The lesson: Biofuels

							The lesson: Biofuels
Are biofuels part of the solution to global warming, or
are they a new problem? A topical talking point
      Judith Kneen
      The Guardian, Tuesday 15 July 2008
      Article history

Are biofuels the promised wonderfuel, or a global disaster? They were embraced
enthusiastically by western governments looking for a viable alternative to fossil fuels.
Companies have ploughed headlong into turning land over to biofuel crops. The problem
is that land once farmed to feed people now feeds our cars, leading to food shortages and
soaring food prices.

Biofuels are a great classroom subject. Not only will this issue develop students' global
awareness and understanding of the science of biofuels, but it can help them to develop
an independent point of view on a vital issue.

Not a new phenomenon

Biofuels are nothing new. Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine predicted the
future importance of biofuels and used one in his diesel engine at the Paris World Fair in
1900. Diesel used peanut oil, but the term biofuels can refer to any organic material that
can be rapidly replenished.

Introduce the topic by accessing the Guardian's Q&A section on biofuels
(guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/21/biofuels.alternativeenergy). Print it out, chop
up into questions and answers, then challenge students to match them up. Differentiate by
varying the number of questions.

Biofuels are a worldwide commodity: sugar cane and maize from the Americas;
biodiesel, rapeseed and sugar beet from Europe; palm oil from south-east Asia. Provide
students with a world map (eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html) then ask them to plot the
world's main biofuel producers with the help of Planet Ark
(www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31182/story.htm), labelled with
relevant facts and figures.

The UK, like other governments, is taking biofuels very seriously. The introduction of the
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April means that petrol and diesel
should now contain at least 2.5% biofuel, rising to 5% by 2010. The US, with a view to
reducing its dependence on other oil-producing countries, has a target of replacing 75%
of oil imports with biofuel by 2025.
The world leader in biofuel motoring is Brazil, where all the cars run on ethanol or an
ethanol mix. Use Brazil as a case study for students to explore. A BBC news report and
video makes a good start for their investigation
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4715332.stm). Ask them to produce a display or a
PowerPoint presentation describing Brazil's experiences.

Show students a short film from The One Show showing how some individuals,
including the footballer David James, are adopting biofuels in the UK
(bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2007/11/ls_biofuels.shtml). As they watch, ask students to
list the different ways biofuels are being used and why people are using them, before
discussing whether they think biofuels are a viable option for car users.

Biofuels are theoretically carbon neutral, as the carbon released by burning them is
balanced by the carbon absorbed by plant growth. However, there is considerable alarm
about the sudden rise in biofuel production, including the environmental costs of land
clearance for growing biofuel crops. The overriding concern, however, is that using land
normally used for food production has led to food shortages and high food prices. A
recent World Bank report estimates that prices have soared by 75% - far higher than
anticipated, and a rate that has forced 100 million people across the world into poverty.
Challenge students to read this news report
(guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy) and to translate it
into a TV news report to present to the class.

Are algae the answer?

A new generation of biofuels may hold the answer. Show students an interactive
presentation on the use of algae, which grows fast and is oil-rich
(guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2008/jun/26/algae). They can research further at
http://science.howstuffworks.com/algae-biodiesel.htm, before producing a cartoon strip
or flowchart showing how it works.

You can sum up the study on biofuels in one of two ways. Science upd8 has an excellent
lesson on biodiesel. Ask students to create a game for younger children on the pros and
cons of biodiesel (upd8.org.uk/activity/256/Biodiesel.html). Alternatively, hold a trial
with biofuels in the dock. Create teams for defence and prosecution, plus a jury and
witnesses. The defence and prosecution must build up evidence and prepare witnesses to
support their case. Is either side capable of winning, or will it leave a hung jury?

&3183; Teachers and students will find a complete KS3 lesson pack on biofuels based on
Guardian articles on the Guardian's news site for schools, learnnewsdesk.co.uk. If you are
not a subscriber, request a free trial on the same url.
Q&A: Biofuels
Once heralded as the alternative fuel source of the
future, biofuels have come under scrutiny recently with
a number of reports suggesting they cause more harm
to the environment than originally though. Vikki Miller
investigates
      Vikki Miller
      guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 May 2008 13.19 BST
      Article history




Oil from palm kernels is seen as an example of 'bad' biofuel. Photograph: Getty Images

What are biofuels?

