The sun is the root of the energy in all living things on Earth. Plants convert solar energy to energy other living things can use through photosynthesis. With this process, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

Biomass has stored energy in it can be released through chemical reactions, like those connected with digestion or combustion(burning).

Humans grow some plants to eat and some to produce energy through combustion. Energy crop biomass is converted into biofuel that can be used to power nonliving, mechanical things and produce electricity and heat.

Corn is often used as a biofuel. Biofuel is a source of fuel from organic matter, more specifically something that was once alive. New energy crops can always be planted, and so we think of biofuel as renewable energy. However, land and water is limited, and energy crops compete with food crops and pasture land.

Fossil fuels also come from dead organic material, but they require a massive amount of time and pressure to be produced, and therefore not thought of as renewable. Once they are dug up and burned, it takes millions of years for the Earth and natural processes to replace them. The sourcing of fossil fuels can also be damaging to habitats. Fossil fuels include oil, coal, and gas; and they must be burned to harness their energy for useful purposes.

The dominant scientific and political belief is that biofuels are superior to fossil fuels in the following ways.

• They release less noxious (carbon monoxide) air pollution.
• They are more fuel efficient. Engines run longer on biofuels. In other words, you get more kilometres per litre.
• They produce less green house gases.
• They are renewable. As long as soil remains fertile, we can produce more.
• There are many sources of biofuel.
• The biofuel industry creates jobs.
• Biofuels reduce our dependency on fossil fuels
• Biofuels can be stored without batteries, unlike other renewable sources of energy (solar and wind).
• Solar and wind are less dependable and have huge infrastructure costs and small efficiency gains. Solar panels and wind turbines do not last forever and they must be disposed of.
• Mining minerals for batteries is harmful to the environment and the people who mine them.
• Slave labour is often used to mine minerals like cobalt and lithium.

Biofuels also have recognized disadvantages.

• They are often expensive to produce.
• Poor agricultural practices like mono-cropping and the absence of crop rotation can deplete soil fertility.
• Chemical inputs (chemical fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide) poison animals and through run-off the oceans and cause red tides.
• Biofuels can cut into food crops, causing shortages of food and higher food prices.

** Most industrial biofuels are made from grains. Considerable waste by-product (corn husks and cobs) is produced that can be used as feed for livestock. Therefore, land can be used to produce both biofuels and human food.

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Words and Images are my own.

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