when talking about biofuls we are discussing sustainability
Post on 18-Dec-2015
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When talking about biofuls we are discussing SUSTAINABILITY
Why Biofuel?
Why Biofuels?
• Oil prices are part of the reason– High oil prices allow alternate fuels to
become financially feasible – Higher gas prices raise awareness of oil
dependency– Politics
EnvironmentKeeling curve -45 years of CO2
According to Mann, the earth is warming unnaturally. The evidence for human-caused warming includes temperature trends over the past millennium that indicate gradual cooling up until the start of the 20th century followed by a sharp upturn that continues today. A temperature graph of the period shows a characteristic "hockey stick" shape.
Michael Mann –hockey stick model
The rise of carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere has been measured continuously since 1958 and follows an oscillating line known as the "Keeling Curve," named after Dr. Charles David Keeling, professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
CO2 Emissions
• We need to limit our CO2 emissions– Kyoto protocol (1997); implementation
(2005)• Targeted developed nations; developing nations
not required to sign (including China and India)
– Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (2012)• Reduce greenhouse gas amounts more
– Reduction needs to be prompt
CO2 emissions
Biofuel is An Old Idea
• The carbon cycle was balanced
• Biofuel, until recently, has always been our source of fuel
• Fire• Feeding the
horse/oxen power
• Rudolf Diesel envisioned vegetable oil as fuel for the Diesel engine
• Henry Ford thought to run his vehicle with Ethanol obtained from corn
What Made Us Switch?• When oil was first used, it was
cheaper (financially)• Consequence: pulling carbon from
deep in the Earth and putting it back in the atmosphere harms the environment
How Can We Get Back to Biofuel?
• Where can we get renewable energy from?
BIOMASS
SOLAR
WIND
Why Plants as Biofuel?
• Plants have lots of fixed carbon– They fix it in
uniform hydrocarbon chains
– We already harvest the plants in large amounts
– We can change the carbon to a flammable fuel
Why Plants as Biofuel?• Lipids can release fatty acid alkyl esters
(combined with methanol to make biodiesal)
• Long chain sugars can be broken and fermented to release ethanol
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