Biofuels can be made from any organic source that can be rapidly replenished. The two
big players in the market are biodiesel and bioethanol – liquid fuels made from living
organisms, such as plants and animals, and their by-products. They are considered more
renewable and sustainable sources than fossil fuels, and are one of the few technologies
with the potential to displace oil for use in transport.

Where do we get them from?

Most biofuels currently used come from agricultural crops. Different countries specialise
in certain types of biofuel, according to their climate. In Europe it's rapeseed, wheat and
sugar beet, while the US primarily harvests corn and soybeans. Sugar cane tends to be
grown in Brazil and a huge amount of palm oil comes from south-east Asia.

But the smart money is now on second generation biofuels - where a much wider range of
substances, including manure, food waste, wood, straw and sewage, are broken down to
create biofuels. Here the whole crop can be used so you get much more bang for your
carbon buck - but experts say it will be five to ten years before they become
commercially viable.

There are particularly high hopes pinned on algae and jatropha , an ancient toxic bush
found in the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Even the most unlikely products can be turned into biofuels, including chocolate, leftover
sweets and chip fat.

Are they a new invention?

Not at all. The diesel engine, invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel in 1892, was
first made to run on peanut oil. In the early 1900s, Henry Ford designed one of his very
first vehicles to run on ethanol.

Why did we stop using biofuels?

Cheap crude oil, especially from the Middle East, diverted interest and research away
from biofuels. Oil's low price gave it dominance in the market.

So why is there renewed interest?

Growing concerns over climate change, rising oil prices and insecurity of supply mean
that governments and industry are desperately searching for alternative fuels. George
Bush's drive to reduce dependence on foreign oil led him to decree that by 2025, the US
should replace 75% of imported oil with biofuel. The EU embraced biofuels as a key
factor in a low-carbon future, and set a target that 10% of transport fuel will be biofuel by
2020.

Are biofuels expensive to buy in the UK?

Pull into a filling station and a litre of biodiesel will cost around 90p, but only a limited
number of stations stock biofuels. However, there is a growing market for home-made
biodiesel. The fuel costs between 15 and 80p per litre to produce, mainly dependent upon
the price of the crop. Since July 2007, production of under 2,500 litres per year for own
use is duty-free, which equates to around 25,000 miles in a conventional vehicle for what
could be as little as £375 a year.

In April, the government introduced the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO),
under which at least 2.5% of fuel sold in petrol stations must come from crops such as
soy or palm oil. This level is due to be gradually raised; the European commission is
aiming at 10% by 2020.

What are the benefits?

The plants and by-products used to make biofuels are renewable (as fresh supplies can be
produced as needed) so in theory there is an unlimited amount and secure supply. It also
helps that biofuels are not restricted to a certain number of countries that can control
supply. Another plus is that they can be easily used within existing car and lorry engines.

Are they good for the environment?

Biofuels are theoretically carbon neutral because when burnt, the carbon they release has
been offset by the amount they absorbed whilst growing. When you take into account the
carbon used when harvesting, refining and transporting the fuel, the equation is less
favourable, but still considered to be better than fossil fuels.

Are there any negative impacts?

Biofuels are coming under increasing criticism for having a bigger environmental
footprint than first thought. Despite releasing less carbon emissions when burnt, growing
the crops that produce biofuels can lead to an overall increase in carbon in the
atmosphere.

The rising appetite worldwide for biofuels means that there are economic incentives in
destroying peatlands and rainforests to provide more plantation land. Vast amounts of
greenhouse gases are released by clearing the land and some scientists say this is enough
to negate any of the intended future savings. This also has a major impact on the
conservation of plants and animals living in these areas, as well as water patterns and soil
protection.

It is now recognised that there are also harmful social and economic impacts. Food
shortages are on the rise in poorer countries, as farmland traditionally used for food and
animal feed has been turned over to grow crops suitable for biofuels.

Added to this, the increase in demand for crops, such as rice, corn or soya, which can be
used as both food and biofuels, has forced the cost up, pricing people in poorer countries
out. In Mexico last year there were riots after the price of maize quadrupled, pushed up
by the demand for biofuels.

