Activity 3.2.3 – Alternative Energy – Biofuel

a. Define alternative energy. 
Alternative energy is a type of energy that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas (Dictionary.com,n.d.). Alternative energies are non-conventional form of energy, so they are renewable and they have lower carbon emission. Type of alternative energy are Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Hydroelectric Energy and also Nuclear Energy. 

b. Describe arguments for alternative energy in general.  
Using alternative energy can be beneficial under many aspects. Most alternative energy are also renewable energy, so they are “unlimited” since they can be renewed very quickly. They might last for thousands of years if used in a sustainable way (Mutiti S., Mutiti C., Manoylov, VandeVoort, Bennett, 2018). Alternative energy is also a way to produce energy without producing greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, alternative energy does not include fossil-fuels. They are clean energy and do not produce harmful pollutant. Using renewable energy also diversify energy supply so it reduces the country’s dependence of imported fuel. Furthermore, implement alternative energy will create economic development thought jobs in manufacturing, installation and more. (EPA, 2019) 

c. Describe biofuels/biomass energy and explain the advantages and disadvantages. Include its limitations. 
Biomass energy is a form of energy generated from the energy stored in materials of biological origin. Biomass can be burned as a combustible to generate heat and energy. It can be also converted into a liquid and gaseous form. Ethanol, used to power vehicles, and biodiesel are examples of biomass converted into a liquid form. Instead, when biomass in converted into gas it is called biogas as a methane. Biomass have many advantages. It is a renewable form of energy that can be used in its many forms and it is widely available. Biomass energy also has the potential to be carbon neutral because, even if burning biomass release CO2, it does not produce it. In fact, the same CO2 was already stored in the biomass. However, it requires a large amount of material to generate enough energy from biomass. Biomass energy is also expensive if consider the entire process of make, transport and use it (Mutiti S., Mutiti C., Manoylov, VandeVoort, Bennett, 2018). Biofuels are a liquid form of biomass energy and the most common is Ethanol. Ethanol can be made from crops, sugar, soybean and more other plants sources or even used cooking oil. Biofuels are cheap and a more affordable alternative to traditional fuels. They also produce less pollutants when they are burned. Biofuels are made from different natural materials so they can be produced almost everywhere. So, countries that lack in traditional fuel resources can decrease their dependency on foreign country for their fuel (Green Garage, 2017). However, biofuels have many limitations. They require land, fertilizer, water and energy for growing crops. More energy is also required for transform the same crops into biofuels. So, biofuels may not be carbon-neutral because “the process of producing the biofuels results in more CO2 added to the atmosphere than that removed by the growing crops” (Mutiti S., Mutiti C., Manoylov, VandeVoort, Bennett, 2018).  Biofuels might also increase the land competition between food and biofuels, increasing the price of food. Also, if a lot of land is used for biofuels, they might decrease food supplies. 

References: 
Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Alternative energy. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/alternative-energy. 

EPA. (2019, August 13). Local Renewable Energy Benefits and Resources. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/statelocalenergy/local-renewable-energy-benefits-and-resources. 

Green Garage (2017, January 14). 10 Meaningful Pros and Cons of Biofuel Energy. Retrieved from https://greengarageblog.org/10-meaningful-pros-and-cons-of-biofuel-energy. 

Mutiti, S., Mutiti, C., Manoylov, K., VandeVoort, A., & Bennett, D. (2018). Introduction to environmental science (3rd ed.). Biological Science Open Textbooks. University System of Georgia. 

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