Bio-diesel: Alternative Fuel Source Essay -- Petroleum Environment Eco

Bio-diesel: Alternative Fuel Source Introduction Currently today more than 99% of all fuel consumed is petroleum (3). In the year 2025 the world’s reserves of petroleum will be a dry source (7). Other than the shortage of petroleum, the burning of petroleum also causes many problems such as global warming. In this case, engineers and scientists need to come up with an alternative energy source for gasoline not only because of the shortage, but because of the environmental problems gasoline and other fossil fuels cause for the environment. Out of all forms of alternative fuels for vehicles bio-diesel seems to be the next alternative source of fuel, but more research needs to prove this assumption. In this report bio-diesel will be studied in more depth. The history of other sources of fuel will be looked at, along with the history of research being accomplished. The research stating the benefits of bio-diesel will be compared to the research on the negatives of this new fuel source. After the report one will be able to conclude if they believe that bio-diesel is the answer to the shortage of gasoline and the next choice as an alternative fuel. History of Fuels Engineers have been doing research for years on alternative fuels for gasoline. Research has included hydrogen cells, gas-to-liquid diesel fuel, and ethanol among many other different fuels. One of the most recent discoveries for an alternative fuel is bio-diesel. At this current time, Bio-diesel is considered one of the most promising new technologies for an alternative fuel source to gasoline. Bio-diesel may be defined as a group of esterified vegetable oils produced from different oil-containing crops. These crops include but at not limi... ...I 1999, no 76 pp1-88. (3) Understanding Biodiesel Fuel Quality and Performances. Weiksner JM Sr P.E, Crump Stephen L. PhD, and White Thomas L. PhD. 2003 December 12 #5 Journal Article Savannah River Site pp 1-6. (4) National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Evaluation of Biodiesel Fuel in an EMD GP38-2 Locomotive. Fritz S.G. Report# DOE/GO-102004-1872. 2004 May. pp 1-21. (5) National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Impacts of Biodiesel Fuels on Air Quality and Human Health: Task 2 Report; The Impact of Biodiesel Fuels on Ozone Concentrations. Morris R.E., Mansell G.E., Jia Y. and Wilson G. Report # DOE NREL/SR-540-33795. 2003 May. pp 1-150. (6) Hofman Vern, Extension Agriculture Engineer. North Dakota University. Biodiesel Fuel. 2003 Feburary. pp 1-4. (7) Rifkin, Jeremy. The Hydrogen Economy. New York: Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin. 2002.