Are some biofuels better than others?

The best performing biofuels, such as ethanol produced from sugar cane in Brazil, can
deliver 10 times more energy than that required to produce them, and release a quarter of
the greenhouse gas emissions compared to their fossil fuel equivalent.
In contrast, the worst performing biofuels deliver significantly less energy, and contribute
indirectly to greenhouse gas emissions through forest fires and clearing to make way for
plantations. Biodiesel produced from palm oil in Indonesia is often cited as an example of
'bad' biofuel.

FACTBOX - Biofuels Take Off in Some Countries
Date: 09-Jun-05
Country: SINGAPORE

Biofuels include ethanol and biodiesel derived from organic matter such as sugar cane,
vegetable or corn oils. Not all ethanol is suitable to be used as a motor fuel blend.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts ethanol alone has the potential to make
up 10 percent of world gasoline use by 2025 and 30 percent in 2050, up from around 2
percent.

The following is a list of major biofuel-producing countries or regions:

BRAZIL

Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugar-based ethanol, producing about 16 billion
litres (3.52 billion gallons) a year and using 14.5 billion litres at home, where cars run on
a 25 percent ethanol gasoline blend.

It accounts for around half of the world's total output.

State oil giant Petrobras plans to boost ethanol exports to 9.4 billion litres in 2010 from 2
billion in 2005.

THE UNITED STATES

The United States, the world's biggest oil user, is the second-largest biofuel producer
after Brazil.

The Senate Energy Committee voted in April to require US output of ethanol, distilled
from corn and woody biomass materials, to reach at least 8 billion gallons a year by 2012,
doubling the current output of the gasoline additive.

About 12 percent of the US corn crop is projected to be used for ethanol in the coming
year.

The Senate Energy Committee's bill would set production milestones for ethanol as
follows: 4 billion gallons in 2006, 4.7 billion in 2007, 5.4 billion in 2008, 6.1 billion in
2009, 6.8 billion in 2010, 7.4 billion in 2011, and 8 billion in 2012.
THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union, in an attempt to reduce greenhouses gases in line with its Kyoto
Protocol obligations, set a non-binding target last year that fuels should contain 2 percent
of biofuels in 2005 and 5.75 percent in 2010.

EU's biodiesel production capacity may exceed 4 million tonnes by mid-2006, up from an
estimated output of 1.85 million tonnes in 2004 for the EU's 15 members before
enlargement.

Some 80 percent of EU's biodiesel came from rapeseed oil, with soybean oil and a
marginal quantity of palm oil making up the rest.

Asian palm oil exporters such as Malaysia and Indonesia could supply up to 20 percent of
the EU's biodiesel needs by 2010.

By 2006, Germany would have an annual biodiesel production capacity of 1.9-2.1 million
tonnes, France 600,000-800,000 tonnes, Italy 500,000-550,000, U.K. 250,000 tonnes,
Austria 150,000 tonnes and Poland 100,000-120,000 tonnes.

JAPAN

Japan may need up to 1.8 billion litres of fuel ethanol a year if it made an optional 3
percent ethanol content in national fuel supplies mandatory. A blending ratio of 10
percent would boost demand to around 6 billion litres per year.

Japan, the world's second-largest consumer of gasoline, imported 149 million litres from
Brazil in 2004.

The world's biggest sugar-ethanol cooperative, Brazil's Copersucar, has signed a deal to
sell 15 million litres of ethanol to Japan's independent fuel distributor, Kotobuky Nenryo
Co.

CANADA

Canada's annual ethanol production is about 300 million litres per year, an IEA report
published in 2004 showed. The North American country hopes to see an increase in
ethanol production by 750 million litres a year.

A number of major initiatives are underway to boost production significantly, possibly
blending 35 percent of all gasoline supplies with 10 percent ethanol by 2010.

THAILAND

Thailand, the world's second-biggest sugar exporter after Brazil, plans to replace regular
gasoline with a mix that includes 10 percent ethanol in 2007.
The Industry Ministry said in September that Thailand's ethanol production capacity
would rise 33 times to 1.5 billion litres a year in 2006 when all 24 ethanol plants are
running. But other officials have said they were targetting output of just 1 billion litres a
year by 2010.

INDIA

India, the world's biggest