Bio-fuels and Future Energy Needs - Essay Example

Bio-fuels and Future Energy Needs The American economy has become an area of much concern because of its long-term sustainability. While it has long been known that energy plays a critical role in the growth and sustainability of economic growth in America, a dilemma has arisen regarding the choice of energy sources and the consumption rate of energy. Americans have begun to make choices regarding the type of energy depending on the long-term sustainability of energy, in addition with the environmental impacts, portended by these choices. Because of this, agricultural bio-systems have become a significant player in the determination of the American energy sector’s future. The Future of Bio-fuels As the Main Source of Energy Although bio-fuels are still some way off replacing other forms of fuel, the diversity of biomass being converted to fuel has continued to increase (Demirbas 22). It is now becoming an increasingly popular form of energy in research, especially with soybeans and corn. However, soybeans and corn alone are not enough to change the dependence of America on fossil fuel. It has been estimated that the US has a supply of approximately one and a half billion tones of sustainable biomass every year. This can be used for producing liquid fuel, which provides for only around thirty percent of fuel that is needed for America’s annual requirements. Another route for future bio-fuel use regards the increasing popularity of other techniques of converting biomass into bio-fuel. Currently, ethanol is developed by using only the kernels of corn since it is the only part of the corn ear that has enough sugars for fermentation and distillation. However, in the future, husks and stalks could be used for the production of bio-fuels as more advancement continues to emerge (Demirbas 23). These husks are made of the polymer cellulose that is made up of sugar molecules. If treated with an appropriate catalyst, the sugars can undergo fermentation and distillation to come up with alcohol. This would make the process of converting biomass into bio-fuels more efficient by saving on the corn itself and using the other parts of the corn plant. Once there is a way of efficiently converting biomass to bio-fuels, the pressure applied on food production by bio-fuel energy should dissipate and make this a choice source of energy in the future. Impacts of Bio-Fuels on Food Supplies Bio-fuels have raised concerns with dieticians, nutritionists, biologists, and farmers with regards to supply of food (Demirbas 31). A question that this technology raises is whether the use of popular food crops for the production of energy is sustainable. Over the period when it has been used, input costs have skyrocketed such as machinery, storage, fertilizer, pesticides and seeds. This has led to a carry-on effect to the consumer. Additionally, aggressive farming techniques have seen soil erosion and depletion that have caused a discernible decrease in crop yields, thus decreasing food supply to the consumers. Farmers in the Mid-west have begun to devote more of their land to the production of corn, which has led to a perpetuation of mono cropping that has led to a decrease in bio-diversity (Demirbas 38). Although the change may not be immediately discernible, the results will eventually transform the supply of food and the way people eat. Subsidization of agricultural products meant for energy production portends a huge influence on the health and nutrition of the American people. When mono-crops become the norm, food supply diversity dwindles and this will be reflected in the diets of the American people. Furthermore, as more crops are directed towards ethanol production, their price will fluctuate. As corn demand rises, its price will also increase leading to a rise in cost of eggs, poultry, dairy products and beef. This will prove critical to families with low income devoting 30-40% of their budgets towards food, as well as to the budgets of nutrition programs in the US that deal with such programs as food stamps and nutrition for pregnant women and children. Contribution of Agricultural Bio-Systems in Environmental Conservation Bio-fuels could potentially reduce the emission of greenhouse gases since the carbon found in the plant matter that forms bio-fuels is produced from carbon that is taken in by these plants during their lifetime (Demirbas 76). This contrasts with fossil fuel carbon that has been locked underground for over a million years and which gets released into the atmosphere after these fuels undergo combustion. Bio-fuels lead to significant lower emissions compared to fossil fuels, although the emission of greenhouse gases compared to that of fossil fuels is not one hundred percent. This shortfall in emission decrease can be tied to the partial offsetting of carbon savings by the energy required for processing, cultivation, and even harvesting of the bio-fuels. This is representative of a substantial fraction of energy released from the bio-fuels after processing and varies widely with regards to the type of crop being used (Demirbas 78). In a worst-case scenario, the process of bio-fuel production may even lead to more energy being taken up than is redeemable when these fuels are used. This could undermine the environmental benefits from these fuels. Therefore, it is vital that cleaner and more efficient technologies are developed to remedy this shortfall in emissions. However, the emission from bio-fuels is insignificant compared to that from fossil fuels and thus this technology cannot be abandoned because of this. Impacts of Renewable Sources of Energy on Traditional Energy The past few years have seen covert lobbying by oil companies against bio-fuels. The idea of a cleaner energy has adverse effects on the bottom line of these oil companies. According to a report, change to bio-fuels is expected to save the customer about fourteen cents every day. This concerns raised by the fossil fuel dealers, thus, is not about the consumer but, rather, their expected loss of revenue resulting from a decrease in wholesale energy prices from increasing dependence on bio-fuels. This decrease is estimated to be approximately three billion dollars, especially if they continue to produce energy at a similar rate, as it is now (Demirbas 11). This decrease in revenue is a rough estimate of the fall in wholesale energy prices due to the shunting of fossil fuel powered power plants and the motor industry to bio-fuels. Bio-fuels have caused a decrease of about ten percent in prices of energy in ten states across the United stets. If this were to be applied to the entire market in the year 2030 with a total generation of two hundred and seventy GWh, the impact comes to approximately $2.7 billion. Even a fall of five percent will greatly impact the fossil fuel sector (Demirbas 11). The future of industrialization The world’s reliance on fossil fuels and the rate at which the reserves of these fuels are undergoing depletion are set to lead to a global energy crisis. Fossil fuels take very long to form under the right geological conditions. The industrialization of the past three centuries has seen a wild demand for oil, which keeps industries running to the point that it has become unsustainable at present (Demirbas 90). With supply dwindling, bio-fuels have become essential as renewable sources gain acceptance. Eventually, bio-fuels may replace fossil fuels as the drivers of industrialization. However, bio-fuels face a drawback in their inefficiency. Technology utilized for bio-fuel production is still in its nascent stage, and a section of scientists has claimed that widespread use could actually do more harm to the planet, both economically and socially. Nevertheless, it is evident that the future of industrialization does not lie with fossil fuels. Of all the renewable sources of energy present, bio-fuels offer the most promise. New technologies and crops have upped the yield of energy considerably. It is clear that, in the near future, earth-friendly and sustainable crops are set to provide the required fuel to drive industries into the next century. Land crisis With the encouragement of government, land that has been previously used for the production of food crops has been switched to the growth of plants such as sugar cane and corn for the production of bio-fuels. Bio-fuel use in the EU and the US has brought about the escalation of land acquisitions in developing countries such as those in Latin America, Africa and Asia. This land has been used to grow the now-profitable biomass required to produce bio-fuels. This grabbing of land has led the undermining of food security for the families involved, as well as the communities. In many developing countries, vast tracts of land have been acquired for production of bio-fuels. Studies have suggested that almost a third of all land acquired in developing countries over the last decade has been for bio-fuel crops, which comes to approximately 15 million hectares. In Ghana, the government allowed approximately thirty seven percent of the arable land to be put under jatropha. Left unchecked, this has pushed small farmers, especially women, off their land. This has lead to a big population of landless, poor people with millions of hectares under a crop that they can neither feed on nor use since they have no cars and some have no electricity. Works Cited Demirbas, Ayhan. Biofuels : securing the planet's future energy needs. New York : Springer, 2008. Print. Read More