In the past years, the European Union (EU) and European governments have considered bioenergy as a viable option in diversifying the supply of fuel, reduction of greenhouse gas emission and a replacement for fossil fuels (Crosbie, 2015). Fossil fuels such as petroleum have provided portable energy which is cost effective considering the financial side. Machines that run on petroleum fuels have significantly changed the activities of human beings, increased affluence and resulted in the growth of the population. However, these merits have been accompanied by detrimental effects on the environment include the continual global warming calling for more environmentally-friendly energy sources. This where biofuels comes in; however, the action of replacing fossil fuel with biofuel is not smooth. However, the replacement needs to be done because of two reasons: fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide when they are burnt and other gases; air pollution is not healthy leading to climate changes. For biofuels to be a viable alternative to fossil fuels, it must satisfy certain conditions. It must support the environmental sustainability, be competitive economically, provides net energy gain. Nevertheless, it should have the capacity to be produced in large quantities without reducing the supplies of food. Thus, biofuels have the ability to replace fossil fuels, though it will take more time and sacrifices.
Biofuels are any liquid that has been manufactured from renewable materials of a plant such as grasses, crops or trees that can be used for heating, running engines and production of electricity and used as transportation fuel. In comparison to gasoline, it is known that gasoline fuel has to be refined from the limited crude oil supplies. However, biofuel can be produced from a wide-ranging of organic matters that are unlimited unlike oil (Davor, 2015). Experts suggest that biofuels are the only renewable energy that has the capacity of replacing the dominant fossil fuels. This finding led to an action plan for biomass being developed by the European Commission to see the doubling of the use of bio-energy by 2010. A biofuel directive of 2003 set a target of 5.7 percent by 2010 with the production of energy done from vegetable oil, sugar, and cereals (Crosbie, 2015).
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The first significant discovery in the biofuel technology was made by the use of wheat and corn as the materials (Davor, 2015). However, it became a major talking point among different individuals in the scientific field together with the social community. The critics believed that crops that are used in food production should not be used as raw materials in fuel production. The reason behind this argument emanated from its repercussion in reducing the food supply and increment in food prices. This would have consequently resulted to the increase in starvation across the globe. Therefore, researchers have since focused primarily on producing biofuels derived from plants that do not have value on the global supply of food. The use of switchgrass to produce energy is proving to be effective based on the studies conducted in the United States. It is one of the dominant species of the tall grass prairie in the central North America. It can be found in the grass pastures, remnant prairies and naturalized along waysides. Switchgrass main advantages are its growth is swift and can survive in any climate. More so, it demands low fertile soil as compared to other plants. In spite of its advantages, it has a major shortcoming that arises from the availability of land to crop it. The switchgrass will require a vast piece of land to provide a sustainable proportion of the world’s supply of fuel. The environmentalist fears that large areas under forestry will be cleared to provide for the growing of the biofuels materials and it will thus lead to world deforestation issues.
Harvesting the crops, as well as the process of converting them into a useable fuel pose an environmental threat on the surrounding. Most if not all biofuels burn in the same way as the fossil fuels that are being used currently. Thus the dilemma of the actual benefits of biofuel is still a subject of debate among scholars, scientist, and different experts. This creates the need of more thorough research to ascertain its sustainability. The world economies need to collaborate in enacting operational policy that can subsidize more studies into this new invention. Such policies include funding and providing grants geared towards exploring and testing of biofuel sources.
Biofuel production should not be underrated more so given that it is gaining popularity in developing countries facing shortage fossil fuels. For example, Cambodia relies significantly on expensive imported fuel in the generation of its electricity (Davor, 2015). The jatropha plant that is in plenty in Cambodia could be useful in satisfying its energy demand. The people can easily harvest the plant and turning it into biofuels. This problem is not only in Cambodia but other countries as well. Thus many countries can benefit from implementing technology in biofuels. These plants do not add value to the food supply and therefore can be used in biofuel production because the production of biofuel using materials that can be used as food may not make much sense more so if food supply is deficient.
In conclusion, biofuels have great potential in replacing fossil fuels in most countries. However, this can be achieved by adhering to strict conditions, primarily one that does not interfere with the supply of food and creation of deforestation problems. These pressure can be reduced by growing of low-impact plants or by adopting an intensity of residue extraction to the soil conditions. The application of a variety of environmental rules and principles seems noble and necessary when the focus is to increase production of bio-energy.
References
Crosbie Judith. (2015). Can biofuels replace fossil fuels? Politico SPRL . Retrieved on 6 December 2017, from https://www.politico.eu/article/can-biofuels-replace-fossil-fuels-2/
Davor H. (2015). Are biofuels capable of replacing fossil fuels? Our energy . Retrieved on 6 December 2017, from https://www.our-energy.com/news/are_biofuels_capable_to_replace_fossil_fuels.html.
