An Essay On The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Biofuels
Andrew McClarren
Before determining the advantages and disadvantages to the use of biofuels, it is first necessary to establish what biofuels are. With the increasing costs of barrels of oil and the negative effects imposed on the environment by these fuels, biofuels were created. By dissecting the word, its meaning can be discovered. With the prefix “bio-“ meaning life, biofuel means just that, fuels derived from living subjects. With consumer demand reaching all-time high levels, the creation of biofuels was completely necessary to help diminish certain issues, but on the other hand, the use of biofuels does possess some flaws.
Today there are two main forms of biofuels: ethanol for vehicles running on gas engines, and fatty acid methyl esters of vegetable oils otherwise known as FAME, which are used for vehicles with diesel engines. Ethanol is created by sugar plants and other starchy plants. The processes through which these plants undergo to become fuels include fermentation to transform the sugars into ethanol, then a distillation process to separate the alcohol from water. It is important to understand this process because this is largely where these fuels come to benefit the environment.
Using biofuels has created a magnitude of advantages not only in the United States, but around the world. These advantages include feats such as better economies in certain markets, agricultural improvements, and fiscal spending on production and transportation of fuels decreasing. But above all, the advantages held in the highest regard in the eyes of manufacturers and civilians alike, are the ways the use of biofuels has benefitted the reduction of greenhouse emissions and the environment as a whole.
As previously stated, the process of creating ethanol greatly benefits the environment. The systems used to make ethanol create a high level of byproduct which can be used for energy sources and feeds for various animals. Ethanol manages to give off a useful byproduct
Before determining the advantages and disadvantages to the use of biofuels, it is first necessary to establish what biofuels are. With the increasing costs of barrels of oil and the negative effects imposed on the environment by these fuels, biofuels were created. By dissecting the word, its meaning can be discovered. With the prefix “bio-“ meaning life, biofuel means just that, fuels derived from living subjects. With consumer demand reaching all-time high levels, the creation of biofuels was completely necessary to help diminish certain issues, but on the other hand, the use of biofuels does possess some flaws.
Today there are two main forms of biofuels: ethanol for vehicles running on gas engines, and fatty acid methyl esters of vegetable oils otherwise known as FAME, which are used for vehicles with diesel engines. Ethanol is created by sugar plants and other starchy plants. The processes through which these plants undergo to become fuels include fermentation to transform the sugars into ethanol, then a distillation process to separate the alcohol from water. It is important to understand this process because this is largely where these fuels come to benefit the environment.
Using biofuels has created a magnitude of advantages not only in the United States, but around the world. These advantages include feats such as better economies in certain markets, agricultural improvements, and fiscal spending on production and transportation of fuels decreasing. But above all, the advantages held in the highest regard in the eyes of manufacturers and civilians alike, are the ways the use of biofuels has benefitted the reduction of greenhouse emissions and the environment as a whole.
As previously stated, the process of creating ethanol greatly benefits the environment. The systems used to make ethanol create a high level of byproduct which can be used for energy sources and feeds for various animals. Ethanol manages to give off a useful byproduct