SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE FUELS
A Burning Desire For Sustainable Alternative Fuels
What exactly does the phrase “alternative fuel” mean? In simple words, the term refers to substances (excluding conventional fuels like gasoline or diesel) which can be used as fuels. This article takes a look at what fuels are, why we need a fuel alternative to conventional substances, as well as future prospects and scope for their development.
Background:
A fuel is any substance which yields energy to heat or move objects. The two main forms are: chemical fuel and nuclear fuel. The former provides energy through chemical reactions such as combustion, while the latter releases energy through nuclear fission or fusion.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the world’s energy needs have been growing. This has led to a point where the demand for energy has outpaced the supply leading to an energy crisis.
Energy is required for every facet of human life today: cooling, lighting and warming homes and offices, conducting agriculture, running industries, cooking food, transportation of people and materials… the list is endless.
Fossil fuels are the main energy source around the world. These originate from carboniferous substances, and take millions of years to form. Examples include coal and crude oil, from which gasoline (petrol), diesel, kerosene and jet fuel are made.
Need for Alternatives:
In addition to the energy crisis, the following factors have led to the increasing need for finding a feasible fuel alternative to conventional sources:
- Fossil sources are limited, and will eventually get used up.
- Only few countries have usable fossil reserves. This forces other nations to depend on them for energy.
- Countries want energy security and independence.
- Combustion of carbon-rich fuels leads to emissions like CO and CO2, which are harmful to the environment.
- More and more people are becoming environmentally-conscious and want a fossil fuel alternative.
Alternatives – Present And Future Prospects:
The pressing need for a solution to the world’s environmental and energy problems has led to a lot research to find a fossil fuel alternative. Alcohol-fuels like ethanol and methanol based substances are easy to produce. They are made from crops like corn, which is fermented to produce alcohol. But alcohols are highly corrosive, and require expensive metal, plastic and rubber replacements for existing parts to be used in cars.
“Biodiesels” refer to non-petroleum based substances which powers a diesel engine. Vegetable oils and used-fry-oil have been used as biodiesels, after being subject to some processing. They are effective alternatives to petro diesel, producing similar amounts of energy with lesser emissions. However, biodiesels are significantly more expensive than petro diesel, freeze solid in cold weather, and cannot be produced in sufficient quantities to meet global demand.
Hydrogen is the most promising fossil fuel alternative for the future. It’s the most common element in the universe, and yields the highest amounts of energy on combustion. Also, hydrogen combustion produces only energy and water, so it’s completely eco-friendly. Experts predict that by 2020, problems in production, storage and distribution of hydrogen would been solved, making it the best solution to the current energy crisis.
If you are conserving energy to save the Earth, reducing energy to save your budget or a little bit of both, then the Alternative Fuel Secret is for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hilda_Ramos
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4125610
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