Do Bio Fuels Mean a Better Future?

It is no secret. Not only is the cost of heating fuel and gasoline skyrocketing, but the effect on the planet is devastating. The astronauts on the last space shuttle mission reported seeing our atmosphere looking like a fragile egg shell. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. We have all read the new reports. I know some do not believe that there is any such thing as global warming, that there is no global warming effect or that it is a natural occurrence and our way of life, our using fossil fuel for instance has no impact on the environment. Granted, there are changes taking place that are a part of the normal evolution of the Earth, but the speed with which the changes are occurring is way too fast to say it is normal.

So what are Bio Fuels and how can they help stop or slow down Global Warming and bring the cost of running a car or heating a house down? Can you imagine making your own fuel out of corn or used vegetable oil? It is being done as we speak as a mater of fact, Brazil uses only bio fuels. Car manufacturers have stated they will have vehicles that use part bio fuels by the year 2025. Way too long in my opinion.

What exactly are bio fuels? Bio fuels are a renewable resource. You can grow corn again and again. Fossil fuels are not. Once they are gone they are gone. Bio fuels burn clean. Fossils fuels do not .In New York City buses, cabs and city vehicles run on ethanol. No exhaust, no smell.

There are two forms of bio fuels: bio diesel and ethanol.

Bio Diesel
As the name suggests it is a substitute for regular diesel, Actually, it is usually mixed with regular diesel at anything from 10% to 80% The older the engine, the less bio there are even engines that run on all vegetable oil.

Ethanol
Ethanol is grain alcohol The very same used in beer, wine etc. It can be made from a variety of grains including corn, wheat , potatoes, sugar cane and many others. Ethanol is a high octane, energy efficient fuel. When blended with regular gasoline it improves performance, lowers emissions, helps eliminate harmful carbon dioxide form the air and cuts way back on the benzene and butadiene Sulphur dioxide and Particulate Matter .

It is easy to make if you have a still and know how to make beer, but you do need a government permit or they just might think you are making something else.

Farm communities, including the one I live in, all across the country are seriously looking to bio fuels as community projects. Many farmers are running their farm machinery on bio diesel.

We have a surplus of crops every year. If we just use the surplus to make bio fuels , ethanol in particular, it wil make a big difference. There are those who are of the opinion that people, particularly those in small villages will have to choose between using the grains for food or fuel. With the surplus and if it is managed right, that will not be a concern. We can do it if we put our minds to it and start to take seriously the environment and health issues that the use of bio fuels will help to alleviate.