Essay on Bio-Fuels
Bio-fuels
Menno van Amen
TV4E
13-06-2013
The production of bio-fuels has become a controversial topic as the 21st century progresses.
Lately the production of biofuels has been discussed quiet frequently and many people have started focusing on the question if the production of biofuels actually is environmental friendly. Firstly, what is a biofuel? Biofuels refer to any solid, liquid or gas fuel that has been gotten from biomass. They produce biofuels by growing plants, growing sugar crops or starch or with the use of by-products.
Advantages:
The actual aim of biofuels is to be carbon neutral. Potentially they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions when you compare them to conventional transport fuels, but this ability depends on the way you produce these biofuels. In reality biofuels aren’t carbon neutral because they actually require energy to grow the crops and to convert them into fuel. However, biofuels could still be more environmentally friendly then other fossil alternatives. They can save up to 60% of the carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels, and second generation biofuels can offer savings of about 80%. Another advantage of biofuels is that they save money of drivers. Governments have introduced many incentives to drivers of the well-known green cars who are based on emissions, who come with reduced taxation. And because the petrol prices are rising, if you then would replace the petroleum with a renewable energy source it should actually offer high savings at the pump in the long term, especially when the availability of biofuels will rise.
Disadvantages:
However, there have been some arguments that biofuel isn’t as positive as it had been portrayed and thought of. The following points are some of the several concerns about biofuels: * Biodiversity: This has been feared a lot lately, because when adapting more land to produce the crops needed for biofuels, the consequence would be that more habitats would be lost for
Menno van Amen
TV4E
13-06-2013
The production of bio-fuels has become a controversial topic as the 21st century progresses.
Lately the production of biofuels has been discussed quiet frequently and many people have started focusing on the question if the production of biofuels actually is environmental friendly. Firstly, what is a biofuel? Biofuels refer to any solid, liquid or gas fuel that has been gotten from biomass. They produce biofuels by growing plants, growing sugar crops or starch or with the use of by-products.
Advantages:
The actual aim of biofuels is to be carbon neutral. Potentially they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions when you compare them to conventional transport fuels, but this ability depends on the way you produce these biofuels. In reality biofuels aren’t carbon neutral because they actually require energy to grow the crops and to convert them into fuel. However, biofuels could still be more environmentally friendly then other fossil alternatives. They can save up to 60% of the carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels, and second generation biofuels can offer savings of about 80%. Another advantage of biofuels is that they save money of drivers. Governments have introduced many incentives to drivers of the well-known green cars who are based on emissions, who come with reduced taxation. And because the petrol prices are rising, if you then would replace the petroleum with a renewable energy source it should actually offer high savings at the pump in the long term, especially when the availability of biofuels will rise.
Disadvantages:
However, there have been some arguments that biofuel isn’t as positive as it had been portrayed and thought of. The following points are some of the several concerns about biofuels: * Biodiversity: This has been feared a lot lately, because when adapting more land to produce the crops needed for biofuels, the consequence would be that more habitats would be lost for