This way biofuels also decrease our dependence on foreign oil, which helps to reduce our trade deficit and improve energy security on a country level. However, ready access to food imports, and the ease of exporting, hinge on a wide range of political and social factors. Sugar Cane Until recently, sugar cane was the world's main source of ethanol, because of its prevalence in Brazil. Although this is an economically attractive measure, the greater economic profitability for the farmer can make serious environmental disadvantages. Hundreds and even thousands of hectares of unbroken acres of one crop are an irresistible destination for plant pests; pest groups can explode uncontrollably in this tempting environment. Biofuels are renewable. Feb. 5, 2007. They produce industrial pollution. IATA believes that by 2020 we could see 3%-4% of fuel comprised of second generation biofuels, which is made from biomass, agricultural residues or waste, rather than from the oil crops used for first generation biofuels. Biofuels can be extracted from the waste of those crops as well. The advantages and disadvantages of HYV seeds are shown in the table below: Biofuels Biofuels are any kind of fuel manufactured from living things or from waste. This can lead to food insecurity in local communities and increase in food prices. And while biofuel is not as clean as other renewables and won't get us out of the woods when it comes to reversing the impacts of climate change, it is a reliable renewable source. Let's look at some of the drawbacks of biofuels and gain a new perspective on the fuels we may see more of in the future. Likewise, the fertilizer, water and land required to produce enough biofuel to reduce fossil fuel consumption significantly can create other problems, ranging from increased pollution to decreased access to food. Some estimates state that algae and cyanobacteria could yield between 10 and 100 times more fuel per unit area than second-generation biofuels. So, extensive production of biofuel is a negative-sum game. This is a great news for sustainable future planning since the use of biofuels is in agreement with the development of a circular economy by closing the loop on resource use. Required fields are marked *. While the range of oil-producing products examined viable for biofuel is wide enough to grow in most zones, high-yield crops do not grow everywhere. This is a serious contra argument to consider especially with climate change already shifting our ability to grow crops in certain areas. If the land used to grow a biofuel feedstock has to be cleared of native vegetation, then ecological damage is done in three ways. It can be used in pure form (B100) or can be blended with petro-diesel in the form of B2 (2% biodiesel, 98% petroleum diesel), B5 (5% biodiesel, 95% . References: Ann, Ngee. Land use is also a major factor in evaluating the benefits of biofuels. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are non-renewable, which means they are finite and will eventually run out. "Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S." July 1, 2010. Dependence on Water and Oil Resources. Some of the disadvantages of biofuels apply mainly to low-diversity biofuel sourcescorn, soybeans, sugarcane, oil palmswhich are traditional agricultural crops. It leads to biodiversity do to the fact that a large amount of arable land is required to grow these crops and could see some natural habitats destroyed including rainforests 2. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ethanol - Ethanol is a volatile, colorless and flammable alcohol obtained from corn or cellulosic materials, and is used as an alternative fuel to gasoline and diesel. Biofuels are definitely cheaper than fossil fuels. A pig farmer, for example, may have to pay a few extra dollars per bushel to buy corn to feed his livestock. Disadvantages 1. To learn more about biofuels, click to the next page. Biofuels have some advantages over their counterparts. Biofuel production may decrease the pesticide pollution if done sustainably and right, especially if perennial polycultures are involved. "It is logistically available and it is low in value, if not negative in value." Cellulosic biomas obtained from non-food sources, including trees and grasses, is also being developed as a raw material for ethanol production. These emissions include carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels during the production process and nitrous oxide from soil that has been treated with nitrogen fertilizer. These materials include plant matter such as corn, soybeans, and sugarcane, as well as animal fats and agricultural waste. Electro fuels are produced by storing electrical energy, and solar fuel is made from solar energy. When biodiesel is utilized as a combustible fuel, the engine durability increases. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners. Fueling homes, businesses, and vehicles with biofuels are less expensive compared to fossil fuels. The best road tax-exempt cars to buyFor now, biofuel is . One potential challenge to the reliability of biofuels is their limited availability, as they are only produced from certain feedstocks (as mentioned in the disadvantages section). Coskata, Inc., has had a large demonstration plant that uses microbes to turn gasified waste into ethanol since 2009, and argues that it should remain the "major renewable liquid fuel" due to the ease with which biomass (or waste) can be transformed into italthough subsidies are required to develop the technology. As an alternative to landfills, incineration offers the following advantages: #1 Far more efficient use of space. Alexander, C. et al. The character of