Alternative Fuels By David Byland, Alex Larson Period 7 Overview • • • • • • • Renewable energy Biomass Alcohol fuels Hydrogen Compressed Air Alternative fossil fuels Nuclear power Renewable Energy • Fuel that can be continually produced • Wind, hydro, geothermal, and electric power are just some examples Biomass • Organic material that can be used as fuel for industrial production • Plant matter is the most common form of biomass energy Alcohol fuels • Methanol and ethanol are the most common types of alcohol fuels • Ethanol is made from fermenting corn product • Methanol can be produced a variety of ways including recycling carbon dioxide (CO2) Hydrogen • Cannot be used alone, this must be mixed with another chemical and will emit water vapor as exhaust • Hydrogen has high energy content by weight however it is low in volume Compressed air • • • • Compressed air does not carry harmful emissions 10 times cheaper than conventional fossil fuel Car companies have reported 35 mph with just air alone By 2010 there are plans to have air cars run over 100mpg and with a top speed of 96 mph Alternative fossil fuels • Compressed natural gas (CNG) is as efficient and cleaner burning than petroleum based fuel • CNG tanks take up slightly more space because it takes more to equal its petroleum gas counterpart • Nearly any modern gasoline engine can be converted to use CNG Nuclear power • All nuclear power is drawn from atomic nuclei via reactions • The most common form of nuclear power today is called fission • Fission reactors get their energy from the U-235 isotope of uranium • Long term nuclear disposal a problem Bibliography http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/alternative_fuel