alternative biofuels

Biofuels : The Promise of Cleaner Energy

Our industrial world has for so long depended on fossil such as coal oil , and gas for its energy needs . The problem is that while we have created a world so dependent on this energy source , it will soon run out on us . Fossil fuel is limited and non-renewable . It takes millions of years to convert the organic remains of animals into useable fuel , and it cannot catch up with our demand for it . Fossil fuels are not being produced at a significant amount and as such

, it is only a matter of time before we use all of them up (Twidell Weir , 2005 , 3 ) The other downside of using fossil fuel is that it is highly toxic to the environment , giving off greenhouses gases that pollute and choke the earth . As such , the need to consider cleaner and renewable energy sources has never been more important

Among the most promising of these alternative energy sources is biofuel . The term biofuel can be a source of confusion because even fossil fuels are organic in nature , a result of millions of years of decomposition and chemical interactions . What sets biofuels apart from fossil fuel is that biofuels burn considerably cleaner , without adding any more carbon dioxide and other toxic chemicals to our already suffocating atmosphere . Biofuels are also sustainable , meaning that we have the technology and the means to produce them indefinitely , for as long as we need them . The most common source of biofuels is plants , and a simple process is needed to produce energy . Biofuels have proven that they can replace fossil fuels , and it is hoped that industries will very soon covert to this energy source on a larger scale , slowly but surely moving away from fossil fuels . This section of our will take a closer look at biofuels in the hopes that it does hold the answer to our increasing need for a cleaner and sustainable energy source

History of Biofuel

Since man 's earliest unwritten history , we have been using biofuel to make life a little more comfortable . The discovery of fire may very well be considered as the discovery of biofuel as well . However , the world took a different turn when man discovered coal , oil , and gas . The discovery of fossil fuels paved the way for industrialization , where scientists and engineers designing machines built to run exclusively on fossil fuel alone . The world stopped looking at biofuels for energy , and our world was never the same since then

However , while the world continued to run on fossil fuels , some continued to look for alternative ways to make things run . In the early days of the car industry , engines have been designed to run on biofuel primarily ethanol . Pioneers such as August Otto , Rudolf Diesel , and Henry Ford all originally designed their engines to use biofuel for energy , a testament to the potency and efficiency of biofuels . As fate would have it , they were all forced to redesign their...