Biofuels - an Alternative Energy Source

IJIRST –International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology| Volume 1 | Issue 7 | January 2014 ISSN (online): 2349-6010

Biofuels - An Alternative Energy Source

Kanchan Bala Department of Applied Sciences Savera Group of Institutions (Affiliated To M.D.U, Rohtak) Farukhnagar, Gurgaon (Haryana), India

Abstract

This paper reviews the importance of Biofuels as alternative energy source in view of depleting reserves of conventional energy due to which there looms a danger of acute fuel crisis worldwide.It also focuses on future trends and policies to make it a revolutionary energy source. Keywords: Seed Oil, Extraction ,Ethanol, Jatropha Curcas. ______

I. INTRODUCTION

Gasoline and diesel have been our primary fuels used in automotive, farm and recreational vehicles for decades. Our dependence on other countries to provide us with gasoline has gone up to a worrying level posing a serious threat to the economy .Oil production is expected to diminish to a near halt as near as forty years from now. It’s time to start really digging in and getting other renewable energy sources into mainstream use. The biofuel sector is presently receiving worldwide attention. Biofuel usage as an alternative to petroleum based fuels not only provides energy security but also results in better environmental conditions. Its usage also provides a social and economic advantage to the nation. Increased employment in rural areas and reduced oil imports are the direct benefits induced by widespread application of biofuels. Global warming, greenhouse gas regulations, food- versus-fuel, indirect land use change, deforestation—with these critical issues in the spotlight as the World drives toward energy security, there has never been a more important time for advanced biofuels. However, the issues related to the technology, quality standards and the engine application need to be addressed. Biofuels were as old as car invented. In the start of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to fuel his Model Ts with ethanol, and early diesel engines were shown to run on peanut oil. But discoveries of huge amount of petroleum deposits biofuels were largely forgotten. However, due to crisis of petroleum, the oil price rised , along with growing concern about global warming caused by carbon dioxide emissions, biofuels have been regaining popularity Gasoline and diesel are actually ancient biofuels. But they are known as fossil fuels because they are made from decomposed plants and animals that have been buried in the ground for millions of years. Biofuels are similar, except that they're made from plants (biomass) grown today. Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called "biofuels," to help meet transportation fuel needs. Ethanol is an alcohol, the same as in beer and wine (although ethanol used as a fuel is modified to make it undrinkable). It is most commonly made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates through a process similar to beer brewing.

II. HISTORICAL FACTS Many studies have proved that there are many benefits of substituting fossil fuels (petroleum, etc) with biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. The reason is that such biofuels are biodegradable which means they are derived from organic materials. They are naturally renewable. It can create numerous jobs since our own farmers can practically make them domestically. So our dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels will be significantly reduced. Moreover, these biofuels emit nontoxic and cleaner emissions in comparison to traditional fuels. These alternative fuels also do not promote global warming, since the carbon they emit is taken back to the environment. So more or less they are ecofriendly also.

A. Biofuels are renewable but crops are still not enough. It is a fact that biofuels are derived from biomass that is renewable and biodegradable. For this reason, it will accordingly cause lasting effects on generations to come. However, one major concern of wide scale biofuel production is the increased need of growing crops to meet the demand. This leads to some arguments, since it might require extensive land that may involve forests, wild habitats and agricultural lands.

B. Biofuel is far more simple and easy to use The use of biofuel is easy. Compared to other forms of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc), biofuel is far more simple and easy to use. It does not require special equipment or a modification in all engines. Any automobile will not need complex changes. The biodiesel can be readily combined with conventional petroleum diesel in your fuel tank at any point in time. In some instances, particularly true for ethanol, you may have to look for flexible fuel car models. If not, biodiesel can run most diesel operated engines.

Despite these benefits, it would take time for biofuels to be readily accessible due to lack of ethanol or biodiesel pumps at existing filling station.

C. A Safe and Clean Fuel Cleaner Emissions – The use of biodiesel lessens greenhouse emissions because carbon dioxide that is released from the combustion of biodiesel is neutralize by the carbon dioxide utilized while growing the feedstock. Non-hazardous – In terms of toxicity, biodiesel is the best alternative that has proven to be safe and not harmful to the environment. Various tests verified that biodiesel is biodegradable and nontoxic that poses no threat to human health.

