Bio-fuels as an alternative to oil

Fossil fuel shortage prediction

A decade ago experts had already warned the world on the inevitable shortage of fossil fuels in the near future if we could not find an alternative fuel to replace it. It has been predicted that fossil fuels almost reached its “Peak Oil”. This is a period where global oil extraction has reached its maximum and will drastically be depleted based on the current supply and demand in the world market. The instability of fuel supply and demand could have a chain reaction effect on the economy across the globe when that time comes. Prices of common goods would rise and markets could fluctuate or collapse. The impact of fuel instability has been felt when the “Gulf Wars” erupted disrupting oil production in the Middle East.

Developments made to avert fuel shortage

Fuel companies and venture capitalist have formed research and development teams to look for a solution to the oil shortage problem. Many technologies were developed as result of years in experiment and research. One of the most promising solutions is the use of alternative fuels to replace oil. Since the world is highly dependent on fossil fuels, it is just a right approach to find an alternative to fossil fuels.

Alternative products for gasoline and diesel fuels

There are a couple of viable renewable fuels that could be a good replacement for fossil fuels. Bio-fuels like ethanol and bio diesel is considered as a viable alternative to oil since it is extracted from crops (ethanol -corn and sugarcane, bio diesel-coconut oil and animal fats). While natural gas is similar to fossil fuels which is drilled and pumped out from its source there is still an abundant deposit of this natural gas.

Ethanol is better than gasoline

Ethanol has been successfully used as an alternative fuel for gasoline engines in countries like Japan and United States. It has less emission compared to gasoline products. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar extracts from plants like corn and sugarcane. Another method is the cellulosic ethanol process. It produces ethanol from cellulose which all plants are made which is abundant as a waste product in farms. This process is environmentally friendly in a sense that it recycles waste from farm.

Bio-diesel a cleaner substitute for diesel fuel

Bio-diesel has been used as fuel for diesel engine vehicles in many countries replacing diesel fuel entirely or as an additive. The main sources for bio-diesel are animal fats and vegetable oils. The process for converting vegetable oil and animal fats is very simple and can be done at home. It involves a chemical change when fats react with alcohol during the “transeterification”. Like ethanol, bio-diesel is a sustainable alternative fuel because it comes from common crops and farm products.

A brighter future for alternative fuels

The world is moving in the direction to replace oil with other renewable sources of fuels. Aircrafts in Brazil already used ethanol to support the countries’ campaign for ethanol driven economy. Japan and United State are major importers of ethanol for fuel. Major car makers had rolled out hybrid engine cars that could run on both gasoline or ethanol and bio-diesel. Oil companies are also selling bio fuels in their gasoline stations and outlets to support the demand for bio fuel market. It won’t be long when bio fuel production could become more viable to produce and lower the price of fuels.