First generation bio-fuels are the more common fuels that are produced from food crops and animal fats. Some examples include bio-diesel, vegetable oil, and bio-gas.

Second generation bio-fuels are made from waste biomass, making them a more sustainable solution as compared to their 1st gen counterparts. They include various alcohols (such as ethanol) and diesel derived from wood and even human excrement.

Third generation bio-fuels are generally made from algae that are farmed on a massive scale. By way of photosynthesis and the breaking down of carbon dioxide, the carbohydrates extracted from these micro-organisms is used to make various fuels.
So what separates bio-fuels from fossil fuels?

Bio-fuels differ from fossil fuels in the following ways:

Where bio-fuels can be made very quickly, fossil fuels take millions of years to be made. The pollution from fossil fuels is far more severe. Although burning bio-fuels also creates emissions, the carbon dioxide is more environmentally friendly and absorbed easily by crops and organisms. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, whereas bio-fuels tend be more renewable. As long as there is human excrement, there will be bio-fuels. Furthermore, with the help of crop rotation, there can be an endless supply of bio-fuels.

This leads us on to the advantages of bio-fuels:

As more people use bio-fuels, it lowers the demand on pollution creating fossil-fuels. This helps reduce harmful carbon emissions, making bio-fuels more friendly for the environment. And since they can be made from almost any organic substance, bio-fuels are a cheap alternative for consumers.

Bio-fuels sound too good to be true. There must be some disadvantages to producing and using them. So, are there any?
Like any new technology, of course there are disadvantages

Although they are environmentally friendly, bio-fuels have been ironically criticized by the environmental community, for the reasons given below:

It has long been debated on the usefulness on first generation bio-fuels as compared to the shortage of food they could cause. Producing bio-fuels from crops make the food worthless for us to eat. And some people believe that we should rather use those crops to cure world hunger than to power our vehicles and homes. The large farmlands necessary to produce first and third generation bio-fuels can result in us encroaching on the natural ecology of plants and animals.

So you can see, biofuels are still a contentious issue. However, we believe that with the correct management – such as crop rotation – and improved technology biofuels can be a sustainable solution that will do more good than harm. But only time will tell.

The Original Post is Located Here: Biofuels – The Cleaner Burning Fuels

Biogas is a mixture of about 60-70% methane (natural gas), 30-40% carbon dioxide and other trace gases, such as hydrogen sulfide. The heat content of this gas is based on the amount of methane it contains and is about 600 BTUs per cubic foot.

Anaerobic digesters produce biomethane along with electricity generation and saleable end product biosolids which allows animal production enterprises to become neighborhood and environment friendly, as well as producing another revenue flow for themselves.

Running a biogas plant on a dairy farm works best for farms which hold at least 800 cows. Economically viable ystems for dairies under 800 cow level are possible, but need evaluation on a farm by farm basis to decide whther there will be adequate cost effectiveness. No farm or combinations of farms is ever likely to be too large for such a system.

Whether a particular farm, your farm perhaps, would be suitable for a biogas plant depends on assessing the budget costs of the investment, against the potential earnings from generated electricity sales and from end product bio-solid sales. The economic return period for any farm can be estimated this way. If the return period is short enough and an investor can be found there is a lot to be said for going ahead.

Many people will ask you to demonstrate that the new plant does not have a negative impact on the surrounding environment. Let us assure you that a well designed and run biogas plant improves the environment significantly and is neither odorous nor dangerous. Such plants can be placed near production facilities which will often be the best customers for the power and heat produced.

Equipment is fitted to the digester plants to suit climate conditions. The bioreactors have thermal insulation and are heated by heating and also have a cooling system for summer use. In cold winters a biogas plant can consume up to 50% of its produced heat power.

The liquid that results from the anaerobic digestion process has solids which are separated out, composted, and sold to local gardeners, landscapers and farmers. Some farmers use the solids as bedding for their cows and sell it as bedding to neighbors. The liquids are returned to the farmer as nutrient rich natural fertilizer, which replaces imported nutrients and thereby cuts costs.

There is an issue, and it is a fallacy, going around that Anaerobic Diesters always smell. We would contest this. Anaerobic digesters actually tend to alleviate odor problems when on a well run, especially as suburban growth surrounds farms and introduces neighbors who complain about manure smells most often due to nearby farming activities and not the AD plant at all.

By installing an anaerobic digester, the conscientious farmer can actually solve odor issues to everyone’s satisfaction. Since the digesters are airtight, the smell stays within, and the liquids and solids coming out of the digester have only a very slight odor compared to the raw slurry.

The Original Post is Located Here: Biogas And Issues Which Arise In Its Production

Exxon Mobile will be teaming up with private company Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) to develop the algae biofuel. Exxon plans to spend over $600 million in research and development, which will focus not solely on how to convert algae into fuel but also on how to produce it in vast quantity. Creating biofuel from crops raises concerns about food shortages, but algae do not require arable land to grow on, nor does it need fresh water. Algae can grow in anything from desert to ocean to wastewater. Because it consumes vast amounts of carbon dioxide, algae could help to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Algae can be a significant solution to our climate crisis, and potentially could become the only fuel source we need.

But to generate all of our fuel from algae would require a lot of space. With generous estimates, it would take an area the size of Maryland to grow enough algae to fuel the United States; more realistic predictions calculate the area as large as Georgia. Such an allocation might be practical, though: by feeding algae copious amounts of carbon dioxide, organic material, and sunlight, scientists can boost oil yield to 40 percent—much higher than other biofuel yields. And since algal fuels are not detrimental to the environment, large eutrophication areas such as in the Gulf of Mexico can be used advantageously.

Scientists at SGI and Exxon Mobile are working to make the algae biofuel compatible with today’s automobile engines, but it will be another few steps before algae becomes the economic fuel of choice. The National Algae Association is working with over 25 algae growers and scientists to lower algae production costs, as the fuel is currently not very cost efficient, according to the Environmental News Network. However, with countries like Australia, China, India, Israel, and Spain all in the algal fuel race, you might be filling up your tank from your local lake sooner than you think.

Max Boath – Contributing Writer GreenandSave

The Original Post is Located Here: ExxonMobil To Invest $600 Million In Algae Biofuel