D. Biofuels uses more energy than they can produce This had been an issue in so many years whether producing biofuels would actually need more energy than they can give. Over the years, technology has significantly improved. A lot of researches and tests had been done to prove that biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel generate energy that is comparable to conventional diesel fuel. Ethanol puts out about 1.5 units of energy for every unit of energy used in processing it. In addition, biodiesel even has an output of 3.2 units of energy to every unit of energy used on its production. The ―traditional‖ fuel like gasoline needs 20% energy based on what it can provide, or leaving you with only 80%.

III. RESEARCH EFFORTS There are international organizations such as IEA Bioenergy,[1,2] established in 1978 by the OECD International Energy Agency (IEA), with the aim of improving cooperation and information exchange between countries that have national programs in bioenergy research, development and deployment. The UN International Biofuels Forum is formed by Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, South Africa, the United States and the European Commission.[3,4] The world leaders in biofuel development and use are Brazil, the United States, France, Sweden and Germany. Russia also has 22% of world's forest,[4,5] and is a big biomass (solid biofuels) supplier. In 2010, Russian pulp and paper maker, Vyborgskaya Cellulose, said they would be producing pellets that can be used in heat and electricity generation from its plant in Vyborg by the end of the year.[6] The plant will eventually produce about 900,000 tons of pellets per year, making it the largest in the world once operational. Biofuels currently make up 3.1%[7] of the total road transport fuel in the UK or 1,440 million litres. By 2020, 10% of the energy used in UK road and rail transport must come from renewable sources – this is the equivalent of replacing 4.3 million tonnes of fossil oil each year. Conventional biofuels are likely to produce between 3.7 and 6.6% of the energy needed in road and rail transport, while advanced biofuels could meet up to 4.3% of the UK’s renewable transport fuel target by 2020.[8,9] Research is ongoing into finding more suitable biofuel crops and improving the oil yields of these crops. Using the current yields, vast amounts of land and fresh water would be needed to produce enough oil to completely replace fossil fuel usage. It would require twice the land area of the US to be devoted to soybean production, or two-thirds to be devoted to rapeseed production, to meet current US heating and transportation needs. Specially bred mustard varieties can produce reasonably high oil yields and are very useful in crop rotation with cereals, and have the added benefit that the meal leftover after the oil has been pressed out can act as an effective and biodegradable pesticide.[10] The NFESC, with Santa Barbara-based Biodiesel Industries, is working to develop biofuels technologies for the US navy and military, one of the largest diesel fuel users in the world.[11] A group of Spanish developers working for a company called Ecofasa announced a new biofuel made from trash. The fuel is created from general urban waste which is treated by bacteria to produce fatty acids, which can be used to make biofuels.[12]

A. Ethanol biofuels As the primary source of biofuels in North America, many organizations are conducting research in the area of ethanol production. The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) is a research division of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville dedicated solely to ethanol-based biofuel research projects.[13,148] On the federal level, the USDA conducts a large amount of research regarding ethanol production in the United States. Much of this research is targeted toward the effect of ethanol production on domestic food markets.[15] A division of the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has also conducted various ethanol research projects, mainly in the area of cellulosic ethanol.[60]

B. Algal biofuels From 1978 to 1996, the US NREL experimented with using algae as a biofuels source in the "Aquatic Species Program".[16,17] A self-published article by Michael Briggs, at the UNH Biofuels Group, offers estimates for the realistic replacement of all vehicular fuel with biofuels by using algae that have a natural oil content greater than 50%, which Briggs suggests can be grown on algae ponds at wastewater treatment plants.[18] This oil-rich algae can then be extracted from the system and processed into biofuels, with the dried remainder further reprocessed to create ethanol. The production of algae to harvest oil for biofuels has not yet been undertaken on a commercial scale, but feasibility studies have been conducted to arrive at the above yield estimate. In addition to its projected high yield, algaculture — unlike crop-based biofuels — does not entail a decrease in food production,

All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 315 Biofuels - An Alternative Energy Source (IJIRST/ Volume 1 / Issue 7 / 061) since it requires neither farmland nor fresh water. Many companies are pursuing algae bioreactors for various purposes, including scaling up biofuels production to commercial levels.[63][64] Prof. Rodrigo E. Teixeira from the University of Alabama in Huntsville demonstrated the extraction of biofuels lipids from wet algae using a simple and economical reaction in ionic liquids.[19]

