Environmentally Friendly Sources of Energy - Essay Example

BIODIESEL: A SOLUTION FOR THE FUTURE NUMBER DUE As hurricane season ends the Southern United States begins to recover, and so does the rest of America. Soaring prices on consumer goods especially gasoline left Americans holding their breath, but certainly not their personal opinions or hiding their love of debate. Whether on the congress floor or the coffeehouse on the corner, nothing gets the American dander up more than hitting them right where it hurts most - in their pocketbook. While high gas prices have decreased significantly in the last month the debate looms on. The anger over high gas prices opened up an old debate over the world's limited fossil fuels, their effect on the environment, and solutions for the future. The course of action is clear, the United States must move beyond Fossil Fuels to more environmentally friendly source of energy. Pollution caused by car fuel is responsible for a number of natural and human afflictions. Topping that long list is acid rain, lung problems including asthma, smog, and global warming. The regulation of car emissions did not begin until 1970. After eighty years of neglect air pollution had become a problem that seemed uncontrollable. President Nixon and his administration struggled to pass legislation that would require vehicles to produce less emissions and be safer for the environment. They did succeed in passing the Federal Clean Air Act, the first in a series of actions meant to improve the quality of air in the United States. The first Act simply stated what was an acceptable amount of emissions and what was not. As the years went by and more provisions were made the Act was still weak, and was used more like a suggestion than a law (Conlin 807). Cars create pollution in a number of ways. The major contribution is ozone being released at a ground level. The World Resources Institute warns "breathing ozone concentrations of 0.012ppm, levels that are typical in many cities can irritate the respiratory tract and impair lung function causing coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. In addition to the effects that gas produced pollution has on the human body" (66), it can have a severe effect on the planet as a whole. Another component of car emissions is carbon dioxide, a compound which traps heat. Since the Middle Ages the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment has increased by 30% and the temperature of the planet has increased in a similar way. Global warming can cause many environmental problems including damage to coral reefs, spread of disease, droughts, the melting of the North Pole, and most recently documented severe weather conditions like tropical storms and hurricanes. The amount of gasoline used by cars is staggering. World Resource Institute cites that vehicles used for transportation consumed about 25% of the world's energy, and 80% of that is caused by cars. In 1996 the world's gas consumption topped a trillion liters. America easily uses more gas then it is able to produce. Petroleum is not a renewable resource. The United States imports 50% of the oil it uses (World 79). This leads to an additional problem with petroleum based fuel. The United States has become dependent on foreign countries for this fuel and therefore must maintain a good working relationship with other national governments which nurture terrorism and poor treatment of it's citizens. "Biodiesel is an American-made fuel that can be produced from any fat or vegetable oil, such as soybean oil. Biodiesel is cleaner burning than traditional diesel, and its production and use builds our U.S. economy, rather than our reliance on the Middle East" (Biodiesel, par 3). A shortage of petroleum gas leads to rising gas prices. Of course there are many simple ways that people can cut down on their gas usage. Many of them involved car pooling, not using gas powered machines on ozone days, and to relearn the virtues of taking and enjoying a nice long walk. However, the bigger question becomes is there a more efficient alternative to gas. Ireil e Silvia writes "The low cost and seemingly endless supply of petroleum relegated most other fuels to "alternative" status for much of the 20th century. In recent years, however, a confluence of factors--including environmental concerns, fervent national economic interests, intense political pressure from agricultural lobbies, and uncertainty over the cost and continued availability of crude oil--has renewed numerous countries' attention to alternative means of fueling diesel fleets and equipment" (e Silvia, par 2). Diesel has made the news in the past 10 years as a being a possible replacement. Even though Diesel has had a bad reputation for being dirty it is a great alternative. It is a good alternative because it is much more efficient in creating energy than normal gasoline. In fact it is the most efficient type of internal combustion engine. This is the reason that most heavy machinery employed in construction and production use diesel. Diesel as an alternative fuel is not a new idea. European countries for decades have been using diesel powered cars and recently they have become very popular. About 22% of the cars and 75% of the trucks in Europe use diesel. Diesel engines are more efficient because it can convert fossil fuel to more mechanical fuel by 40%. This means the burning of diesel releases 40% less carbon dioxide emissions. With diesel you can use less fuel and release less emissions. Critics are still leery of diesel and are quick to mention that reduced emissions is not good enough. Is there a safer alternative to diesel that will keep the quality of higher efficiency but offer low emission and be a renewable resource Biodiesel is the future's "new" gasoline. The purpose of this proposal is to describe the benefits of biodiesel as a safer alternative to petroleum based fuels. This proposal will also outline a general course of action that will be needed to incorporate biodiesel into America's daily life. Biodiesel can be created from any organic plant matter or crop. This means that countries can grow their own source of biodiesel. In the United States biodiesel could be created from the huge crop of soy bean that is grown every year. The countries in South America could use coconuts, and in Asia rice could be used to create biodiesel. Also, algae is a good source for creating biodiesel and that can be grown in small indoor, wet spaces. Biodiesel is created by changing the chemical makeup of an organic oil. This process is called transesterification. This process reduces the oil making it thinner so it can run in a diesel engine. Biodiesel is biodegradeable and no more toxic than table salt. It decomposes four times faster than regular petroleum fuel. It is also able to be stored for long periods of time with no degradation. Compared to regular petroleum diesel, biodiesel has the following emission reductions: 100% reduction of net carbon dioxide 100% reduction of sulphur dioxide 40-60% reduction of soot emissions 10-50% reduction of carbon monoxide phenanthren by 97% benxofloroanthen by 56% benz-a-pyrene by 71% aldehydes and