Gray.Garanito.wiki.spring.2011

Jonathan Garanito & Michael Gray Dr. Reich Chemistry II June 3, 2011 Alternative Energy

In this day and age the price of fuel oils is hard to ignore. Gasoline has reached prices close to $4.00 a gallon across the nation. Oil hit close to $150 a barrel. Fossil fuels are becoming grossly expensive. The only thing grosser than their price is the toll they are taking on the environment. Global warming is an issue that becomes more relevant every day. A study by NASA scientists finds that “the world's temperature is reaching a level that has not been seen in thousands of years” (Gutro). The study concluded that the earth has been warming at the rate of approximately .36° F per decade for the past 30 years. This is due to pollution caused predominantly by car emissions and the giving off of pollutants from power plants. The financial and environmental strain that oil-produced energy puts on the U.S. is an unnecessary one. Data provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that the U.S. spends $25 billion a year on foreign oil from the Persian Gulf alone. It seems as though the U.S. should look into finding alternatives. It is important to note that the supply of oil on earth isn’t infinite. In fact reserves will run out within the next 200 years. By the year 2025 the U.S. is “projected to consume 28.3 million barrels a day, 44 percent more oil than we do today, with domestic production meeting a mere 30 percent of that need” (NRDC). Oil and fossil fuels are simply not the fuels that will power the U.S into a bright future. It will be an arduous endeavor but the United States needs to start taking steps away from oil dependence and towards alternative methods of power production. A realistic goal for the immediate future is a focus on more fuel efficient cars powered by Biofuel. The U.S. can also reenergize its domestic automotive industry by producing cars that use less fuel. These cars should be powered by domestically manufactured Biofuel. This fuel can readily be used in place of, or mixed with, petroleum-based diesel in a standard diesel engine with no alterations needed. Though the emissions aren’t significantly lower than petroleum-based fuel any step away from foreign oil is important.

Unlike other renewable energy resources, biofuels can be converted directly into burnable fuels that transfer energy in the same fashion as fossil fuels. They are most commonly conceived to be used in meeting transportation fuel demands. The two most common types of biofuels are ethanol and Biodiesel. Biodiesel and ethanol are cleaner then fossil fuels though and are renewable. Our own domestic agriculture industries could convert to growing the necessary raw products that could be converted into biofuels. This can positively effect America in both economical and ecological ways. A widely used form of Biofuel which is added to most gasoline already is Ethanol. It is an alcohol but is modified to be utilized as a fuel. Being widely used as a blending agent with gasoline to boost octane, Ethanol reduces carbon monoxide and polluting emissions. The two processes that create ethanol are wet milling and dry milling. Dry-mill is the most common. Basically, yeast, sugars, and starch are fermented. From starch, it is fermented into sugar, afterwards it is fermented again into alcohol. This chemical method is known as transesterification.



Biomass fuel sources can create more jobs and support a domestic economy much more efficiently. With the relief of dependency on foreign oil the use of alternative fuels such as these will greatly boost the nation’s fiscal position. Biofuel will be formed from agricultural crops grown and harvested in various regions of the United States as well as diverse climates across the globe. This could mean the increase in agricultural products and a rejuvenating need for American agriculture. Biofuels could become an economically overpowering alternative to fossil fuels and in turn, “aid in strengthening local communities both socially and economically”(Biofuel). Some even claim that this form of type of energy source could become a “grow-your-own fuel, which can be produced on-site in local villages or communities from locally available, renewable resources, for the most phase using equipment that a local workshop can make and maintain”(Biofuel). Biofuel encourages U.S. energy liberty because it would be American who would be growing the majority of the products used to create the fuel in our own backyards. However, even biofuels have their limitations. The production of such fuels have typically used only parts of a certain plant’s makeup. This means that is takes more energy to grow more crops then are actually used as fuel and a lot of the plants’ makeup is wasted. Another major concern of increased biofuel production is the heightened need of crops to meet the such a tall order as the demand for fuel in the US. Such an issue leads to the question of how much land will have to be dedicated to constantly harvested crops. Areas of existing forests, wild habitats, and agricultural food crops will be most likely be forfeited for fuel growing lands. In turn this may turn over the U.S.’s need for an increase in imports of food, paper, and lumber. A solution is found in the second generation of biofuels. This second generation refers to “non food crops (cellulosic biofuel) such as waste biomass, wood, grass etc”(Biofuel). While the first generation biofuel come mainly from vegetable and animal oils, and the sugar of plants that are very specific and limited, second generation moves beyond that. With an increase in technological research funded by a political backing and general industrial interest fuel production has become more susceptible too a great array sources, predominantly bio-waste from plants.



