Larsen1
Solomon Larsen
Lynn Taylor
English 1010
April, 4, 2014
Biofuels
This essay is to inform myself and others of an issue that I think is important.
The issue I am going to go over is biofuels and whether or not they can or should replace fossil
fuels. The key questions I am hoping to answer by doing this assignment are, why is this an
issue? How much damage if any would be caused by burning biofuel? Will the world eventually
reach the point when people need to rely on man made fuel for energy? Is Biofuel more efficient
then fossil fuel? And why should people care? This issue is problematic because with how much
fossil fuels the world uses we will eventually run out. People need to find another source of
power, but at a cost people would be willing to pay.
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
Larsen2
Plant, the Promise of Biofuel." Environment 360. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9
Apr. 2014.
In the article “Biofuels Can Turn Sewage Wastewater into a Power Resource” Greg
Breining writes about Roger Ruans research for “finding the fuel of the future.” For his research
he decided to take a valuable recourse that no one else was willing to take, the sewer sludge from
Minneapolis largest sewage treatment system. The university of Minnesota professor is looking
into a very unlikely source to grow single-celled algae to make diesel-like biofuel.
His research allows him to use one acre of algae even in a pond can be used to make up
to 5000 gallons of biodiesel every year or 100 times as much as soybeans. Greg goes on to say
that this research will not only make the fuel needed for todays society but it will also clean up
all the waste water, potentially saving millions of dollars a year. Ruen a professor in bio systems
and agricultural engineering says, the potential of algae based biofuels is much higher then
soybeans or corn oil because it grows at a much faster rate.
Greg reports that Ruen wasn’t the only one with this idea in 2006 a company in New
Zealand called “Aqua-flow” started successfully harvesting biofuel from open-air ponds at a
waste water placement plant. They started focusing on making jet fuel and expect to be able to
mass produce the fuel. This research caught the attention of the pentagon as an alternative
resource for jet fuel. A team at the University of Virginia starting doing research to maximize the
Larsen3
efficiency of the algae growing process, and the chemistry department of the Old
Dominion University in Norfolk, Va, built a small scale bio reactor at a local wastewater
treatment plant that may produce up to $600,000 worth of fuel a year.
Even NASA has started a team researching and working on the development of a floating
greenhouse for growing algae. A team at the University of Virginia starting doing research to
maximize the efficiency of the algae growing process, and the chemistry department of the Old
dominion University in Norfolk, Va, built a small scale bio reactor at a local wastewater
treatment plant that may produce up to $600,000 worth of fuel a year.
Ruen states that there are two methods of converting algae into fuel. Drying and crushing
the algae, or removing the oil with a solvent. The problem however is that there both really
expensive, researchers are trying to find a new way to break down algae through osmotic or ultra
sound to make oil recovery easier.
Greg Breining’s article is convincing because he quotes many credible source like Ryan
Ruen, a professor in bio systems and agricultural engineering, The Pentagon , and even NASA to
make a point that biofuels is something the world needs and everyone is trying to find a way to
produce it efficiently and costly.
Bryce, Robert. "The US Corn Ethanol Subsidy Is Harmful." Biofuels. Ed. Margaret
Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Ethanol Trap." Slate. 2010.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Larsen4
In the article “The US Corn Ethanol Subsidy Is Harmful” Robert Bryce talks about corn
ethanol in what he calls “a scam” Bryce claims that the biofuel industries have to keep being
bailed out by tax payers because the industry was given too much in the way of “subsidies and
mandates”. And the only way to solve the problem is what else other then more subsidies and
mandates.
He states that in the 2005 energy bill, congress dramatically increased mandates for corn
ethanol. Banks donated billions of dollars into new distilleries. The industries are getting funds to
make ethanol even though they are over there capacity, money is being wasted because the
industries are making more fuel then the motor fuel market can buy and sell.
Bryce reports that the ethanol industries rely on gasoline and other fuel industries because
there product can mixed into other fuel to make it stronger. He claims that there are about 250
million motor vehicles in the United States, and of that number only about 7.5 million was
designed to burn gasoline containing ethanol.
In his research Bryce found hat using ethanol can damage the environment and pollute
the air. Even the EPA has admitted that increased use of ethanol will result in worse air quality.
The last section of his article Bryce talks about the affect ethanol is having on the food
supplies. In 2009 the Earth Policy institute estimated that in 2009 the U.S ethanol industries used
107 million tons of grain or 25% of total domestic grain production to make there fuel. The
Institute claimed that is enough to feed 330 million people for almost a year.
Larsen5
The purpose of this article is to inform people that biofuels aren’t as good as everyone
thinks and it will cause more damage to the world if we continue to use them. Bryce is a reliable
source because he I a well known publisher who’s articles have shown up in many publication
ranging from Wall Street Journal to Counterpunch, in this article he also references the EPA and
the Earth Policy Institute.
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
In Margaret Haerens article “Corn Ethanol Is Not a Disaster” She talks about oil based
biofuel. Haerens claims Biofuel is a necessary piece of the energy transition we must do to
sustain ourselves and our planet. Corn ethanol is a common topic for naysayers because it
causes deforestation, food shortage and food price increase. She claims that, 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
one of the main issues with ethanol is engine problems. She points out that every engine made
since 1980 have been required to be ethanol compatible, so if your experiencing problems with
ethanol based fuels something else is wrong. Margaret Haerens says that the purpose of this
Larsen6
article isn’t to say that corn ethanol is good. Because it is not a good source of long-term bio fuel
solution, but in the U.S it has paved the way for future fuel sources. It is the principal oxygenate
in todays gasoline. The world needs the experience gained by its development so we can start on
cellulosic ethanol, the next generation of bioethanol worldwide.
