Energy

Running Head : ALTERNATIVE FUELS : ENERGY OF THE FUTURE

Alternative Fuels : The Energy of the Future Alternative Fuels : The Energy of the Future

Alternative fuels are simply non-petroleum energy sources that are used to substitute petroleum products in supplying energy for engines while providing environmental benefits (DOE , 2005 . The search for these fuels is the current trend since it is projected that fossil fuels , the source of petroleum products , would run out in the near future . Year 2005 was predicted as the peak of world oil production , after which , the world oil

production would decline . By 2030 , it is predicted that world oil production would be the same as the production before 1980 the only difference is that the population is higher thus the demand would be greater . This would then mean that there would be higher prices of oil products thus the search for alternative fuels is essential (Life After the Oil Crash . In addition , the degradation of the environment calls for these alternatives to impede the possible series of catastrophic events

One alternative fuel being widely promoted is the Biodiesel . It is a renewable fuel made from agricultural sources such as animal fat and vegetable oils . This is produced through the transesterification of the base oil by reacting it with an industrial alcohol and a catalyst to convert it to a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME ) fuel . In its pure form also known as B100 or neat diesel , it is capable of powering an ordinary diesel engine , however , some blends are also produced such as the B5 (5 biodiesel and 95 diesel ) and the B20 (20 biodiesel and 80 diesel Most present diesel engines are compatible with running on biodiesel however , manufacturer specifications should still be considered to avoid warranty violations . In terms of performance , biodiesel is comparable with ordinary diesel though it has 2-8 less fuel economy , it gives better engine performance and lubrication (US EPA , 2006

Another alternative being promoted due to its potential and environment friendliness is the Hydrogen and the Fuel cell . Hydrogen is the most abundant and simplest element on earth however , it is usually bonded with other elements to form other things such as water (H2O hydrocarbons (CH4 ) and other organic matter making it unavailable (EERE 2007 . On the other hand , fuel cells are electrochemical devices that produce electricity by combining hydrogen or other hydrogen-containing fuels and oxygen . In contrast to batteries , fuel cells are different since it requires a continuous source of external fuel (OEE , 2007 . The electricity produced will be used to power the engine . However , hydrogen is bulky and has a small amount of energy per volume this means that storage techniques of this fuel are critical to its success . But still hydrogen as a fuel is efficient since it is clean burning and fuel cell vehicles have a potential higher efficiency compared to gasoline vehicles (about 2-3 times more (EERE , 2007

Another alternative fuel is the electricity . Electric vehicles have long been in use by some countries however , it...