A Renewable Energy Feedstock

Renewable energy comes from a variety of resources made in nature, which include sunlight, wind, rain, etc. Many have an understanding of these new energies that help keep many areas around the world powered but what about a renewable chemical feedstock? To many, biodiesel may ring a bell. Corn is a perfect example of a renewable chemical feedstock because it won’t run out due to the fact that it can be easily grown over and over and has the ability to be used as a source of power.

Fossil fuels have been discovered to be limited on our planet as well as a negative effect on the atmosphere when burnt but with the help of biotechnology, which began in the 1970s, renewable sources of energy have taken flight in “bioprocessing”. With bioprocessing, the technology takes a carbohydrate source (in this example, corn starch) and converts it to a fuel using biological catalysts. From cornstarch, these crops can be made into bioethanol or ethanol, which can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form but is commonly used as an additive in gasoline (ethanol). The use of this ethanol in gasoline is not a positive but the use in pure form of the original cornstarch is a positive because the pure form reduces the use of fossil fuels by 100%.

Biodiesel is another product that can be made from both vegetable oils (corn starch) and animal fats. Like ethanol, biodiesel can be used as a fuel in pure form but is still mostly used as an additive in diesel fuel to lessen the levels of certain substances. These substances could be carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons that are released from diesel-powered cars or trucks. Biodiesel, or vegetable oil isn’t commonly used in cars but still exists nonetheless. There’s actually a Mercedes Benz that can run on this biodiesel fuel and is called the Biodiesel Benz. Below is a link to a case study that was done on a conversion of a diesel Benz that now runs on vegetable oil. 

http://www.noendpress.com/caleb/biodiesel/

Using biodiesel or bioethanol in their pure forms have and will continue to impact other aspects such as gas stations as time goes by when we become more desperate to eliminate polluting the air with fossil fuels. These fuels do help gas companies as additives in gasoline or diesel fuels but overall could potentially put many out of business when the production of cars changes overtime to use these fuels in pure form. With an increase in demand of corn starch or other feedstocks for fuel, the farming market will also begin to boom with business.

Sources:

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mcheryan/www/feedstoc.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel

http://www.noendpress.com/caleb/biodiesel/

The Cogeneration Plant of UNH Durham

At UNH in Durham, they have changed their ways of producing electricity and heat so dramatically that across its five million square foot campus, it reduces greenhouse emissions by 21% (from 2005-2006). How is this possible? This energy comes from the plant at Durham, which is powered by methane gas from a landfill 12.7 miles away belonging to Waste Management in Rochester. In fact, up to 85% of the campus will receive energy from this landfill gas from the cogeneration (COGEN) plant and with the help of EcoLine, a power partnership to UNH. “EcoLine make UNH the first university in America to use landfill gas to power its energies,” says Mark Huddleston, the UNH President.

There are two costs that UNH now bears; the EcoLine cost of an estimated $49 million with an anticipated payback of 10 years and the COGEN (with the chilled water plant included) costs an estimated $28 million with an anticipated payback of 20 years. By then, UNH will have cut its greenhouse gas emissions even more; specifically, 50% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Even though these costs are high, UNH is doing the environment a favor as well as themselves because the price of energy will change over time too.

It’s expected that the price of energy will go up higher in years to come but having switched over to this sustainable energy, UNH Durham will benefit from this project more and more. That being said, this project therefore not only saves on emissions but it also benefits UNH economically as the price of energy goes up.  

Source:

http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/ecoline

Organic Agricultural Methods

            Agriculture has been around for thousands of years but the methods used have changed dramatically and have impacted global warming negatively. With these changing methods and the increase in the world’s population every day, there’s no wonder that this could continue to be a negative impact if a solution isn’t found. One thing that can’t be stopped is the population increase of the planet so a change in agriculture must be established. 

            With the growing population, there would have to be more agricultural farming in order to satisfy everyone’s hunger. Sure, the modern agriculture today can increase yields quickly but this is done with toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers that can be harmful when consumed. Nitrogenous fertilizer, for example, has not only brought health issues to people but has polluted water because of its runoff. For this, health problems have grown to be expensive and the question here is whether this tradeoff is worth it.

            Organic farming can eliminate these factors and even bring more positives with its lower levels of pesticides. Surprisingly, organic agricultural methods can eliminate somewhere around 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year. Even more shocking, the Rodale Institute has proved that “if all 434 million acres of American cropland were converted to these practices, it would be the equivalent of eliminating 217 million cars from the road, or a car for every two acres of farmland.”

            Today, organic agricultural methods have become a trend but the percentage is still incredibly low. In 2008, only about 0.7% of cropland and 0.5% of pasture in the U.S. were reported certified organic but increased from 2002 to 2008 at a 15% adoption rate. As long as this rate continues and many people become aware of these pesticides, there will be less health problems and less negative effects on global warming. 

Resources:

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/6-ways-agriculture-impacts-global-warming.html

http://ofrf.org/resources/organicfaqs.html

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Organic/

Biological Interactions With Environmental Chemicals

Biological interaction with environmental chemicals is common. These are xenobiotic materials and organisms may interact with them; this interaction is called bioaccumulation. This could essentially be a buildup of these materials, which are usually harmful and cannot be broken down easily. These materials can also be anywhere, including drinking water or food; for example, pesticides in food.

Since these xenobiotic materials can be present in so many places, it’s very easy for them to spread through the entire food chain. This is also known for becoming more concentrated in organisms if one organism eats another with the substance present inside them. Also, if the xenobiotic substance isn’t toxic to begin with, the levels could increase to levels that are toxic. For instance, the xenobiotic materials could begin in the natural environment because of pollutants in water. If a fish comes into contact with the materials in water through it's gills, it could pass it on to its prey. If its prey happens to be a human, the human will therefore ingest these materials in his or her system.

Going back to pesticides, we could ask why do we use pesticides in food and why is it harmful? First, they are used to keep pests such as ants or slugs off of the farmers crops but many don't realize that these chemicals can't just be washed off fruits and vegetables. Many also don't realize the effects that pesticides have on humans such as birth defects, interference with child development, neurological problems, and much more. They may even cause cancers such as leukemia, brain cancer, and cancer of the kidneys. 

In short, not only will the concentration increase over time but can become toxic and easily spread throughout the food chain. With this being said, these factors, once coming into contact within humans, could very well be at it’s worst because we are technically at top of the food chain. 

Resources:

Green Chemistry and the Ten Commandments of Sustainability By Stanley E. Manahan
http://www.triedtastedserved.com/mind-body-health/pesticides-gmos-food.php