Fuel

Alternative Fuels ? Can It Really Be Used All Over The World Today?

Do not support alternative fuels simply because you feel it is the best alternative to petroleum. Using corn to create ethanol as an alternative fuel may be good for your vehicle but may lead to starvation in other countries that are dependent on the excess production of corn in America.

The pollution caused by a fuel cell may not be significant. However, the resources that are consumed to manufacture the fuel cell may be far more than the pollution caused by extraction and processing of petroleum.

Those who setup petroleum processing plants never had to worry about these factors. That was a time when the environment was considered indestructible. Today, we are painfully aware of how fragile our ecosystem is. Going in for an automobile that runs on batteries may make you feel good and responsible. However, the production of batteries may pour lead and other toxic substances into the environment.

A bit of comparative analysis is essential to understand the short term and long term impact of various alternative fuels before proceeding. It is also important to consider the possibility of mass usage. There are billions of vehicles in the world today and each and every automobile can access a gas station by simply driving around for a short while. Is it possible to use alternative fuels in such a manner?

You may not be seen on answering these questions before choosing alternative fuels over traditional fuels. However, these issues will have to be sorted out before petroleum is eschewed on a large scale basis and a large number of individuals prefers alternative fuels.

Is Sustainability Really Sustainable?

Not too long ago, biofuel was the new buzzword for a potential future without dependence on fossil fuels. Since then, serious issues have come to light calling into question the real sustainability of this process.

Can we produce enough fuel?

As with resource recovery plants (refuse into energy), there is a concern about having enough raw materials to sustain processing efficiencies. It was found that most plants became very inefficient because there wasn’t enough garbage getting to the plant. In this case, can enough corn be grown, delivered and processed to maintain biofuel demand and efficiency for this expensive process?

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Who’s producing the food?

So where are all the raw materials coming from? Farms. Seems like a no-brainer. If we can grow our fuel, then we have no worries. But there is much to worry about.

Unfortunately, the farms being used to grow corn and grain are diverting their crops to the fuel processing plants instead of supermarkets. As pricing normally follows a supply and demand model, the corn and grains that were used to feed livestock is now more expensive; the meat and poultry that eat the more expensive food is now increasingly expensive to purchase at the market.

Combine those expenses with the increase in fossil fuel prices— which fluctuate according to human whims than supply & demand— and there is a deteriorating situation to deal with. As people have less money and higher expenses, someone has to answer the question. Is this form of sustainability truly sustainable in this place and time?

The future may hold a different answer, but we all have to live in the now. What do you think?

Filed Under: Renewable Fuels Tagged With: Biofuel, Fuel, Plant

Different Types of Fuel

There are many different types of fuel. We are able to use many natural as well as man-made sources to power our vehicles. These days, you can drive many vehicles that use something other than gasoline. Some alternative fuels are liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, methanol, ethanol, biodiesel, electricity, and hydrogen.

Petroleum is the number one fuel source today and has been for some time. It is also known as crude oil. Petrol is usually taken to a refinery to turn it into gasoline.

Natural gas usually refers to methane gas found in coal beds. It can be found in other places also such as landfills or bogs. Natural gas goes through a lot of processing before it can be used so that all it is left with is methane.

Hydrogen fuel is a chemical reaction that produces energy. Hydrogen fuel is made by combining hydrogen and oxygen.

Straight vegetable oil can also be used as fuel. Standard engines cannot run on straight vegetable oil, but can be converted to handle filtered vegetable oil.

Ethanol is a natural gas that is found in other natural gasses, but it can also be manually produced and used as fuel. Ethanol is made from corn stalks or sugar cane.

Biodiesel is made from biomass which means that it is renewable and it does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It usually uses soybean or canola oil as a base, but animal fat or cooking oil can also be used.

Methanol is made from natural gas, but it can also be produced by fermenting biomass. It is preferred to make it from natural gas.

Electricity can be made from many different things. Electricity is the most used form of energy in the United States. Electric vehicles are the cleanest way to travel.

Filed Under: Alternative Fuel Technology Tagged With: Fuel

Advantages of Alternative Fuel

Alternative fuel is also known as non-conventional or advanced fuel. It is any material that can be used as fuel that is not a conventional fuel. An example would be ethanol which is made from corn or biodiesel which is made from vegetable oil. Any fuel that comes from a source other than petroleum is an alternative fuel.

