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Biofuels: Current Challenges and Possible Solutions
Published in Rouf Ahmad Bhat, Moonisa Aslam Dervash, Khalid Rehman Hakeem, Khalid Zaffar Masoodi, Environmental Biotechnology, 2022
The depleting deposits of fossil fuels coupled with their high carbon footprint have called for an imminent need to find alternative renewable and sustainable sources of energy. One of the promising renewable energy that will serve the future energy demand is biofuels. However, the use and development of biofuels are still emerging and faced with various challenges. This chapter discussed the major issues associated with the development and use of biofuels alongside possible solutions. Discussion in this chapter shows that one of the major challenges that need to be solved is the production of economically sustainable biofuels. Generally, there is an imminent need to find ways to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of the production of biofuels. Also, effective economical storage methods need to be put in place in order to conserve the properties of biomass used for biofuel production. Putting in place a market and policy framework will also help to control the pricing and quality of biofuels.
Sustainable development in green energies and the environment
Published in Rodolfo Dufo-López, Jaroslaw Krzywanski, Jai Singh, Emerging Developments in the Power and Energy Industry, 2019
A sustainable energy system includes energy efficiency, energy reliability, energy flexibility, fuel poverty, and environmental impacts. A sustainable biofuel has two favourable properties, which are availability from renewable raw material, and its lower negative environmental impact than that of fossil fuels. Global warming, caused by CO2 and other substances, has become an international concern in recent years. To protect forestry resources, which act as major absorbers of CO2, by controlling the ever-increasing deforestation and the increase in the consumption of wood fuels, such as firewood and charcoal, is therefore an urgent issue. Given this, the development of a substitute fuel for charcoal is necessary. Briquette production technology, a type of clean coal technology, can help prevent flooding and serve as a global warming countermeasure by conserving forestry resources through the provision of a stable supply of briquettes as a substitute for charcoal and firewood.
Biomass
Published in Roy L. Nersesian, Energy Economics, 2016
Environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned over growing evidence that the act of clearing (burning) tropical forests not only adds to carbon dioxide emissions, but also the replacement biofuel crop is less effective in removing carbon dioxide than the original habitat. This is clearly evident when viewing a photograph showing both a palm tree plantation and surrounding tropical forest; the decrease in carbon-absorbing foliage is self-evident. The concept of sustainable biofuels is rooted in looking at the whole picture of what was replaced before biofuel crops are cultivated in addition to the capacity of biofuel to reduce carbon emissions. Palm oil from plantations replacing tropical rainforests is not considered effective in reducing carbon emissions when carbon absorption of palm plantations is compared to that of tropical forests in addition to carbon dioxide released when the tropical forest was razed. For these reasons, carbon emission reduction of biodiesel from palm oil is considered negligible, if not negative. This is a parallel argument against corn ethanol in not being effective in reducing greenhouse gases when the total picture of fossil fuel consumed for growing and harvesting and processing is taken into account.
Experimental investigation on effects of karanja biodiesel (B100) on performance, combustion, and regulated and GHG emissions characteristics of an automotive diesel engine
Published in Biofuels, 2020
Ashok Kumar, K. A. Subramanian
Biodiesel is a sustainable biofuel as it has the desired fuel quality and emission reduction potential for use in internal combustion engines. Biodiesel has a higher cetane number than diesel fuel, no aromatics and almost no sulfur, and it contains 10–11% oxygen by weight. A diesel engine fuelled with biodiesel fuel emits decreased emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), HC, and PM compared to diesel fuel. However, the NOx emission with biodiesel is moderately higher. CO2 emission from biodiesel-fueled engines does not lead to accumulation in the atmosphere as it is recycled by the crop material.
Phosphorus removal from biodiesel by crystallization of magnesium ammonium phosphate
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2023
Li Zhou, Fashe Li, Wenchao Wang, Hua Wang
Energy plays an important role in socioeconomic growth and the improvement of living standards. Fossil fuels represent a major source of global energy but their excessive use has caused serious environmental problems (Ogunkunle and Ahmed 2021). CO2 emissions are expected to increase to 40 thousand million kg by 2030 and, if global temperatures rise by more than 2°C (Benti et al. 2023), as many as 1 million species and hundreds of millions of people will be endangered (Benti et al. 2022). To cope with and adapt to climate change, countries around the world have adopted green development measures and promulgated a series of policies and measures to strengthen the research and development, application, and promotion of green energy. Sustainable biofuel production is an important tool to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, improve local economies, especially in developing countries, and ensure global energy security (Tiruye et al. 2021). The use of biomass liquid fuel can be seamlessly adapted to replace current energy sources without the need to alter the existing energy infrastructure and architectural systems (Enagi et al. 2022). Of these fuels, biodiesel, a green energy source with nearly zero carbon emissions (Kurji et al. 2016), is considered a renewable clean energy source with great potential for use in internal combustion engines as a substitute for fossil fuels (Changwei et al. 2022; Rosec et al. 2020). Relevant studies have shown that the addition of 20% biodiesel to vehicle fuel can reduce particulate matter emissions by 14%, which can effectively alleviate air pollution problems (Dey et al. 2021; Zhang et al. 2003). However, the raw material cost of biodiesel is relatively high, accounting for 70–85% of the total production cost (Haas et al. 2006), and is thus one of the main obstacles restricting biodiesel commercialization.
Innovative conversion of food waste into biofuel in integrated waste management system
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Halimatun Saadiah Hafid, Farah Nadia Omar, Nor’Aini Abdul Rahman, Minato Wakisaka
The circular bioeconomy is suitably applied to the of food waste management targeted for biofuel production in closed and integrated system. Current food waste management with proper collection system arranged by municipalities with proper waste segregation and pretreatment system before unnecessary waste is being disposed in the landfill increases the feasibility of biofuel conversion from biological food waste. Being as an abundance and renewable source, process scalability is among the challenging issues of food waste due to the incomplete micro-economy study on storage capacity, additional facilities of pretreatment and logistics costs (Banu, Kavitha, et al., 2020). The potential of biofuel market to stimulate rural economy, job creation and opportunities, land management as well as control and food security remain concerning, therefore, supports and encouragement from local governments around the world through interesting policies, incentives and subsidies related with biofuel and bio-based process are needed to augment rural economies (German et al., 2011). With appropriate approaches, numerous positive impacts on rural societies could be evidenced such as direct and indirect job employment, local infrastructure improvizations, heightened land values and margins as well as increment of smallholders’ income (German et al., 2011). Adoption of net employment and new income sources to rural societies would minimize unemployment rate and rural migration, thus leading to stable population in rural areas (Domac et al., 2005). It has been mentioned that biofuel markets offer more job employment opportunities (100 times more workers per unit of energy produced) for rural societies as compared to other energy commercial industries (Gheewala et al., 2013). Some countries have to install incentives and policies, create biofuel and bioenergy market demands intending to stimulate job creation and employment in bioenergy supply chain. Expansion of biofuel market from food waste triggers large amounts of investments in agricultural and farming sectors where research on biofuel solid byproducts for fertilizer and composting to increase and improve the yield and quality of crops are being conducted (Phalan, 2009). It is envisaged that policies makers of each country should take maximum efforts and integrated measures for developing sustainable biofuel markets where efficient legislations, interesting economy incentives and stimulus are developed.