larsen1
Solomon Larsen
Lynn Taylor
English 1010
Argument essay first draft
Creative title
People are always trying to find a less expensive and more efficient way to do things. One of the
best examples of this is fuel, in 1973 after a fuel shortage many government facilities including NASA
started doing research to find a renewable source of fuel. After years of research people developed a
fuel source made from living matter, or biofuel. However, even with all the money and time being spent
doing research many people don’t agree that biofuel is the best way to go. I believe biofuel is the fuel
that will eventually replace fossil fuel.
There are three main reasons biofuel should replace fossil fuel: It is more efficient, it is safer for
the environment, and it will help further advance technology.
The first reason biofuels should replace fossil fuels is because biofuel is more efficient.
Biofuel burns hotter meaning the engine also has to be stronger, but that allows it to run stronger
and last longer allowing you to get more bang for your buck. Many people believe that because it
is stronger it actually destroys your engine, but according to Margaret Haerens “every engine
made since 1980 have been required to be made to handle biofuels so if your engine breaks you
have a different problem”. Also the production of biofuels like corn ethanol is more efficient
then fossil fuels. Evan Ratliff claims that “ Fossil fuel produces 20% more energy then is needed
to harvest it, and corn ethanol produces 30 % more energy then is needed to grow the corn”
larsen2
Another reason biofuel is better is because it is safer for the environment. Although it
isn’t the cleanest solution like electric motors or solar power, it is the cleanest fuel. Many people
argue that it is more toxic then fossil fuels because when biofuel is made from sewer sludge it is
also being mixed in with any other chemical that gets watched down the drain like mercury or
even some radioactive chemicals. This would be true but the sewer sludge goes through a sewer
treatment system before it goes to the industries, and even after it goes to the biofuel factories
they are required to do test on the sludge to make sure it doesn’t have any excess chemicals, and
if it does they send it back to be sent through again. Ethanol and cellulose (corn and algae based
biofuels) have “significantly less carbon dioxide and monoxide then other types of fuel meaning
it causes less pollution, also contains 85% less cancer causing chemicals”
The production of biofuel will even help clean polluted water. Biofuel made from sewer
sludge actually cleans the sewer water to the point to where it is drinkable again. The technology
used for this can also be used to clean up oil spills potentially saving millions of dollars and can
even save wild life. Another type of biofuel that can help clean polluted water is cellulose which
is made form algae. When people make cellulose biofuel they usually make it from the algae in
swamp water which cleans the water and creates another potential source for fresh drinkable
water.
I believe that the production of biofuel is important because it will help further advance
technology which is the third reason I believe biofuels will eventually replace fossil fuels. The
main problem scientist have with producing biofuel is trying to find a way to harvest cellulose
from algae efficiently. Producing cellulose requires a lot of research and its production will help
the world advance further in many fields. One of the fields that will advance thanks to biofuel is
chemistry. Chemistry is important for scientist because it helps produce almost everything we
larsen3
need in our daily lives, and is used for medical purposes and military purposes. If scientist
advance to the level when they can successfully extract fuel from algae efficiently the technology
used will be able to help advance in other places we use chemistry. It will also help advance in
technology, mainly in with motor vehicles and appliances such as lawnmowers or snow blowers.
If we can run everything that uses gasoline with biofuels it will greatly decrease the
amount of pollution in the air.
The opinions against biofuels are mainly based on corn ethanol because it causes deforestation,
shortage of food and food price increase, and why not? When it comes to food you can never have
enough, so why would we use our food supply for fuel? According to Margaret Haerens article “Corn
Ethanol Is Not a Disaster”( in 2007 studies showed that corn ethanol only raised families food bills
by 0.2-0.3% "variations in the corn price 'explain' only 4% of the variations in the food CPI
(Consumer Price Index)” In other words corn price would be considered a very small variable in
deciding what drives the food CPI).
Another type of fuel that is a common topic is biofuel made from human waste. Animal
waste has been used for fuel for years so why is human waste any different? The answer is in the
sewers, when waste is turned into fuel it goes through the sewer, into the sewer treatment
systems and to the renewable energy facilities. But waste isn’t the only thing that goes down the
“Everything gets dumped into the sewer at factories and at home everything that goes down the
drain ends up in the sewer treatment system, the main problem is industrial chemicals, oils and
solvents go down the drain. Even mercury and sometimes radioactive chemicals go down the
drain and this is very toxic to the environment when it gets burned.”( Ronald D. Lankford)
larsen4
Although there are dangerous chemicals getting mixed into the sewage, the sewage treatment
system is able to remove all unwanted substances before sending it off to be made into fuel.
So there are many issues with producing biofuels so why would we continue with this
research? Because we will eventually run out of fossil fuels, and other types of energy like solar
powered energy is too expensive for the average person to afford. Most people can’t even
function properly if there phones died so imagine what would happen if no one was able to drive
there vehicles or use there lawnmowers or other motored appliances. For the average person who
can’t afford another source of power they will be forced to go back to the 18 century before
motor vehicles were made.
larsen5
Work cited
"Using Human Waste for Energy Is Problematic." Human Waste. Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Apr.
2014.
Leonard, Kirk. "Corn Ethanol Is Not a Disaster." Biofuels. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "In Defense of Corn Ethanol." The Organic
Center, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Apr. 2014
Breining, Greg. "Biofuel Can Turn Sewage Wastewater into a Power Resource." Human Waste.
Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "The
Sewage Plant, the Promise of Biofuel." Environment 360. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Ratliff, Evan. "Cellulosic Ethanol Shows Promise." Biofuels. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "One Molecule Could Cure Our Addiction
to Oil." Wired 15.10 (24 Sept. 2007). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Apr.
2014.