There are many advantages to using alternative fuels. Although standard fuel may be more convenient and cost less, the long term advantages of alternative fuels are worth the price. Since the federal government wants to reduce the standard power grid, they offer a lot of tax incentives for using alternative fuels. Vehicles that use alternative fuel give cleaner air. For example, a hybrid car releases about 90 percent less emissions of greenhouse gasses than a regular car. While the immediate cost of using alternative fuels may seem high, the long term costs can be almost nothing. Say you use solar energy for your house. The upfront cost can be anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000. But in the long run, you are paying next to nothing for energy costs. Some companies will even pay you to use your solar energy.

The standard car gets between 22 to 28 miles per gallon. But the standard hybrid car gets about 48 miles per gallon. The demand for petrol and diesel will keep growing drastically if alternative fuels for these are not found, which will lead in the raising of prices. The inflation rate is growing higher and higher due to the price of fuel.

Using alternative fuels will reduce the demand of petroleum fuels. The use of alternative fuel decreases the amount of pollution in the air. There are so many advantages to using alternative fuels for your vehicle. With a hybrid car, you get better gas mileage, saving money, and helping the environment.

Filed Under: Alternative Fuel Technology Tagged With: Alternative fuel, Automobile, Fuel, Fuel economy in automobiles, Greenhouse gas

Alternative fuels are taking center stage

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With gas prices constantly going up, the interest in alternative fuels is skyrocketing as well. And prices are not the only driving force behind the research; we’ve come to realize the degree of the environmental damage cause by pollution. While alternative fuel research has been going on for decades, recent advances suggest that we may be coming closer to replacing gasoline altogether.
There are several alternative fuels that have been and are being actively integrated into our daily lives: hydrogen, ethanol, biodiesel, propane and natural gas. Certain fuels, such as hydrogen, are especially attractive since they produce practically no emissions. We have been using ethanol for years, but recent new discoveries have been made even in this popular alternative fuel. Cellulose, corn and starch are the most common sources of ethanol. Recently, the study on sorghum grass (already used for ethanol production as well) has concluded that it may be the most efficient way to derive ethanol.

We have come far from the time the first hybrid vehicle was put on the road, and now many new alternative fuels are emerging. Gas-to-liquids, coal-to-liquids, biomass-to-liquids and p-series are among the fuels that are currently under development. Other interesting alternatives include biogas, Biobutanol and ultra-low sulfur diesel.
Every day, new, more efficient catalysts for biofuel production are discovered, along with new materials and derivatives, purification methods and delivery methods. These developments are encouraging. Whether we are able to fully or only partially replace gas in the near future, any improvement will benefit the quality of our air and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

What’s important now is to draw the public interest to the issue of alternative fuels and encourage individuals to purchase vehicles that are designed to run on them. The U.S. Government supports the alternative fuel initiative by offering research grants, tax credits and other incentives for development and use of lower emission fuels.

Filed Under: Alternative Fuel Technology Tagged With: AlternativeFuel, Ethanol, Fuel

Types of Alternative Fuel

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Nowadays many individuals, groups and organizations are focusing on being green in efforts to safe the environment. It is a well-known fact that fossil fuel is harmful to the environment and destroys the ozone layer. There are many efforts to create widespread alternative fuel sources. Alternative fuels include biofuels, alcohol fuels, and liquid hydrogen.

Biofuel

Biodiesel: produced from the fats of animals, vegetable oils, and recycled grease products. It is commonly used as an additive to diesel to lower the carbon monoxide, particulates, and hydrocarbon levels from vehicles powered by diesel. It can also power vehicles in its pure state.

Algae-based fuels: recently the media has portrayed fuels derived from algae to the solution to oil-based issues. Every acre of algae can create over 2000 gallons of fuel. Algae-based products such as plastic are shown to reduce cost and waste.

Vegetable oil: used vegetable oil is gradually being used to create biodiesel and in some instances cleansed and used as a source of fuel. It can be used in various older diesel engines that do no use unit injection or common rail electronic systems.

Alcohol Fuels

Bioethanol: an alcohol substance derived from the fermentation of sugar from plants. It is mostly composed of starch and sugar and can be used as a fuel for motor vehicles in its unaltered form. Ethanol is often used as an additive for gasoline to improve automotive emissions. Innovative technology is using grass and tress to produce ethanol products.

Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is a new fuel source where unique vehicles are powered by liquid nitrogen stored in tanks. A heat exchanger that removes heat from the surrounding air heats up the liquid nitrogen and creates pressurized gas to run the engine.

Alternative sources of fuel will contribute to emerge as new technology is developed and individuals continue to seek to find safer and more cost efficient sources to run automobiles and other fuel-powered systems.

Filed Under: Alternative Fuel Technology Tagged With: AlternativeFuel, Biofuel, Fuel