Biofuel: A Renewable Solution for Future Energy Demand by Alevinia Wang

Today's blog post on Biofuel is the first in a series of post by Alevinia Wang, an intern at Invensys. Alevinia studied biofuels at Washington State University.

Biofuel: A Renewable Solution for Future Energy Demand 

by Alevinia Wang

The world’s current energy needs are being met primarily with ‘’fossil-fuels’’ which are non-renewable and the use of which creates the majority of the worlds pollution.  Advancements in technology and political regulations have helped curb the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use but it is impossible to escape the eventuality of

simply running out.  As the famed economist Herbert Stein once said, ‘’If something cannot go on forever, it will stop’’.

The solution to this inevitability is Biofuel.  Biofuel is derived from living organisms (biomass) whereas fossil fuel consists of decomposed relics of ancient biomass.  Both Biofuel and Fossil Fuel are energy dense as a result of carbon fixation, however, the obvious difference between the two is the required time of formation (see Figure 1).  Fossil fuel requires many millions of years to form thus making fossil fuel feedstocks (coal, crude oil, and natural gas) non-renewable for all practical purposes.  Biofuel on the other hand is considered renewable because its ‘’cradle to grave’’ energy life cycle can be achieved in months, and is reproduced via photosynthesis and industrial bio-engineering processes.  Furthermore, the photosynthesis required to produce Biofuel effectively recycles the CO2 that is produced during its end use (its conversion to energy).

Thus a significant net reduction of CO₂ emissions is anticipated when compared to traditional fuel sources.  A carbon neutral cycle can be achieved by balancing the CO₂ emission rate and biofuel production capacity.  The implementation and promotion of biofuel will relieve the economic and environmental stressors caused by fossil fuel depletion, reduce dependency on foreign crude oil importation, and will improve the sustainability of society. 

As biomass is also a primary resource for food production, the question arises: Must we replace a portion our food supply for energy production? The answer is no, not necessarily. The biomass sources can vary widely. Biofuel can be obtained from non-edible organic matter (such as wood chips, microalgae and grasses) and even animal waste.

Despite the wide variety and abundance of biomass resources and the reduction in carbon footprint, biofuel has faced a series of challenges. The greatest issue is the photosynthetic efficiency of plants themselves. Only 47% of the sunlight can be absorbed and utilized by green plants while green light, UV, and IR irradiation is by-passed. In addition, photosynthesis works most effectively in low light-intensity, it reaches its saturated status at about 20% of averaged sunlight intensity. The improvement of photosynthetic efficiency relies on the understanding of the fundamental mechanism of photosynthesis and process coupling in biomass cultivation.

We can conclude that Biofuel is a potential viable option that can ease our thirst for fossil fuel. In order for that to happen, however, the photosynthetic efficiency of the biomass needs to be improved through scientific and industrial efforts. Biofuel production is also the art of thermochemical process by subunit cooperation. Simulation of these processes can help researchers optimize each stage and achieve state-of-the-art levels of efficiency