Are Microbially Produced Fuels an Economically Viable Renewable Fuel Source?

Introductory speech

Senators, members of house representatives, fellow workmates in the Energy Department and other distinguished ladies and gentlemen present in this congressional committee, I warmly salute and welcome you to this event of examining the feasible sources of renewable energy. First, it is evident that the contemporary society is being faced by adverse climatic changes that are contributed by the various forms of energy that the current generation is using to carry out their daily activities. A stern review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows that the elevated release of carbon dioxide has contributed to increase of greenhouse gases that have resulted to these adverse climatic changes that are being experienced today. Studies revealed that 27% of fossil fuels are being consumed worldwide through transportation as it is the fastest growing sector (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). Consecutively, our country is being faced by low availability of these crude fuels due to political instability of countries that are rich in oil. This low demand has resulted to increased costs of fuels to the extent that most citizens are unable to afford them.

To curb these adverse effects that are associated with crude oil, the energy department is working hard to come up with microbe produced fuels because they are renewable and environmental friendly. Three biofuels; bioethanol, biodiesel, and biobutanol are available, and some are being used by some countries to meet the energy demand. Bioethanol and biodiesel are widely used in industrial scale in most regions such as Europe and Asia. Biobutanol usage has not been achieved, but numerous research studies are being conducted by many companies to make its usage a reality in the near future. However, some studies suggest that a biobutanol can be used as a supplement for kerosene, gasoline, and diesel, and also making partially biological production of Butyl-T-ButylEther (BTBE) (Demirbas, 2007).

Because bioethanol has been proofed to be effective in combustion of industrial and motor vehicle engines in other regions, United States should not be left behind. However, application of bioethanol requires further research in order for it to be perfect upon implementation. The industrial production of this biofuels involves fermenting sugarcane molasses or starch that has been hydrolyzed by enzymes. Either of these products is then fermented with yeast to produce ethanol. Since this produced ethanol is for fuel purposes, it does not require additional purification, which is costly and time consuming. The cost of producing bioethanol fuel is almost less by half compared to the cost that is incurred when producing and buying crude fuels, enabling most citizens to afford its cost. The low cost is contributed by the raw materials since they are highly available, and there is a possibility of recycling them. Consecutively, the chemical and physical properties of bioethanol fuels meet the demands of the engine applications such as predictability of combustion at high-pressure environments, stability and transportation requirements such as energy density and safety. Research reveals that 95.57 wt% of bioethanol together with 4.43 wt% water is capable of igniting car engines (Demirbas, 2007).

I, therefore, urge the congress to increase the amount that is needed to conduct further research on this biofuel. The fuel`s merits outweigh the demerits by far especially in the environment since its encourages sustainable development.” I greatly appreciate your efforts in sacrificing your time and listening the energy department`s feasible sources of renewable energy. God bless you abundantly.

References

Demirbas, A., (2007). Progress and Recent Trends In Biofuels. Progr Energy Combust Sci 33:1–18

Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, (2014). Climate Change, Fifth Assessment Report; Cambridge University Press