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The Effects of Biofuel

Biofuel is energy that is derived from biomass. Biomass, in turn, is a renewable source of energy that is derived from living or recently living organisms. Biofuel has been used in some form or another since ancient times. For example, firewood is biomass, and has been historically used to cook and provide heat. The modern use of biofuel is more diverse, with equally diverse consequences.

  1. Increasing Cost of Food Crop

    • According to National Academy of Sciences, the main source of biofuel in the United States is ethanol, a product derived from corn kernels. The sugars in the corn are converted to ethanol. Other sources of biofuel material in the United States include sorghum, soybeans, vegetable oils, animal fats, manure, sewage and algae. The high demand for corn for biodiesel has led to an increase in corn prices. This has a ripple effect on other sectors, like livestock feed producers, who need corn to produce animal feed. If the price of corn is high, they will pass on the increase to farmers, who in turn will pass on high prices to consumers.

    Limiting Biodiversity

    • According to the United States Agency for International Development, demand for biodiesel plant crops has led to the establishment of crop mono cultures. USAID states that this is a situation where peatlands, grasslands, rainforests and savannahs are being converted to the production of food crop--based biofuels in places like Brazil, the United States and Southeast Asia. This practice has a negative impact on the biodiversity in an ecosystem, because the same kinds of plants are planted on large plots of land, stripping the native plants. Some farmers now concentrate solely on the production of biofuel plants in order to meet the high demand for the products. This has led to a perceptible decrease in the production of other essential feed crops. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, "corn accounts for roughly three-fourths of the estimated increase in national acreage cultivated" in USDA projections for 2016.

    Greenhouse Gasses

    • The relationship of biofuel to greenhouse gas emissions is a bit complicated. During the planting phase, the plants grown for biofuel production help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing carbon monoxide, one of the components of greenhouse gasses. However, this positive step is cancelled out by the emission of greenhouse gasses during the transportation of biofuel materials to production plants, the production process and the use of biofuel itself.

    Self-Reliance

    • Biofuel production has reduced the reliance of the United States on foreign fossil fuel. This is a good development considering the soaring prices of oil in the international market and political factors. Another positive effect is the fact that biodiesel is a renewable energy and as such is sustainable, unlike fossil fuels which will become depleted some day.

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