McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Robin Long
A Brief Overview of Alternative Fuels
Domingo Sanchez
12th Grade
We are hearing more and more every day about alternative fuels. I’m sure almost everyone has heard about ethanol. There are several other types of alternative fuels: bio-diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, and propane….
The Energy Act of 2005 was set up to establish a long term and comprehensive energy policy. The Act is trying to cope with an ever-growing energy problem. It provides tax incentives and loan guarantees for energy production of various types.
Ethanol is probably the most alternative fuel talked about…. Ethanol derives from plants such as corn and other crops. One upside to ethanol is it produces less greenhouse gasses than conventional fuels. The thing that most people are worried about today is fuel economy, which is gas mileage. Gas mileage [unfortunately] goes down with ethanol, but the thing most experts are worried about is the atmosphere and global warming. Would consumers give up a few mpg for the ozone?
Biodiesel is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats, and then added to regular diesel to produce fewer toxins. Here is a list of some of the advantages; it comes from renewable resources, [and is] biodegradable and…non-toxic. The disadvantages for biodiesel are [that] it produces less power than regular diesel, lowers fuel economy and…has more nitrogen oxide emissions. [Besides, some grades are] not yet warranted.
Propane or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is another new fuel that is emerging. Propane is cleaner burning and emits less smog forming air pollutants. 85% of the propane used also comes from domestic resources. Propane is also less expensive than gasoline. The downside to propane is it is less readily available than gasoline and there are no commercially produced passenger vehicles manufactured. The fuel will not last as long either.
Hydrogen can be produced domestically so we do not have to rely on foreign imports. [It does not limit] air pollutants or greenhouse gases…. It only emits NOx when burned in IEC’s (Internal Combustion Engines). Hydrogen is currently very expensive and is only available in a handful of locations mostly in California. Hydrogen is stored and used in fuel cells and has much less energy than diesel or gas and would be hard for someone to make a trip 200 miles on a single tank.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel comprised mostly from methane [and crops]. …[Natural gas boasts] 60-90% less smog pollutants and 30-40% less greenhouse gasses. Natural gas is also less expensive than gasoline. [Unfortunately, few] vehicles are…readily available [that can use natural gas]….
Of course there is gasoline that derives from crude oil. Americans burn over 400 million gallons of gasoline each day. Gasoline is probably the worst pollutant known to man. Even with the addition of the catalytic converter we cannot burn off all the [pollutants] that are leaking out of…tail pipes. We as Americans have a huge and ever growing dependency on gasoline…. Most…lives [are] based around a car. When someone turns sixteen they want a car. How have you been getting back and forth between work and school? A car or worse, an SUV which guzzles gas at the rate of around 15-20 mpg.
Overall, alternative vehicles are better for the earth. We are filling the air with greenhouse gasses and smog pollutants all the time. Every time the engine is cranked on a car it contributes to killing the ozone layer and destroying the atmosphere. A gallon of gas weighs just over six pounds by the time it is burnt and is put into the atmosphere. It produces nearly twenty pounds of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, I think if more of us start to use vehicles that take alternative fuels, we will just have to start relying on foreign supplies again.
There are also hybrids and electic cars. Electric and hybrids will probably take over before [other] alternatives. If all the world's glaciers melt the oceans will raise about 20 feet. Alternative fuels are going to play a very important role in whether the atmosphere is in place in twenty to thirty years and if the artic poles are still in tact. So next time, think about buying a car that gets better gas mileage. So think about the atmosphere and what your children's children may have to live through.
http://www.hybridcars.com/hydrogen/overview.html
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005