Junior Research Paper

Biofuels Vehicles that run on biodiesel get thirty percent better fuel economy than gasoline-powered vehicles (Perritano). The many forms of biofuels make it easier to obtain and use. Biofuels are better for the environment because they reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to sixty-five percent (Perritano). Biofuels are a source of energy from plants that can help fuel our vehicles and our lives. A biofuel is any fuel that is made from plant material. Many biofuels can replace diesel or gasoline in today’s modern cars. One of the most common biofuels is wood. Biofuels can store energy just like any other fuel. Biofuels are also an example of a renewable resource.The best way to reduce global warming is to decrease fossil fuel usage. One way to do that is to substitute biofuels in the place of fossil fuels. Ethanol is made by mixing yeast with plant material and kept warm. Yeast is a unicellular organism whose diet is made of plant material. Sugars are turned into alcohol by the yeast. This process, used in producing ethanol, is called fermentation. Primarily corn is used to produce ethanol in the United States. Ethanol creates less polluting gases than gasoline or diesel. Mixing gasoline and ethanol can help decrease pollution. Brazil is the world’s largest ethanol producer (Solway 12). Ethanol is produced from sugarcane in Brazil. The sugarcane is crushed to extract the sugar. Then the sugar is dissolved. Vehicles in Brazil run on a higher concentration of ethanol than vehicles in the United States. The remnants of the sugarcane is referred to as bagasse. Dried bagasse can also be used as fuel (Solway 13). Power plants may burn bagasse to produce electricity. Sugarcane can produce the power needed to keep the ethanol plant running and the sugar to make ethanol. Biogas is produced by dissolving plant and animal material in a closed container. This process uses bacteria instead of yeast. one advantage of