Algae - Green & Responsible Alternative Energy Source
Advocacy Is A Must
I went to a neighborhood car show today and they had a nice selection of alternative fuel vehicles. One of which ironically came on a trailer pulled behind a gasoline engine truck. Also exhibiting was a local biodiesel advocacy group, Northwest Biodiesel Network.
The advocacy of this fuel option is critical. The level of misinformation on biodiesel is staggering. The mainstream media regularly treats it as an amazingly new development in the fuel industry. Yet few people who drive vehicles with diesel motors know that Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of the diesel motor, designed it to run on peanut oil. The NW Biodiesel Network site presents a substantial amount of information to dispel myths and inaccuracies about this incredible alternative fuel. Regarding biomass resources for refining biodiesel their focus seems to be on the crops currently used, specifically canola and soybeans.
While canola seeds and soybeans can be used for refining biodiesel, they are resource intensive. Using the enormous amounts of water required for conventional farming and the food stock cropland that could be otherwise used to feed people does not seem very sustainable. So for the short term development of biodiesel refinery capacity these can be viable options for biomass only as long as we are able to grow the maximum amount of food possible. This is however a long term conflict. We still need a truly sustainable biomass resource.
The advocacy of this fuel option is critical. The level of misinformation on biodiesel is staggering. The mainstream media regularly treats it as an amazingly new development in the fuel industry. Yet few people who drive vehicles with diesel motors know that Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of the diesel motor, designed it to run on peanut oil. The NW Biodiesel Network site presents a substantial amount of information to dispel myths and inaccuracies about this incredible alternative fuel. Regarding biomass resources for refining biodiesel their focus seems to be on the crops currently used, specifically canola and soybeans.
While canola seeds and soybeans can be used for refining biodiesel, they are resource intensive. Using the enormous amounts of water required for conventional farming and the food stock cropland that could be otherwise used to feed people does not seem very sustainable. So for the short term development of biodiesel refinery capacity these can be viable options for biomass only as long as we are able to grow the maximum amount of food possible. This is however a long term conflict. We still need a truly sustainable biomass resource.
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