Should bio-fuels as an alternative be stopped?

Question

I ask this question because of the following article: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080319/afp/080319082844top.html

Please read that article and state your opinions as to why or why not.

Answer 1

The article is not fact as much as opinion.

Answer 2

No, there are many bio-fuels that won’t compete with food crops, some may be produced in places where crops, (corn, wheat, etc) don’t do well, deserts, hilly, etc. If the government was serous about becoming energy independent we would need only about 15,000 sq miles (think the size of Maine) of land to do it, according to a government study. We would pay a little more at the pumps and be driving diesels, but we wouldn’t need to import or pump ANY oil.

Answer 3

No

bio-fuels from food based crops are temporary and are a testing ground to create better fuels from cellulose ethanol and algae.

Answer 4

Using by-products that might otherwise go to waste is, of course, a good idea.

Producing crops for the sole purpose of producing fuels is the most environmentally destructive alternative of all.

Answer 5

Bio fuels which are not from sustainable sources should be stopped.The production of bio-fuels on a large scale would be detrimental to food supplies. Palm oil is being produced in the areas where forests are being destroyed which is threatening the survival of endangered species such as the orangutan and the pygmy elephant. However, there is an oil which is derived from the jatropa plant which can be grown in arid conditions and does not require fertiliser, therefore it does not encroach on food production or rainforest's and should be used as a bio fuel.

Answer 6

the search for alternative fuels using bio fuels must go on.there are other plants which are good source of oils that can be used as biodiesel.one is the jethropha or tuba tuba in tagalog word.the problem in determining the specific variety of good source of bio oil is i think they are hiding the real one.according to the old folks here in the philippines,the real variety of tuba tuba plant that yield a good quality of oil is the purple variety called tunay na tu-ba.they are rare but still can be found in the remote areas of the country.i am propagating this one to test later if this is the real one.i mean i will sent sample of this plant to someone studying the viability of the project biofuel source.at present,most people and organizations planting the jethropha are using the green leaf variety of tuba tuba which i doubt a poor source of oil.

Answer 7

There will never be a correct answer, as each of the two opinions has it's advantages and disadvantages. Personally myself I do not think it should be stopped for some things and not for others. The main idea of bio-fuel is to reduce the effects of global warming. Another way of producing bio-fuel is from rapeseed oil, and to farm enough of for our demands would take a majority of the countries' good land for harvest. Therefore poor places like Southern America will take advantage of this situation and cut down even more of the rainforest to raise a culture for bio-fuel. To put it briefly It would make thing worst in some aspects. Another disadvantage is that is not suitable to replace kerosine for planes at the moment as it is prone to freezing at high altitudes.

Answer 8

I currently run Bio Fuel (straight vegetable) in a 1999 Dodge 3500 truck. But all Cummins engines were modified from the factory to run on BioD since around 1992 without any modification.

Biofuel is recognized by both the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as an alternative fuel, and qualifies for mandated programs under the Clean Air Act Amendments and the Environmental Protection Act of 1992 (EPAct).

USDA Clears Air with Biofuel: Buses and other diesel-burning vehicles run cleaner if they mix biofuel with regular diesel fuel, said the US Department of Agriculture at a biofuel fuel seminar at a USDA research center.

Conversely most major automotive manufacturers (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, etc) recommend the use of bio fuels, and nearly every car manufacturer in the world approves ethanol blends in their warranty coverage.

In fact your probably even driving an ethanol car and didn't even know it.

The trick is finding fuel.

I've been producing biofuel for about 3 years now, it's not extremely difficult. Basically you need general household ingredients, a processor (or still for ethanol) and some used oil. Blend it, let separate, screen and use. I complied a guide a while back to help walk you threw the process step by step, just email me or check out..

http://www.agua-luna.com/guides.html

• 1 liter of new vegetable oil, whatever the supermarket sells as cooking oil

• 200 ml of methanol, 99+% pure

• lye catalyst -- either potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

• blender or mini-processor

• scales accurate to 0.1 grams, preferably less -- 0.01 grams is best

• measuring beakers for methanol and oil

• half-liter translucent white HDPE (#2 plastic) container with bung and s***w-on cap

• 2 funnels to fit the HDPE container

• 2-litre PET bottle (water or soft-drinks bottle) for settling

• two 2-litre PET bottles for washing

• duct tape

• thermometer

Use the "Methoxide the easy way" method -- it's also the safe way. Here's how to do it.

Measure out 200 ml of methanol and pour it into the half-liter HDPE container via the funnel. Methanol also absorbs water from the atmosphere so do it quickly and replace the lid of the methanol container tightly. Don't be too frightened of methanol, if you're working at ordinary room temperature and you keep it at arm's length you won't be exposed to dangerous fumes.

Carefully add the lye to the HDPE container via the second funnel. Replace the bung and the s***w on the cap tightly.

Shake the container a few times -- swirl it round rather than shaking it up and down. The mixture gets hot from the reaction. If you swirl it thoroughly for a minute or so five or six times over a period of time the lye will completely dissolve in the methanol, forming sodium methoxide or potassium methoxide. As soon as the liquid is clear with no undissolved particles you can begin the process.

The more you swirl the container the faster the lye will dissolve. With NaOH it can take from overnight to a few hours to as little as half-an-hour with lots of swirling (but don't be impatient, wait for ALL the lye to dissolve). Mixing KOH is much faster, it dissolves in the methanol more easily than NaOH and can be ready for use in 10 minutes.

Using a blender. Use a spare blender you don't need or get a cheap secondhand one -- cheap because it might not last very long, but it will get you going until you build something better.

Check that the blender seals are in good order. Make sure all parts of the blender are clean and dry and that the blender components are tightly fitted.

Pre-heat the oil to 55 deg C (130 deg F) and pour it into the blender.

With the blender still switched off, carefully pour the prepared methoxide from the HDPE container into the oil.

Secure the blender lid tightly and switch on. Lower speeds should be enough. Blend for at least 20 minutes.

Using a mini-processor. Follow the instructions below and improvise where necessary -- there are many ways of building a processor like this.

Proceed with processing as above, maintain temperature at 55 deg C (130 deg F), process for one hour.

www AGUA-LUNA com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming, Receive a FREE Solar Panels Now!!!

Answer 9

I think mt_zion_crusader is more on to what people who are serious about biofuel are looking into. Have you heard of the "french fry" cars? Basically it uses waste oil from cooking that is put through a filtration process and mixed with a small amount of diesel to make the biofuel. It is very inexpensive and the alternative is to take the millions of gallons of used cooking oil and putting it into a river or a landfill (or whatever the heck they do with it when they haul it away).

Answer 10

I think you are correct.

We should scream that people should develop alternate energy. Then when they do, instead of allowing it to play out and work or not work, on its own merit, we should make a law that stops them.

Why is it so easy for you people to demand a law for everything that doesn't go just as you think it should. Many of you complain about the religious right demanding laws to make people change. You people do the same thing.

Answer 11

Stopped by whom, I hope you don't mean the government.  Biofuels should be subjected to the test of the market place.  If they can compete, they will be used.  If not, then they will fall on the dung heap of history.

Answer 12

Stop bio-fuel NO! we need to start some ware to solve dependency to conventional fuel usage, Those 3rd world countries can come up with better production methods, Unless our wonderful politicians put a stop to all of the price gouging from the middle eastern countries.