For instance, cellulose ethanol is found in woody fibers. These include the use of ethanol from “crop wastes” such as trees, grasses, and other plants. This means that growers won’t have to use higher energy crops like corn to create biofuel. Trees and grasses require small amounts of energy compared to grains and don’t have to be replanted yearly. Even more interestingly, technologies have been formed to increase the rate at which trees grow. This means that within ten years they can be ready for harvest. Being able to use grass in its entirety greatly compliments biofuel production because of the ease of growing grass and the rapid rate at which grass grows. This new type of biofuel can also be produced by crop wastes such as wood chips, grass clippings and various brush. These materials require less energy for processing and can be used in their entirety. These biofuels are biodegradable because they are from organic materials and are in turn, renewable. They will provide more domestic jobs for growers and boost an internal economy with the U.S. The limited Carbon Dioxide emissions and the biodegradability of its components make these material far superior to their ancestral forefathers of fossil fuels. The only problem that retains widespread production and use is the fact that refueling stations are spread far and wide and most areas in the U.S. simply don’t have them at all. If the initial investment to create such facilities can be put in place, then a stronger ecological and fiscal outcome should surely occur. There are numerous alternative energy sources that have proven effective that are simply sitting idle, and are unused by the U.S. and the rest of the oil-driven world. Initial construction of the infrastructures for these various plants is preventing many countries from investing in these alternative power sources. Other arguments state that the power production of eco-friendly plants is simply too low in comparison with power plants fueled by oil, coal, natural gas and other such fuels. The fact of the matter is changing to a more fuel efficient world is going to require a lot of construction and money. However the final outcome will be cheaper. Wind, sunlight, and water are the main sources of power in this new generation of power plants and they are all free. These fields are growing and their products are becoming more efficient. P.V. (Photo Voltaic) tiles are solar panels that harbor the same structural properties as traditional roofing shingles but are able to transfer the suns rays into electrical power. These tiles are superior in their energy absorption compared to older model solar panels like the ones here at MMA. An area of 10 square meters is enough to power an entire household. Other solar powered means of electrical production are worth investigating. Solar mirrors can be used to concentrate the power of the sun’s heat onto one spot. This heats the water in the power plant to boiling point and then employs the traditional steam cycle to turn a turbine that converts this energy into electricity. The sun is extremely powerful, “every hour the sun beams down more energy than the entire human population could use in a year” (Alternative Energy//)//. This energy is abundant, free, and environmentally friendly. The initial cost would be worth the amount of money that could be saved in the long run.



Other means of power include looking into the potential energy in bodies of water throughout the world. OTEC, Ocean-Thermal-Electrical-Conversion takes the heat that is stored in the ocean and converts it’s energy into electrical power. It does this in tropical regions of the world where the surface water is substantially warmer than the deep ocean water below. The plant intakes water from the surface and uses its heat to boil off propane which has a very low boiling point. The propane circulates through a system similar to one found in traditional steam powered plants, turning a turbine which creates electric power, and is condensed back into a liquid by the cold deep ocean water.

The capabilities are there. It is simply the duty of the people and the government to elect to use and invest in them. If the U.S. introduced a substantial enough budget into the research of alternative fuel it could change its predominant power source from oil to a renewable resource such as solar, wind, or water power. This would solidify a stronger sense of security in relation to our financial future and the ecological health of the earth.

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Work Cited Introduction to Ethanol & Biodiesel." Biolfuel. Sadish, 28 FEB 2008. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . "Alternative Energy News." //Alternative Energy//. Alternative Energy, 1 Jan 2010. Web. 5 Oct 2010. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/.  Gutro, Rob. "World Warmth Edging Ancient Levels." //NASA Study Feature//. NASA, 26 Sept 2006. Web. 7 Oct 2010. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/ 2006/world_warmth_prt.htm.  "Petroleum." //U.S. Energy Information Administration//. eia.gov, 10 Oct 2010. Web. 1 Oct 2010. .  "Safe, Strong and Secure: Reducing America." Natural Resources Defense Council, 12  Sept 2004. Web. 5 Oct 2010. http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/aoilpolicy2.asp.