C. Jatropha Several groups in various sectors are conducting research on Jatropha curcas, a poisonous shrub-like tree that produces seeds considered by many to be a viable source of biofuels feedstock oil.[20] Much of this research focuses on improving the overall per acre oil yield of Jatropha through advancements in genetics, soil science, and horticultural practices. SG Biofuels, a San Diego-based jatropha developer, has used molecular breeding and biotechnology to produce elite hybrid seeds that show significant yield improvements over first-generation varieties.[21] SG Biofuels also claims additional benefits have arisen from such strains, including improved flowering synchronicity, higher resistance to pests and diseases, and increased cold-weather tolerance.[68] Plant Research International, a department of the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, maintains an ongoing Jatropha Evaluation Project that examines the feasibility of large-scale jatropha cultivation through field and laboratory experiments.[22] The Center for Sustainable Energy Farming (CfSEF) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit research organization dedicated to jatropha research in the areas of plant science, agronomy, and horticulture. Successful exploration of these disciplines is projected to increase jatropha farm production yields by 200-300% in the next 10 years.[23]

D. Fungi A group at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, in a 2008 paper, stated they had isolated large amounts of lipids from single-celled fungi and turned it into biofuels in an economically efficient manner. More research on this fungal species, Cunninghamella japonica, and others, is likely to appear in the near future.[71] The recent discovery of a variant of the fungus Gliocladium roseum points toward the production of so-called myco-diesel from cellulose. This organism was recently discovered in the rainforests of northern Patagonia, and has the unique capability of converting cellulose into medium-length hydrocarbons typically found in diesel fuel.[24]

IV. BIOFUELS –INDIA INITIATIVES In April 2003, the committee on development of BIO-FUEL, under the auspices of the Planning Commission of India, presented its report that recommends a major multi-dimensional programme to replace 20% of India?s diesel consumption. The National Planning Commission has integrated the Ministries of Petroleum, Rural Development, Poverty Alleviation and the Environmental Ministry and others. One objective is to blend petro-diesel with a planned 13 Million t of bio-diesel by 2013 (>>l000 times compared to the present world Jatropha cultivation and production), produced mainly from non-edible Jatropha oil, a smaller part from Pongomia. The Government is currently implementing an ethanol-blending program and considering initiatives in the form of mandates for biodiesel. Due to these strategies, the rising population, and the growing energy demand from the transport sector, biofuels can be assured of a significant market in India. On 12 September 2008, the Indian Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy'. It aims to meet 20% of India's diesel demand with fuel derived from plants. That will mean setting aside 140,000 square kilometres of land. Presently fuel yielding plants cover less than 5,000 square kilometres. Large plots of waste land have been selected for Jatropha cultivation and will provide much needed employment to the rural poor of India. Businesses are also seeing the planting of Jatropha as a good business opportunity. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres (98 million acres) of land where Jatropha can be grown, hoping it will replace 20% of India's diesel consumption by 2012. India has a long history of working with algae, but mostly as a nutritional source or for wastewater treatment. Now there is efforts to develop those areas into a biofuels industry to some extent. In fact, India and the United States have cooperated in the establishment of a funding opportunity for the development of biofuels in general, whether it is algae or cellulosic or some other energy plant that has yet to be determined. That funding opportunity is in development process and promises to put nearly a million and a half to two million dollars per year for research and development of biofuels in each country.

V. CONCLUSION To reduce the reliance on fossil fuel, conservation is still the primary strategy. There is no instant weaning on conventional petroleum diesel. Other sources of energy such as solar, wind, etc. are still needed. As an alternative to this ―traditional‖ diesel or gasoline fuel, it is expected to yield significant energy security and environmental advantage to its consumers. There is need that big automotive companies come forward for the production of Jatropha and Jatropha like plant so that our future generation not suffered with fossil fuel crisis. It can also be added that the emission of health hazards gases can be controlled. focus in the right set of technologies and introduce nanotechnologies into the public arena in a responsible way. Nanotechnologies can be one key solution towards sustainable future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank several colleagues and seniors at the Savera College of Institutions, Farukhnagar, Gurgaon. for supporting this work. I would also like to recognise the ants inputs provided by Mr. Sunil Pandey ,Director ,CTS INDIA for providing insights in to the developments happening in automotive world with regard to Bio-Fuels.

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