Biofuels: A Carbon Neutral Energy Source

If we’re faced with a gasoline or power shortage, what can we do to be prepared? Today, we’ll share various ways people around the world are creating alternative energy using simple, cost-effective parts and ingredients.

One trend that’s gaining momentum is biofuel. Biofuel is any fuel derived from biomass, such as plants, algae, or animal-people waste. Two of the most common types of biofuels used today are biodiesel and biogas.

Biodiesel is a fuel derived from heated vegetable oil or used cooking oil, combined with a short-chain alcohol, usually methanol, and a catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. When these ingredients are combined, they create a reaction that causes the fats in the oil to drop out of suspension, leaving a carbon-neutral form of diesel fuel separated from the fat. Many videos and tutorials can be found on the internet on how to make and use biodiesel in small and large batches, often with used cooking oil, which can be found at local restaurants for little or no cost.

We now turn to biogas, a renewable fuel produced through the breakdown of organic matter, such as animal-people waste and food scraps. This form of environmentally sustainable energy can be used to generate electricity, heat, and cook, along with creating gasoline.

Can electricity and vehicle fuel really be created by food and sewage waste? GENeco Sustainable Solutions in the United Kingdom produces a form of biogas called biomethane, which can be used as a substitute for natural gas in homes and vehicles with a much smaller carbon footprint. The company’s treatment plant in Bristol is connected directly to the national energy grid and can supply thousands of local homes with power. This same process can be used on a small scale in your home to create cooking gas with cost-effective materials.

Wood, another biofuel, can keep you warm during chilly days and give you a source for heating food. Don’t throw that sawdust away when tidying up your garage or workshop! Those wood shavings can also be used as a heating source! Simply pour vegetable oil on top of the sawdust, mix it together, put it into a paper bag, and throw it into the fire.

The Southern California company Global Algae Innovations is dedicated to finding large-scale solutions to converting algae into an energy source that replaces fossil fuels at a much less significant cost to our planet. Through the company’s cultivation process, algae is converted into biofuel and also as a food source!

The methods of making biofuels presented during our show provide energy sources that are alternatives to conventional petroleum-based fuels. They can be useful when unexpected incidents happen. Again, for your safety, please do not experiment on your own with these procedures without proper expert guidance.