Biofuels, too good to be true?

A biofuel is defined as "a fuel derived from biological materials, such as plants, and animals." There are many schools of thought regarding the production, use, and merit behind using biofuels as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The main proponents of biofuels advocate their environmental benefit in helping to phase out the use of traditional fossil fuels which are typically not renewable and generally have a large impact on the environment due to the emissions they create when used.  However, there is a growing movement against biofuels due to the massive land allocation that would be needed to make the production of biofuels feasible and worth producing. But before we dive into the issues surrounding biofuels we should probably gain a better understanding of what biofuels really are and how they could be utilized in today's fuel driven society.

There are many types of biofuels including ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil, bioethers, and even solid biofuels. However, the most common and well known type of biofuel being used on a wide scale today is ethanol. Ethanol which can be produced from virtually any type of "feedstock", or a crop used to feed cattle, such as corn, wheat, barley, and switchgrass, with the most common type of ethanol being produced from corn. To produce ethanol from corn, the crop must be grown as if it were to be sent to your local supermarket. However, instead of sending it for human or livestock consumption it is first ground down to a meal, then it is fermented using yeast to extract the sugars and alcohol, then it is distilled which condenses and collects the ethanol, and finally the corn meal is dehydrated with the dried meal typically being used in animal feeds. Now obviously this is a very simplified explanation of the process of creating ethanol but the process produces one of the most widely used and debated biofuels in the whole of biofuel production. 

Ethanol, which we just learned is typically produced from corn, is used in a variety of ways; but the majority of its use is as a fuel additive in our gasoline. Ethanol is added to help boost the octane of the fuel which helps keep your car running smoother and longer from each gallon of gasoline. While ethanol could be used alone as a standalone fuel source the majority of cars cannot handle more then 10% ethanol to gasoline. So with the addition of ethanol to our fuel keeping our cars running cleaner and helping to reduce the amount of imported oil and gasoline refinement we need in the U.S., what could the issue be with ethanol and other biofuels? Land. Plain and simple, land is the driving factor in the fight against biofuels. With all the benefits of biofuels from reducing the amount of fossil fuels used in refinement processes to helping our cars run cleaner, how could land be such a detractor from the positives that come with biofuels? Well if we remember back to our brief overview of how biofuels are made we would remember that biofuels come from organic materials. These organic materials must be grown on land, they must be watered and cared for, they must be protected using herbicides and pesticides, and ultimately they must be harvested and processed using machinery that spits out the same emissions that biofuels are looking to reduce. Many who oppose biofuels site not just the production process but are more concerned about the land usage associated with producing the biofuels. If a typical field of corn could either feed a large ranching operation or supply the consumer corn market and is instead used for an entire year growing a crop that will ultimately not be used other then in the consumers gasoline, many feel as though that is a waste of usable land and a reduction in the amount of food that can be used worldwide. This is of great concern to those in countries who might not even get one square meal in a day, they miss a meal so our gasoline can make our cars run a little better. Clearly those against biofuels have a valid argument. However, on the other side of the coin is those in favor of biofuels and their argument is as compelling as those resisting the push towards cleaner fuel sources. As I mentioned above a main concern against biofuels is the land usage, and while it is a cause of concern if biofuels are supposed to take the place of more traditional fuel sources it may be of lesser importance if biofuels really do help reduce emissions a substantial amount. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, a study done at The University of Nebraska on the effect of  ethanol production and its emissions when compared to gasoline production saw a 54% reduction in the overall emissions throughout the ethanol production process. That is less then half the emissions of a typical gasoline refinement process to produce a product that reduces the need to even refine as much gasoline in the first place! 

Overall although there are advantages and disadvantages to the production of biofuels and more specifically ethanol when compared to typical fossil fuel sources, the debate for and against biofuels will rage on until a definitive advantage can be seen for one fuel source over another. Unfortunately that "definitive advantage" may not come until we have waited to long to make a choice one way or the other. But in my opinion the transition to biofuels is a necessary one that must begin to be taken as a more serious alternative to the environmentally unfriendly options we currently use.