biofuels when they are only produced from certain feedstocks, such as specific crops, like rapeseed, or certain waste materials, means that they may be in limited supply. Biodiesel is not much better. Biofuel is the fuel created through contemporary processes from biomass instead of the very gradual geological processes associated with the formation of fossil fuels, such as natural gas or oil. Some studies are underway to increase the yields of biofuel from weather-tolerant crops. Second, the oil produced by these plants is not identical. In evaluating the economic benefits of biofuels, the energy required to produce them has to be taken into account. All Rights Reserved. Disadvantages of Biofuels Despite the benefits, there are some disadvantages of biofuels that make the general population hesitant to use them. These factors are mainly taken into account under the section of disadvantages and will help you understand the complexity of the situation when it comes to finding new energy sources that would replace fossil fuels entirely. (Jan. 14, 2011)http://www.springerlink.com/content/r1552355771656v0/, Rosen, C.J. Monoculture isn't a problem confined to biofuel production; it's an issue that had been studied for years in relation to large-scale food crop production. Typically, garbage collection has certain disadvantages: Garbage collection consumes computing resources in deciding what memory is to be freed, reconstructing facts that may have been known to the programmer. But while different crops can be converted to biodiesel through the same process, the resulting fuel can be very different in its ability to produce energy. Biodiesel produces less toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases than petroleum diesel. And trash-based biofuels need not compete on cost with fuels, as long as they offer a lower cost than their other competitorlandfills. Enerkem takes the "fluff" of municipal solid wastethe plastics, textiles and wood that isn't recycled or the leftovers of agriculture or forestrygasifies it and, using catalysts and water, transforms the gas via multiple chemical steps into ethanol or other products. Since such feedstock material can be replenished readily, biofuel is considered to be a source of renewable energy, unlike fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Lets explore the pros and cons of biofuels in order to better understand their future potential as our energy source. and B.P. But large-scale biofuel production, especially corn products and in arid regions of the world, has to share limited water resources with drinking and irrigation needs. Advantages of Biofuels Biofuels costs have been declining and are likely to be far cheaper than petrol and other fossil fuels. While this is an economically attractive practice, playing off economies of scale to make the crop more profitable for the farmer, it can have severe environmental drawbacks. It occupies agricultural space from other crops, which can cause many problems. Studies show that biofuels decrease greenhouse gases by up to 65 percent. As a result, converting plant biomass to ethanol requires processing much larger amounts of feed stock to produce the same amount of biofuel than conventional biofuels. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. University of California, Berkeley. This may sound contradictory to the advantages of biofuels mentioned earlier in this article. Overuse or inappropriate application can leave excess fertilizer in the soil, which then washes through regional watersheds and into streams, rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. Biofuel production is currently equivalent to just a tiny fraction. The rise in demand for food-biofuel crops can have a positive effect for crop producers, in the form of higher prices for their produce. What are the disadvantages of biofuels? Moisture is more likely to be absorbed by biofuels than fossil diesel, which causes problems in cold weather. Biomass production uses a lot of water 5. 1. Let us now have a look at the disadvantages also. But that price quickly trickles down to consumers. You may think that biofuels are used mainly in transport, but thats not all. With the removal of impurities from biogas, biomethane is produced. (A Comprehensive Guide), Top 10 Solar Panel Companies and Manufacturers in the US in 2023, What are the Negative Aspects of Renewable Energy? Disadvantages of Biofuels. It contributes to deforestation 4. It might seem counterintuitive at first, but some scientists argue that widespread biofuel production is a negative-sum game: Producing enough biodiesel or ethanol to replace one gallon of petroleum fuel, they argue, requires the energy equivalent to several gallons' worth of petroleum fuel [source: Pimentel]. Not every country has vast crude oil resources. The cost of biofuel production can vary depending on the type of biofuel, the location, and the specific technologies used. To put it another way, think about a field of corn being grown for ethanol. Perhaps the simplest drawback of biofuels is that it is not petroleum-based fuel so that they will work differently in engines developed for petroleum-based fuel. "10 Disadvantages of Biofuels" sunlight and water. September 2007. (Dec. 13, 2010)http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/impacts_genetic_engineering/environmental-effects-of.html, Naylor, Rosamond L. et al. Environment. List of Cons of Biofuels 1. Researchers are investigating ways to genetically engineer less thirsty crops, and carefully planning what biofuel crops to plant in a given region can mitigate this problem [source: Lau].
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