Biofuels: Bad for the enviroment?

Soybean oil

As global warming continues to increase, people are looking at alternate forms of power. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are becoming more popular with energy companies; but biofuels have the greatest potential, especially for the transportation industry. Biofuels are one of the best alternatives to fossil fuels because of their combustible nature and their compatible with already existing combustible engines. The United States has even increased the standard ethanol levels in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent.

In 2007, a governmental mandate increased biofuel production in the United States to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022. This was done in an effert to decrease the amount of fossil fuels the United States consumes. Because the demand for biofuels is increasing more, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers are being hired to help create alternative forms of fuel. They are also helping to improve the biofuel processes that are already established to have less of an impact on the environment by managing air and water pollution.

Increasing the use of biofuels is good for one part of the environment health, but the first draft of a report by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) suggests that biofuel production in the US is not as environmentally friendly as we think it is, especially the production of ethanol (both conventional and cellulosic) and bio-diesel.

Some concerns mentioned in the report are in the areas of air quality, water contamination due to chemical runoff, soil quality and conservation, water availability and ecosystem health.

Most of these concerns are in the farming stage of the biofuel production. The crops required to produce biofuel can be hard on the land. They can lower the water table and strip the land of all of the minerals that are required for your crops to grow. These concerns are minimized through governmental regulations and good farming habits. Some good farming habits include rotating your crops as to not strip the land, managing chemical use, and using fertilizer to increase the soil fertility when needed. These concerns are also minimized by ABEN engineers through the improvement of the machinery used in this stage. Some improvements include no till planters and systems that fertilize and plant simultaneously, which will save fuel and eliminates the need to make a second pass through the field.

Production of biofuels actually contributes to global warming, doing more harm that good. The United States demand for ethanol crops like corn, soybeans and switch grass increases the amount of deforestation and conversion of natural habitats increases. This land is being converted into farmland to keep up with the demand for corn, soybeans and switch grass, not only for ethanol production but for human consumption as well. When a natural habitat is destroyed it releases mass amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. This release of carbon is what contributes to global warming.

Most aspects of biofuel production are already regulated by the government. In their report, the EPA made some suggestions to further improve the biofuel production process. Some of the more important suggestions were improving cooperation between researchers (internationally as well as in the United States) and improving the ability of federal agencies to develop management and conservation practices.

If the United States and the rest of the world can find a balance between the use of crops for biofuel production and consumer consumption, as well as minimize the effects of what the production of the fuels does to the environment, we will be well on our way to minimize our dependance on fossil fuels.

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