Biofuels refer to energy from living matter, such as biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, and methane. They are considered renewable energy sources as they can be produced continuously from biological resources. Recently, biofuels have gained attention due to their potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels in various sectors. However, the adverse effects of biofuels outweigh their benefits. While they can be produced cheaply in some parts of the world, they can cause more harm than good overall. This research paper contends that biofuels have adverse implications, and their continued use poses certain dangers.
Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels poses numerous benefits, including potentially reducing the undesirable environmental prolusion of fossil fuel production and use, cutting costs, and doing away with reliance on unstable foreign suppliers. Initially, these are some factors that influenced the rapid adoption of biofuels. However, further research has proven that biofuel production and use have adverse impacts (Battaglia et al., 2021). Some of its negative impacts include groundwater and air pollution and water and land resource requirements. Arguably, these negative impacts outweigh the positive ones, disqualifying biofuels as a preferred option compared to fossil fuels. Based on the feedstock and production process, biofuels can emit more greenhouse gases than some fossil fuels to produce the same amount of energy.
Analyzing the entire production process, transportation, and use of biofuels indicates that they have a relatively high net impact on greenhouse gas emissions, sometimes higher than some fossil fuels. A life-cycle analysis is the primary tool for comparison, often comparing specific biofuels with a reference system (petrol is the most common) (Kularathne et al., 2019). The crop type, location, and feedstock production significantly influence the greenhouse gas balance. Some biofuels exhibit higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. The feedstock process and transportation use much fossil energy, contributing to high greenhouse gas emissions. The feedstock process utilizes numerous products, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and cultivation and harvesting resources, adversely impacting the ozone layer.
Biofuel production also poses numerous adverse impacts on water resources and soils. A lot of water is used to wash plants and seeds and during evaporative cooling processes during biofuel production (Kularathne et al., 2019). Irrigation of the plants also consumes large amounts of water quantities. Consequently, biofuel production negatively impacts water quality by encouraging erosion and excess phosphorous and nitrogen runoff into ground and surface waters. Their production leads to intensified agricultural production, potentially harming soil conditions depending on the farming technique. According to Battaglia et al. (2021), over 70% of the maize and grass residue adversely affects soil quality, especially its organic content during harvesting. Depending on the crops, cultivation, and harvesting process, preparing biofuels considerably affects soil quality and water resources.
Contrary to the popular belief that biofuels are more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels, research documents that biofuels often harm surroundings more than fossil fuels. The production and transportation processes of biofuels are energy intensive, causing the destruction of soil and water resources and the emission of greenhouse gases. Based on the feedstock and production process, biofuels can emit more greenhouse gases than some fossil fuels to produce the same amount of energy. As a result, their negative impacts on the environment outweigh the positive ones, disqualifying biofuels as a preferred option compared to fossil fuels.
References
Battaglia, M., Thomason, W., Fike, J. H., Evanylo, G. K., von Cossel, M., Babur, E., … & Diatta, A. A. (2021). The broad impacts of corn stover and wheat straw removal for biofuel production on crop productivity, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions: A review. Gcb Bioenergy, 13(1), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12774
Kularathne, I. W., Gunathilake, C. A., Rathneweera, A. C., Kalpage, C. S., & Rajapakse, S. (2019). The effect of use of biofuels on environmental pollution—A review. Int. J. Renewable Energy Res., 9(3), 1355-1367.
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