Slide fossil fuels
Since the earliest recorded history, there have been accounts of crude oil and natural gas
seeping to the Earth's surface.
Until the refining process was developed in the 1850s, oil was not commonly used as
fuel because of its foul-smelling fumes.
Imagine a world with out fuel after two hundred years of having fuel.
Chaos with out a replacement fuel there will be a breakdown in every aspect of the world
as we know it.
Now imagine we have found a renewable resource like Biofuels in soybeans and corn
that can be manufactured into Biodiesel or maybe a mass that can be used to manufacture
crude oil.
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable
resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum
diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with
little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially
free of sulfur and aromatics.
How is biodiesel made?
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is
separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl
esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be
used in soaps and other products).
Is Biodiesel the same thing as raw vegetable oil?
No! Fuel-grade biodiesel must be produced to strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) in
order to insure proper performance. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully
completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
Biodiesel that meets ASTM D6751 and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection
Agency is a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. Raw vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel
fuel specifications, it is not registered with the EPA, and it is not a legal motor fuel.
Biodiesel is defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or
animal fats which conform to ASTM D6751 specifications for use in diesel engines. Biodiesel
refers to the pure fuel before blending with diesel fuel. Biodiesel blends are denoted as, "BXX"
with "XX" representing the percentage of biodiesel contained in the blend (ie: B20 is 20%
biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel).
OPEC was founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. At that time, the
petroleum industry in these countries was controlled by United States and European oil companies.
These firms paid the host governments income taxes and royalties based on the posted price the
companies charged for crude oil on the world market. In 1959 and 1960, oil production greatly
exceeded world demand. The surplus that was thereby created prompted several of the major
companies to cut the posted price and thus their payments to host governments. OPEC was founded in
response to this price cut.
OPEC had little influence on oil prices during the 1960s, when production expanded to keep pace with
demand. In the 1970s, however, world demand for oil began to outgrow what was available from nonOPEC sources. In 1973, OPEC stopped consulting with oil companies and decided to raise oil prices in
keeping with the rate of inflation.
Armed conflict also contributed to rising oil prices. During the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, some Arab
members of OPEC stopped or reduced oil exports to countries supporting Israel. As a result, oil prices
in those countries, including the United States and other Western industrial nations, rose sharply.
During the late 1970s, the Iranian revolution caused a shortage that helped OPEC increase oil prices
again.
OPEC was less successful at achieving its goals in the 1980s, when the world oil supply again exceeded
demand. In 1983, OPEC cut the price of its oil for the first time. During the middle and late 1980s,
OPEC set production limits for its members several times. But many members ignored the limits,
thereby holding prices down. Although brief price increases resulted from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in
1990, oil prices remained stable in the early 1990s.
Global waste biomass energy capacity is about eight times the total annual world consumption of
energy from all sources. Therefore, biomass represents a very large energy resource.
At present the world population uses only about 7% of the annual production of biomass.
Therefore, we are only partially exploiting nature's abundant renewable resource.
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Wood chips / waste
Straw
MSW-RDF
Nut shells
Sewage sludge
Olive pips
Bone meal
Leather waste
Animal litter
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Coal
Tyres
Sugar Cane Bagasse
Oil sludge/waste
Energy crops
Oil seed rape husks
Rice and Corn husks
Packaging Waste
Chicken Waste
Question for informal discussion
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Why do we have to find a renewable resource?
What is the advantage of designing a biofuel resource?
Why should we look into several areas for a renewable resource?
What will happen if we do not find a renewable resource?