Are Biodegradable Fuels Any Help Lowering CO2 Emissions in the U.K.?

Introduction

This report is based solely on the question are biodegradable fuels actually able to help lower CO2 emissions in the United Kingdom. The way I will try to answer this question is by:

First describing the process in which biodegradable fuels are made (e.g. materials, production).

This part of the report will be to analyse how it is made in comparison to other fuels. This information will be obtained from the article I created on bio fuels and the London science museum.

Showing how the government has reacted to the news of biodegradable fuels and how they plan to use it.

This part of the report will show what the government thinks about the technology and if they think it would be a good alternative considering the factors.

Also how the people reacted to the news of biodegradable fuels for their cars.

This will be to show how the public actually feel about the technology. This is important as if the public don’t buy the product it will not help the situation. This information will be obtained from the survey I did for my presentation on biodegradable fuels.

Introduction to the Biodegradable Fuels Production

Biodegradable fuels are fuels that are made from renewable sources such as sunflower and rape seeds, they are then processed to extract ethanol. The ethanol is then processed into a liquid form which is what is used to power the vehicle, after the ethanol is transported to petrol stations and kept at very low temperatures to maintain the product. It is said that the biodegradable fuel compared to fossil fuel petrol cuts down on CO2 and Nitrous oxide emissions which are said to be the main causes of global warming, that is why this technology is being considered as one of the ways in which the United Kingdom’s government hopes to help prevent global warming.

Initially this idea was very pleasing to hear but with all ideas there are positive points and also drawbacks.

The positive points that come from the biodegradable fuel technology are:

• Lower CO2 emissions
based solely on when biodegradable fuels are used in engines they are known to produce less CO2 and also less Nitrous Oxide.

• More jobs available

because more people will be need in order to harvest all the crops more jobs will be made available in the United Kingdom.

• Gives United Kingdom’s Primary Sector a Boost

due to the demand which the new technology will create for crops the primary sector should get a boost in revenue.

The drawbacks that can be connected to Biodegradable fuels are:

• CO2 and Nitrous oxide produced in production of biodegradable fuel

when creating the biodegradable fuel the fertilizers that farmers use produce Nitrous oxide also when harvesting, transporting and processing of the crops diesel powered machines which produce CO2.

• Rainforests damaged in order to make space for crops

In order for the farmers to have the space to create the amount of crops necessary for the project rainforests have to be burnt, this then disrupts the animals habitats an also puts them at risk of extinction.

• Prices for production of food rise

Because seeds for things such as corn, wheat and sunflowers become in such high demand it cause the prices to rise, this increase in price then makes the harvested products (such as corn) more expensive for the general public.

• Human Rights Being Violated

often when more people are needed for farming human rights can sometimes be manipulated in order to keep costs low.

These are three of the main reasons which lead me to think that this cold be a very useful alternative once we have better means to implement it, for example:

• Fertilizers that don’t give off nitrous oxide or finding a way to contain the nitrous oxide for other means, so that it is not released into the atmosphere

• Using it for public transport which don’t use as much CO2 as cars as a way of meeting demand without exceeding supply

• Of course finding ways to use the plants without using so many seeds or so much space

I would think these solutions are a possible way to introduce biodegradable fuel, so prices raise slowly and not just suddenly skyrocket for food, and also helps with the greenhouse gasses.

Political Views

The United Kingdom’s government has decided that by 2011 they want to see if all bio fuel suppliers are growing their crops in a sustainable way that doesn’t disturb the rainforests (point taken from http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/algae/biofuels_now/145.asp).

I think this is because the government has realised this is a sustainable technology that could help cut down on these green house gases but only if it can be manufactured in a sustainable way.

This technology also has the power to make wholes in the economy when considering how it would effect inflation. Due to the price rise of crops this could in turn raise the prices on all products, as if for example corn is becoming to expensive people will then get more carrots, meaning more of those will have to be grown which will make carrots more expensive, so people then move on to another item. This kind of “domino effect” is what could lead to the wholes in the economy, which prevent sustainable economic growth.

Consumer Response

This section was based solely on the questionnaire I designed when creating the presentation on biodegradable fuels. I asked two hundred people what their thoughts on biodegradable fuels were and if they would be happy with the implementation of it.

When most people were informed of what biodegradable fuel was and was then asked if they thought it would be a good idea to use biodegradable fuels as a way to slow down global warming, just under eighty percent of the people in my survey said “yes”.

This means that there would be a demand for biodegradable fuels if it was made available and marketed towards drivers. Also because the percentage was so high it would mean that carbon footprints could be cut down in the United Kingdom (if it is created in a sustainable manner).

Though this is good, just over twenty percent said they didn’t think it was a good idea due to a multitude of reasons for example feeling they still didn’t know enough about the fuel to use it and also insisting they were happy with the current fuels.

This would mean that a compromise such as a mixture of normal petroleum and the biodegradable fuel would need to be implemented as to make sure that even those that don’t want one hundred percent biodegradable fuel can still do their part and cut down on emissions.

Conclusion

In conclusion biodegradable seems to be a technology that cold greatly cut down on greenhouse gas emissions but for it to be truly effective and efficient another way of processing the materials has to be found. Also finding space to plant the crops has to be found as to lessen the rise of crop prices.

Also before the government can “push” the biodegradable fuel they will have to find ways to combat the drawbacks that would negatively effect the environment and its occupants. For example setting a minimum wage to protect human rights or finding ways to make transporting the crops to the factories in a more CO2 efficient manner.

If these drawbacks are conquered we could be looking at a revolutionary technology which would lead to a greener and more sustainable future.

reference list

Science museum: