Biofuels are greener and more ‘responsible’ than nuclear energy. Evaluate.
Fuels that have been extracted from plants and crops are known as biofuels. Of these, the most commonly extracted and used one is Bioethanol and Biodiesel. Biofuels is a renewable source of energy that is often broken into three generations. 1st generation biofuels are also called conventional biofuels and are made from things like sugar, starch or vegetable oil. 2nd generation biofuels are produced from sustainable feedstock, they are often called ‘advanced biofuels’. 3rd generation biofuels usually apply to any biofuel derived from algae. Biodiesel is made from rapeseed oil and other plant oils. It can be used in diesel-powered vehicles without needing any modifications to the engine. About 1 billion gallons of biodiesel are produced annually and most gasoline and diesel fuels in North America and Europe are blended with biofuel. There are of course environmental pros and cons surrounding the use of biofuels. It’s said that biofuels are carbon neutral as the amount of carbon dioxide released when they are used is the same as the amount absorbed by the plants as they grow. However this is argued as fossil fuels are used in their production, for example in making fertilisers for the growing plants. Biodiesel is far cleaner than petroleum diesel. It emits more nitrous oxide, a smog-forming compound, but biodiesel’s lower hydrocarbon emissions mean that its overall smog-creating potential is 50% lower than petroleum diesel’s. However biofuels are a renewable energy source in that they are created from plants that can be regrown each year. Biofuels also do not require many changes in cares and other places of use to be utilised.
There are also ethical issues surrounding the use of biofuels. For example, in some parts of the world, people are angry that crops are being used for biofuels when they could be used to feed people who are in need. As a result, people are worried this will...