Technology Article Review on Biodiesel
The authors of the article look at the consumption of crude oil in globally in general and in America in particular. The figures given for the addiction and consumption of crude oil in the united sates shows that the country consumed a huge amount of crude oil (“Minnesota department of agriculture”). This situation could lead to exhaustion of the crude oil in the near future. Another aspect mentioned by the authors is the impacts caused when oil spills in the ocean while being transported to the united states. This introduction gives the reader a brief description of why exploitation of biodiesel is necessary.
They introduce biodiesel fuel as a renewable source of energy that is biodegradable, safe and causes less pollution into the environment. They discuss some benefits of biodiesel such as its ability to reduce diesel emissions in engines (Hoekman 148). It also enhances performance and power of diesel engines as well as help in reducing national energy consumption. They give more details on the raw materials needed in production of biodiesel and on biodiesel economics. The public is advised to use soybean oil well so that they could save the rest for biodiesel productions. According to the author, Proper use of soybean would help keep the prices down.
The federal government introduced tax incentives to lower the price of the biodiesel. This increased demand for the fuel from 2000 to 2008.When the incentive was removed, the demand went down but came back up immediately. This meant that even the price could not stop consumers who had realized the benefits of biodiesel. Minnesota state leads in the use of biodiesel and the authors believe other states would also follow the same route. The energy input and output values are biased. No single study can give exact energy values on fuel that is not popular among many people.
Work Cited
Hoekman, S. Kent, et al. “Review of biodiesel composition, properties, and specifications.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 16.1 (2012): 143-169.
Minnesota department of agriculture. A biodiesel blend handling guide. Minnesota biodiesel technical cold weather issues team handling subcommittee. Available on < http://www.mda.state.mn.us/~/media/Files/renewable/biodiesel/biodieselblendguide.ashx>