Are Alternative Fuels the Answer to the Problem of Fossil Fuels?
With the ever increasing price of gas and the concerns about the effects that fossil fuels have on other matters such as the state of the environment, it is about time the human race found an alternative fuel option. These alternative fuel options are also necessary in order to reduce America’s dependence on crude oil. Other options are currently being explored but these are some of the more popular options that are currently in existence:
Biodiesel:
This is one of the most efficient, clean and cheapest fuel options available for implementation. These fuels can be made from a variety of things such as vegetable and soy bean oils, animal fats and recycled restaurant grease too.
Pure biodiesel is a fuel that burns cleanly and gives off a lot less pollutants than other forms of fuel. It also helps to reduce the high levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and sulfates in the atmosphere. Biodiesels achieve this feat by reducing the dependence people have on the usual petroleum products.
Getting the average consumer to use biodiesel fuel instead of traditional fuel could be one of the simplest and most cost effective transfers out of all the alternative fuel sources in existence. A huge number of cars and trucks which were built after 1994 can already accept biodiesel fuel or at least they require minor modifications in order to do so. There will be no need to create new pumps as older fuel pumps are perfectly capable of dispensing biodiesel. Statistics have shown the current U.S stockpiles of diesel and other foodstuffs capable of producing biodiesel can effectively create up to 2 billion gallons of biodiesel which is 5 % of the annual fuel usage of America.
Ethanol:
This type of fuel was once considered the primary alternative fuel of choice, in recent times however, this opinion has changed substantially. Critics have claimed that it uses a whole lot more energy to make than Americans can save by using it. Research is still ongoing to make this fuel easier to make. Ethanol is a clear and colorless fuel that can be made quite easily by distilling corn and other plants which have high sugar content. These plants are distilled into grain alcohol using a wet milling process.
Electricity:
Electricity is a totally clean fuel and so interest in using the fuel source for cars in on the increase. Storage capacity is rather limited in currently available models which also limit the distance an electric car can travel before it requires recharging. Solar power and wind power will be recharging options in the future; this will make the electric car a whole lot more accessible and useable for the average driver.
Hydrogen:
Hydrogen can be used to grow fuel cells which in turn are converted into electricity for cars. Hydrogen emissions are low but on the other hand critics feel that since it is created from burning fossil fuels such as gas, coal and nuclear energy, it isn’t a viable large scale alternative for reducing the gas consumption average of the country.
Methanol:
Methanol is also called wood alcohol in some quarters. Methanol is used in relative mixtures of about 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline which can be mixed in flexible fuel vehicles. Methanol is mixed with gasoline in order to enhance the octane levels and create a fuel that is cleaner. Methanol can be produced by reforming natural gas in order to create a synthetic gas that can be fed into a reactor in order to create methane as well as water vapor. The technology actually seemed quite promising until a number of car manufacturers grew concerns over the contaminated ground water that results through the methanol production process.
Alternatives actually exist in order to reduce the reliance the world has on regular fuel. A greater level of research is required in order to determine the best source that will replace the dependence that we have on fossil fuels.
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for NetworkSecurity.WS, EcoSection.com, and BeeMotivated.com.
