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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