aromatic compounds by 13% 5-10% reduction of nitrous oxide (World 67) Furthermore, for every single ton of diesel that is burned three tons of carbon dioxide are released into the air. Biodiesel, when used as a fuel, only releases the amount of carbon dioxide that was used in it's raw material form. Biodiesel is much cleaner and therefore healthier for the environment. Biodiesel is also cheaper than regular petroleum fuels. Biodiesel at the pump right next to the gas would cost the consumer about 2 dollars a gallon. This is a very competitive price especially compared to the recent increases to gas prices. Remember, biodiesel because it is renewable would not be subject to the same shortages or the price increases. For the most part biodiesel prices would remain stable. For more resourceful folks who want to save even more, biodiesel can be made at home. With an one time only cost of 300 dollars for a few simple tools, and access to the fat oil from a local fast food restaurant, you can run your car for free. Many geologists believe that there is only enough petroleum for the next half century. Biodiesel is the perfect fuel and the great hope for transportation in the future. However, there are several things that would need to be done to make biodiesel the leader in transportation fuel. More Access to Raw Materials. To be able to use biodiesel for the nation's fuel, there would have to be enough raw materials available. The raw material needed for biodiesel production is available in the form of grease from fast food restaurants. Three billion gallons of used fat are drained from the United States' deep fryers every year. Yearly, six million tons of vegetable and marine oil are produced. There needs to a new service program, much like solid waste disposal, enacted to regularly collect, filter, and use the byproducts from our nation's food industry. Biodiesel can also be made from various plants materials. There needs to be an increase in the number of soy bean farmers. This opens up the market for small town farmers who can grow, process, and offer biodiesel locally to their own communities. Biodiesel could lead to the renewal of the small town entrepreneurs which America was founded on. Ben Metz who is the chairman of the National Biodiesel Board believes "Biodiesel is becoming fully integrated into this country's petroleum infrastructure, and that's something we want to foster," and "This is an exciting partnership and a sign that the biodiesel industry is growing" (NBB, par 5). To keep up with the nation's oil needs American would need soy bean fields 4 times the size of Iowa. Certainly, the United States has the space, now it only needs the will. Government Incentive. The government should make it mandatory for all fuels to clearly label what their emissions are. This is important so that the public can clearly see what fuels are better for the environment, and also which fuels are more efficient. The government also needs to offer subsides to help with the cost of making biodiesel. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) should offer more subsidies, to promote the production of biodiesel, to reduce the amount of startup costs to new biodiesel companies. A great way to get people interested in the biodiesel industry is for the government to offer more tax breaks. A tax break would help reduce the cost at a product level and that savings could be passed onto the consumer. Also, new legislature should be developed that gives a tax incentive to consumers who choose the more efficient and cleaner fuel alternative of biodiesel. Many car companies believe that "with a biodiesel tax incentive and other pro-biodiesel legislation in place as part of the newly signed Federal Energy Bill, biodiesel is becoming an affordable and widely available fuel choice for fleets. The tax incentive helps close the cost gap between a biodiesel blend and regular diesel, making it more cost competitive for consumers in taxable and tax exempt markets" (Biodiesel, par 2). Government help alone will not secure biodiesel's place as a leading fuel. Only through strong public support will biodiesel become not just a green alternative but a standard in fuel usage. Promoting Biodiesel as a Real Fuel Alternative. The best way to get people to believe in and use biodiesel is to show them it really does work. To do that biodiesel programs now in use need to be made public. For example " For more than 10 years, Denver has operated under a "Green Fleet" program as a matter of policy. Goal one, says Executive Order No. 3 from the mayor, is to assure that the city and county of Denver operate a fleet of vehicles that minimizes environmental impact. Goal two is to enhance domestic energy security and maximize fuel efficiency and diversity." (Brown, par 15). Denver also recently enacted a "pilot program to use biodiesel in 60 diesel-fueled vehicles at the Wastewater Management Building. The vehicles include a variety of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, dump trucks, flusher trucks, backhoes, loaders, and the like, said Nancy Kuhn, project coordinator for the Fleet Maintenance Division within the Public Works Department" (Brown, par 16). In 2003, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman gave two organizations $960, 000 in grant money "to work together as partners to conduct a biodiesel fuel education program. These grants are an important step in expanding the economic prospects and environmental promise of renewable energy" (Veneman, par 1). She and others who are supportive of the potential of biodiesel believe that educational programs will help educate the public and also the private sectors operating fleets of vehicles on the virtues of biodiesel. It's important for the public to have hands on experience with the benefits of biodiesel. To be able to try and use biodiesel cars, to understand how biodiesel is made, and how much better biodiesel is for the environment. Renewable! Safe! Cheap! The benefits of biodiesel are pretty obvious. It is a renewable fuel that comes from organic plant matter. This makes biodiesel biodegradable and causes it to have almost no harmful emission into the air. Biodiesel is cheaper and more fuel efficient. What stands between Biodiesel and the world market is the public. And only through education will the public embrace and use biodiesel in the future. Works Citied "Biodiesel: good for fleets. Good for America.." Fleet Maintenance October 2005: par 2-3. Brown, Daniel C. "Moving toward alternative fuel vehicles: biodiesel and hybrid vehicles appear as bright spots." Public Works (2004): par 15-16. Conlin, Joseph R. The American Past. 7th ed. Belmont: Thomson, 2004. e Silvia, Iriel Bueno. "Alternative fuel choices growing for diesel engine operators." Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications (2005): par 2. "NBB and PMAA introduce Biodiesel Education Network.." Fuel Oil News October 2004: par 5. "VENEMAN ANNOUNCES $960,000 IN BIODIESEL FUEL EDUCATION PROGRAM GRANTS." Regulatory Intelligence Data 08 Oct 2003, INDSTRY GROUP 07 ed.: par 1. World Resources Institute. 1998-99 World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Read More