When talking about biofuls we are discussing SUSTAINABILITY

Why Biofuel?

Why Biofuels? Oil prices are part of the reason – High oil prices allow alternate fuels to become financially feasible – Higher gas prices raise awareness of oil dependency – Politics

Environment Keeling curve -45 years of CO 2 According to Mann, the earth is warming unnaturally. The evidence for human-caused warming includes temperature trends over the past millennium that indicate gradual cooling up until the start of the 20th century followed by a sharp upturn that continues today. A temperature graph of the period shows a characteristic "hockey stick" shape. Michael Mann –hockey stick model The rise of carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere has been measured continuously since 1958 and follows an oscillating line known as the "Keeling Curve," named after Dr. Charles David Keeling, professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

CO 2 Emissions We need to limit our CO 2 emissions – Kyoto protocol (1997); implementation (2005) Targeted developed nations; developing nations not required to sign (including China and India) – Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (2012) Reduce greenhouse gas amounts more – Reduction needs to be prompt

CO 2 emissions

Biofuel is An Old Idea The carbon cycle was balanced Biofuel, until recently, has always been our source of fuel Fire Feeding the horse/oxen power Rudolf Diesel envisioned vegetable oil as fuel for the Diesel engine Henry Ford thought to run his vehicle with Ethanol obtained from corn

What Made Us Switch? When oil was first used, it was cheaper (financially) Consequence: pulling carbon from deep in the Earth and putting it back in the atmosphere harms the environment

How Can We Get Back to Biofuel? Where can we get renewable energy from? BIOMASS SOLAR WIND

Why Plants as Biofuel? Plants have lots of fixed carbon – They fix it in uniform hydrocarbon chains – We already harvest the plants in large amounts – We can change the carbon to a flammable fuel

Why Plants as Biofuel? Lipids can release fatty acid alkyl esters (combined with methanol to make biodiesal) Long chain sugars can be broken and fermented to release ethanol +