Advantages of biofuels

1. Advantages of biofuels By Jessica, Jemimah and Katie

2. Biofuels vs. fossil fuels • In society today, our main fuel sources are fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. • However, these fossil fuels take millions of years to form and because of our greedy, consumer lifestyles, they are running out fast.

3. Biofuels • Biofuels are renewable sources of energy, produced by using ethanol from plants. • This is a sustainable way of providing our society’s energy needs.

4. Disadvantages to Biofuels • For large industry use, there are still some key problems involved with biofuels. • These need to be solved before biofuels can be widely used in industries.

5. Effect on Pollution Levels • Using biofuels might be better than fossil fuels because it produces less Carbon Dioxide while being made. • They produce up to 64% less emissions that lead directly to global warming.

6. Recycling of Carbon Dioxide • Engines running on biofuels still emit carbon dioxide. • BUT plants and trees use Carbon dioxide to grow. • But as not as much is getting emitted it has a better chance of getting soaked up by the trees so it means less carbon dioxide reaches the atmosphere.

7. Useful Waste Products • DDGS (Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles) a waste product of making biofuels, used as low cost animal feed. • DDGS is mixed with ‘bacteria-inoculated sludge’ that has been cut off from an oxygen supply, uses the DDGS bacteria for growth. • The DDGS is forced to send its outer electrons into a circuit like action leading to a supply of oxygen. • The movement of the outer electron can be made into electricity.

8. Bad Waste Products • The products of biofuels are mainly toxic because of the glycerin that contains methanol and other hazardous chemicals. • For every 100 litres of biofuels there is 25 litres of glycerin. Of that produced up to 25% of it can be methanol.

9. Methanol • Methanol is extremely flammable as it is a form of alcohol. • So when it is burned it can produce energy.