and experiments, they ran out of funding and were forced to shut down. Instead, the federal Energy Department plunked money into the study of cellulose ethanol.
In light of this knowledge, imagine where we'd be if we continued down the road of algae research to a viable alternative energy solution? Wars could have been averted, lives could have been saved, our economy could have been more stable, our planet could be greener, and oil companies and their shareholders would be far less wealthy.
We must ask ourselves why our government and or oil companies refused to continue this research and development of much needed alternative fuel. It is not enough to say that the price of oil was "cheap". We knew then as we know now that oil is non-renewable.