Biofuels as Potentia: A Case Study

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Chemistry- Research assignment
Name:
College:

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Abstract
For a long time, biofuels have been explored and utilized as an alternative source of fuel,
however in small scale. Despite the rising popularity of these fuels, their sustainability has
been questioned regarding food versus fuel trade-off and land use. This research seeks to
examine the viability of ethanol-based biofuels as potential superiors to fossil fuels in terms
of energy output capabilities and greenhouse gas emission, especially carbon (iv) oxide.
Different types of feedstock for ethanol production are examined and compared in terms of
their energy content. Based on the gathered information, reasonable conclusions are drawn
and recommendations for improvement put forward.

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Introduction
The preference of biofuels over other energy sources such as fossil fuels is driven by a wide
range of policy objectives (Kern, Kivimaa, Rogge, & Rosenow, 2018). Most importantly,
they have low greenhouse gas emissions which is a great advantage especially in this age
when environmental conservation is a major concern. Besides, biofuels are renewable energy
sources hence provide a significant contribution towards a sustainable transport sector
especially when combined with electric vehicles. In aviation, heavy freight, and marine
transport, bio-energy has been considered as the reasonable alternative to fossil fuels
regarding greenhouse gas emissions (De Baan, Alkemade, & Koellner, 2012). Despite the
myriad opportunities and interests for biofuels, plant construction is slowing down. This can
be partly attributed to the growing concern about sustainability of these energy sources with
respect to food and land use (Araújo, Mahajan, Kerr, & Silva, 2017).
Claim
Biofuels are more efficient and have less environmental impact than fossil fuels.
Research question
Is the combustion of ethanol-based biofuels (sugarcane) more efficient than standard fossil
fuels (petroleum) in terms of energy output (enthalpy) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions?
Rationale
In order to understand and appreciate how bioenergy contributes to the mitigation of climate
change, it’s important to carry out comparisons between conventional fuel sources such as
petroleum and alternative sources such as ethanol-based fuels. An investigation into the

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energy output and corresponding carbon (iv) oxide emissions for different types of fuels is
necessary to determine the best fuel sources to be adopted for the development of a
sustainable transport system and other energy requirements.
Background
The economic status of developing countries as well as their growth is largely determined by
sources of energy and their utilization (Grammelis, 2016). In 2013, the Statistical Review of
World Energy estimated that the primary energy sources consisted of natural gas at 23.7 %,
coal at 30 % and petroleum at 32.9 % which amounted to 87 % share for fossil fuels
(Muktham, K. Bhargava, Bankupalli, & S. Ball, 2016). Modern day activities ranging from
cooking to transportation are highly dependent on fossil fuels. The figure below shows world
energy consumption by fuel type. It can be observed that oil, natural gas and coal
consumption greatly overshadow the consumption of renewable energy sources combined.
Figure 1: World energy consumption by fuel type
http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-
energy.html