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How Does it Work /
Fuel
How Bio Fuels Work
Basic Operation and Description
Bio fuel is either in solid, liquid or gas form which has been extracted from
a biomass system. In the recent years research in this field has taken a leap do
to the unprecedented increase in the price of crude oil fuels. Interest has developed
among many governments because of the alarming increase of greenhouse effect caused
due to the release of spent fuels.
Typical Bio Fuel Configuration
Biomass usually consists of organic waste produced by human, animal or plant
activity. Cultivation can grow material for producing bio-fuels such as corn, sugarcane,
soybeans, palm oil, flaxseed, jatropha, and rapeseed. Others are animal excreta,
biodegradable waste from industries like timber, rice husks, straw, decomposed food
and sewage. All these materials are turned into biogas with the help of anaerobic
digestion. This carbon cycle organic compound is utilized for the production of
bio-fuel. Research has suggested utilizing a micro algae along with other supplements
such as hydrogen, bio-diesel, ethanol, methane, and methanol as an alternate source
of fuel.
Bio-fuels aren't a new invention and have existed before the World War II. Scientists
like Rudolf Van Diesel invented a peanut oil fuel and Nikolaus August Otto
invented Ethanol as a substitute for non-renewable fuel resources. The founder of
Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford designed the Ford Model T car, which ran on Ethanol.
But after the discovery of crude oil, which was cheap and easy to extract, bio fuel
research suffered a set back.
Because of the alarming rise in oil prices, pollution and diminishing non-renewable
fuels, the focus is shifting to bio fuels. George W. Bush, the present president
of the United States in 2007, has stated that by 2025, seventy five percent of the
usage of crude oil fuels will be replaced by bio fuels. An amount of $375 million
US dollars has been designated for research in bio-energy in research centers across
America. In 2005, United States was the largest ethanol fuel producing country with
the production of sixteen billion liters. The European Union has published that
by the year 2020; nearly nineteen million tons of fuel will be available from bio
mass and out of which fifty percent will be derived from organic waste. Bio-fuel's
popularity is increasing day by day in the automotive sector.
Research on corn-derived ethanol has being taken one step further to produce
a cellulose ethanol, which can be easily derived from grass and plants without affecting
the food chain. In the process of production of bio fuels major amounts of non-renewable
resource are being used presently. Additionally the total carbon produced is less
when compared to other sources. Carbon is present due to the absorption of atmospheric
carbon dioxide by plants for their growth. The concept of a carbon neutral is being
developed so as not to deplete forests in large amounts and to maintain the level
of carbon in the air. Presently bio fuels are not used as a stand alone fuel,
it is mixed in oils and fuels used for different purposes.
According to the Well-to-Wheel analysis which considers carbon
and energy costs of the manufacturing and consumption of fuels, nearly sixty percent
of carbon emissions can be reduced using first generation bio fuels and nearly eighty
percent can be reduced by use of second generation bio fuels, when compared to the
usage of non-renewable fuels.
The first generation bio fuel consists of fuels derived from vegetable and animal
fats, sugar and starch. The derivatives are bio-diesel, butanol, alcohols, ethanol,
methanol, biogas and vegetable oil. The second-generation fuels are derived from
lignocelluloses biomass feedstock and they are produced by biomass system using
liquid technology. The derivatives are DMF, bio-DME, fischer-tropsch diesel, bio-methanol,
HTU diesel, and mixed alcohols.
Bio fuels used for transportation purposes can be broadly classified into following
categories: bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and biogas. Bio-ethanol is an alcohol-based
fuel, which is produced from the process of sugar or starch fermentation. Bio-diesel
is produced from vegetable and animal oils waste whereas, biogas is produced from
the anaerobic digestion of organic waste and is also used to produce electricity.
The sudden demand of bio fuels has demanded farmers to not only grow crops for
food but also for the production of bio fuels. Research has been carried out to
utilize the non-edible part of the plants and fast growing grass. The cellulose
in the stalks complement the process because they contain a very high complex of
hydrocarbons, which are the building blocks of gas and diesel fuel.
The production of bio fuels has an impact on the environment which cannot be
neglected. Although the aim is to stop damage to the environment transportation
and other processes involve the consumption of crude oil fuels on a large scale
releasing harmful gases like nitrous oxides on the pretext of decreasing the carbon
output.
Basic Maintenance
The most commonly used bio-fuel for transportation in the United States is gasohol
or E10. It consists of ninety percent gasoline and ten percent ethanol. In 1998,
a rule was enforced to use E20 and E85 fuels with small changes. When using bio
fuels care must be taken to modify the engine fuel system accordingly or risk damaging
the fuel system especially in traditional diesel engines.
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