Margaret Haerens is neutral on this topic. She claims that corn based biofuels isn’t the
best source of energy but the production is necessary to find the right fuel source for the future.
Margaret Haerens is a credible source of information because she is a successful author who
writes books about public issues.
"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.
Lankford’s point of view is against biofuels. He claims that the main component in most
biofuel is sewage sludge. He states that manure is a common source of fuel but human and
animal wastes aren’t the same. But burning sewage sludge can be more hazardous and not
because of all the reasons you might think.
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. Most of the extra chemicals get separated in the sewer
Larsen7
treatment system but many chemicals like mercury or sometimes even some radioactive
chemicals will get mixed in with the sludge.
Burning the sludge will release many of these chemicals into the air. Lankford claims that
even the best emission control systems can’t remove all the heavy metals and other unpleasant
items from the gases going up in smokestack. Whether or not sludge causes more pollution then
coal or oil depends on the components that got mixed in.
This article was written by Ronald D. Lankford. This is a credible source of information
because he works for the Green Haven Press that mainly published books and articles on social
issues. The main purpose of this article is to inform people of the dangers burning biofuels can
cause. This article is very convincing because it gives good examples and reasoning.
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.
In the article “Cellulosic Ethanol Shows Promise” Evan Ratliff Talks about cellulose
ethanol. Cellulose ethanol has the potential to be the next fuel source but scientist are struggling
to make it affordable, part of the reason is because of the chemistry behind making it, cellulose is
a hard molecule to break down in a cost effective way. Many scientists around the world have
been researching to find a way to make it worth the cost.
Larsen8
Ratliff claims that hydrogen is to far out and its hard to power our cars with wind or solar
powered electricity. So the only other available option right now is ethanol. Unfortunately the
only ethanol we can make efficiently today is from corn. Corn ethanol is easier to produce than
cellulose but it generates at best 30% more energy than is needed to grow the corn so it’s barely
worth the effort to produce.
He goes on to say that cellulose ethanol in theory would be the best source of fuel, most
plant species that can be converted to ethanol like switch grass for example, and have a very fast
growth rate. According to research done by the US Department of Agriculture and Energy we
can sustainably grow more then one billion tons of such biomass on available farm land, while
using minimal fertilizer. But there are more ways to get cellulose then just plants Ratliff claims
that two thirds of what we throw in our landfills contain cellulose and thus a potential fuel
source. Cellulose ethanol holds about 80% more energy than is needed to grow and convert it.
There’s so much research and funding going into this project but the only problem is that no one
can figure out how to generate energy from plant matter at a good price that people would be
willing to pay.
Even Ratliff is a credible source because he is the CEO and co-founder of Atavist, a
media software company. And was a writer for “Wired Magazines” and “The New Yorker”. In
his article "Cellulosic Ethanol Shows Promise." He references the “US Department of
Agriculture and Energy”. The purpose of this article is to convince others that biofuels is the
only other source of fuel that has the potential to replace fossil fuels. Even though it can cause
damage by increasing food prices or pollution, that is a government project that needs to be done
to sustain the future of energy. This article compares to the other article by talking abut similar
problems for example, corn ethanol may increase the price of corn in markets. This article was a
Larsen9
very useful source in my research because it talks about the advantages and disadvantages of
biofuels and what the rest of the world is doing about it.
By doing this essay I have learned a lot about this topic and have answered all of my
questions. I have learned that the reason this is an issue is because the world will eventually run
out of fossil fuels and we need to start looking for an alternative source of fuel, This is also an
issue because there are many different ways to make biofuels but so far there isn’t a way to make
it worth the cost or without causing food price increase. In my research I also found that the
damage caused by burning ethanol varies depending on what ingredients are put in for example
corn ethanol is a little bit cleaner then fossil fuels, and biofuels made from sewer sludge can be
clean or it can cause pollution depending on what chemicals are still in it after it went through
the sewer treatment system. Another question I answered is whether or not the world will have to
eventually rely on man made fuel. The answer is yes, although there are other sources of energy
such as solar or wind power. It’s hard to make an affordable car that will run off something other
then fossil or biofuels. One question I answered was whether or not biofuels is more efficient
then fossil fuel. I did find out that harvesting fossil fuels is more efficient then making
biofuels, but the performance is the same as long as your engine was built to burn ethanol.
The answers to all my questions are also the answer to my final question “why should
people care?”
From my research I have decided that my personal view is with biofuels. I agree that we
should produce biofuels because it is the only other alternative to fossil fuels. I believe to
progress further we need to perfect and mass produce a potential source of unlimited energy. All
though it may cause some damage along the way, it would also help a lot of people. If the world
Larsen10
just switched to solar powered energy and stopped using fuel altogether, what would happen to
all the people who cant afford to switch? In my point of view the only way we can change our
main source of energy without leaving anyone behind in the past is through the production of
biofuels.