We have a problem with petroleum.  We’re addicted to it.

With unavoidable images and news items of the Gulf Coast oil spill, it’s hard not to draw a parallel between drastic measures in seeking new sources of fossil fuels, and that of the ever-growing weight of ecological degradation. As a culture in terms  our ever-burgeoning energy and transportation needs, we need to find a way of getting that oily monkey off of our backs.

This isn’t just about crude oil-slicked wildlife and ruined coastlines.  It’s about the very air we breathe on a daily basis as exacerbated by single car use. It’s about a future that we can’t envision when it comes to how we’ll sustain ourselves.

But, a lot of what drives our need for more and more petroleum-dependent products has been because of cultural and economic inertia.  Despite these forces, we’ve seen a number of technological advances in alternative energy.

For years, we’ve heard about fuels based on byproducts of  plants and animals that do little or no harm to the environment, yet have the potential to solve our problem when it comes to petroleum dependence.  But, what are some of these alternate sources in biofuel, and are they truly practical and scalable for our new century?

Here are 7 biofuel sources, with some of their application in developmental stages, some actually implemented, which may or may not help us kick our unhealthy oil habit.  Take a look.

1. Algae

Where it comes from:  Stagnant ponds in the natural world, and more recently in algae farms, which produce the plant for the specific purpose of creating biofuel.
Advantages : No C02 back into the air, self-generating biomass, Algae can produce up to 300 times more oil per acre than conventional crops
How it’s used: Among other uses, algae has been used experimentally as a new form of green jet fuel designed for commercial travel.
Present scalability: At the moment, the upfront costs of producing biofuel from algae on a mass scale are in process, but are not yet commercially viable.
Read more:  http://www.oilgae.com/ , The Guardian article, “The Green Stuff“,  and follow @Fuelgae on Twitter.

2. Ethanol

Where it comes from: The fermentation of starches derived from agricultural products like corn, sugar cane, wheat, beets, and other existing food crops, or from inedible cellulose from the same
Advantages: Produced from existing crops, can be used in an existing gasoline engine, making it a logical transition from petroleum.
How it’s used: Auto industry, heating buildings (“flueless fireplaces”)
Present scalability: At present, the transportation costs required to transport grains from harvesting to processing, and then out to vendors results in a very small net gain in the sustainability stakes.
Read more: http://www.drivingethanol.org, Follow @DrivingEthnol on Twitter

3. Vegetable Oil

Where it comes from: Existing food crops like rapeseed (aka Canola), sunflower, corn, and others, after it has been used for other purposes, i.e food preparation (“waste vegetable oil”, or WVO), or even in first use form (“straight vegetable oil”, or SVO).
Advantages: Not susceptible to microbial degradation, high availability, re-used material
How it’s used: It is used in the creation of biodiesel fuel for automobiles, home heating, and experimentally as a pure fuel itself.
Present scalability:  At present, WVO or SVO is not recognized as a mainstream fuel for automobiles. Also, WVO and PPO are suceptible to low temperatures, making them unusable in colder climates.
Read more: http://www.biodiesel.org/

4. Biochar

Where it comes from: Agricultural waste which is concentrated into charcoal-like biomass by heating it.
Advantages: Very little processing required, low-tech, naturally holds CO2 rather than releasing it into the air
How it’s used: primarily, biochar has been used as a means to enrich soil by keeping C02 in it, and not into the air. As fuel, the off-gasses have been used in home heating.
Present scalability:  There is controversy surrounding the amount of acreage it would take to make fuel production based on biochar viable on a meaningful scale.
Read more: http://www.biochar-international.org/ , follow @Biochar_IBI on Twitter

5. Biogas

Where it comes from: The result of an anaerobic break-down of organic material, creating an ignitable gas such as methane.
Advantages: A potential means of creating energy out of solid waste, including sewage, agricultural, and landfill material, which would replace the need for compressed natural gas.
How it’s used:  Building heating, cooking, water heating, internal combustion engines of various kinds including automobiles
Present scalability: Biogas is more widely used in Europe,  yet it’s potential in creating a sustainable food/fuel cycle is acknowledged, particularly in the areas of sewage treatment and livestock methane emissions
Read more: University of Penn State Dept. of Agriculture and Bioengineering

6. Syngas

Where It Comes From: A mixture of natural gases, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen, , generated by offgassing of both organic and synthetic materials, with impurities removed via gas turbine.
Advantages: Since its already in gaseous form, it can be combusted more efficiently than liquid petroleum. It can be derived from nearly any carbon-based material, including plastic.
How It’s used: Fuel cells, mechanical power for industrial applications
Present scalability: The energy output versus the energy it takes to manage waste is a current challenge in terms of creating ‘positive efficiency‘. Also, another major challenge is the energy and cost of removing impurities from the offgassing process.
Read more: http://www.biomassmagazine.com, also follow @BiomassMagazine on Twitter.

7. Blended Biodiesel

Where It Comes From: Lipids (fats) from both grains as well as from animals, chemically reacted with alcohol.
Advantages: Biodiesel can be mixed with petroleum products without processing, making it a viable transitionary fuel.
How it’s used: As fuel in newer ‘hybrid’ cars, as well as for commercial trains like Virgin rail, and public transit vehicles.
Present scalabililty: Given how mainstream biodiesel’s use is, demanded by the public, incorporated into the 2005 Energy Policy Act,  and taken on by venerable corporations in the auto industry,  scalability of biodiesel may be the most encouraging of all biofuels listed here.
Read more: http://sustainablebiodieselalliance.com

Got any other suggestion or news on new technologies when it comes to biofuel?  Well, tell me all about it in the comments section of this post.

Cheers!

Rob.

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Thanks to The Guardian environment section for the idea for this article.

Lead biofuel image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson,  a member of the the Synthetic Genomics board.

Other image credits: ‘Algae’  by Eileen McVey, ‘Corntfield’ image by Kol Tregaskes,  ‘vegetable oil bio-bus’ by takomabibelot, ‘Biochar’ by bdiscoe, ‘Cow with Methane-Catcher’ by theleetgeeks, ‘Reserved Parking For Hybrids’ by Scott Jones.  ‘Scientist and Microscope’ purchased by BD.

Click through on the images to see the photo streams of the authors.