fuels we currently rely on are being depleted, are the major cause of increasing atmospheric CO2

Group 7:

Biofuel Production And Water Scarcity: A Drink-Or-Drive Issue? By ScienceDaily (May 11, 2009)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090501204627.htm

Some questions to think about:

Why do you think its important to look for alternative fuel sources?

What are the products of burning ethanol? List some potential impact these products have on the environment.

Would the use of ethanol as fuel really help the environment? Give reasons to support your answer.

Names  of Group Members:

1.Chia Wenyi    

2.Wang Lian Wei

3.Leon Chua

4.Jasmine

Summary of Assigned Article

Federal requirements to increase the production of ethanol has developed into a “drink-or-drive issue”. In an analysis of the water required to produce ethanol from various crops, Dr. Joel G. Burken, a professor of environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, and colleagues from Rice University and Clarkson University find that ethanol could become a costly proposition in terms of “gallons per mile” and other water quality issues.  The researchers report that ethanol derived from corn grown in Nebraska, for example, would require 50 gallons of water per mile driven, when all the water needed in irrigation of crops and processing into ethanol is considered.

Moreover, increasing production of biofuels from row crops will likely result in more water pollution due to soil erosion and the increased use of pesticides to grow enough crops to meet federal mandates for more ethanol, the researchers say. The mandated production using the current technology has driven the use of ethanol production from corn and biodiesel from soybeans as these are the currently available technologies. Therefore, this method is a way to help saving the earth and it can help to reduce global warming.

Ethanol Structure                                                                          Water Pollution

                                             Corn                                                                                                          Soil Erosion

Further Reading on Related Articles

It is rather dangerous. Clean water and farmable land are both already in a crisis stage in many, many locations around the world. The Obama Administration seems to be trying to evaluate the real benefit (or lack thereof) of corn for ethanol, and other biofuels. Growing ethanol seems primed to push that global stress even further, and would also result in more and more land being taken away from biodiverse forest and given over to a grow-and-burn crop. Doesn't anyone in government see the value of wind and sun, geothermal and waves and tide? 

http://www.worldfoodprize.org/assets/YouthInstitute/07proceedings/Roosevelt_Seroussi.pdf 

Biofuels, such as ethanol or biodiesel are an alternative source for petroleum based fuel. These increasing greenhouse gasses, seed international conflict, and fund the economies of known terrorist supporting governments in addition to known human rights violators. Currently, ethanol is viewed as the “cure” for fossil fuel dependence. Ethanol most commonly utilizes a fermentation approach with corn, sugar cane or cellulose as the carbon source. Sugar cane is currently the star crop of ethanol production worldwide with corn a close second.

http://www.planetthoughts.org/?pg=pt/Whole&qid=2883

THREE Questions for Critques

(Answers to questions should be found in your wiki article.)

1.why is it dangerous to burn the ethanol?

2.which biofuels are alternative sources for petroleum based fuel?

3.water pollution is due to what processes?

Critique Group

Answers to Questions

1.

2.

3 .

4.

5.

Three things good about the Article Review

i.

ii.

iii.

Two learning points from the Article Review

A)

B)

One possible improvement for the Article Review

Critique Group

Answers to Questions

1.green plants can simply produce carbon compounds out of CO2 from air

2.use carbene to activate the CO2 and break it apart

3.use the carbene to activate the CO2 and spilt the CO2 off again to complete the cycle

Three things good about the Article Review

i.the pictures illustrate the process

ii.it explains to us why the CO2 is not easy to break

iii.it explains to us how the CO2 is broken by the chemicals

Two learning points from the Article Review

A)how to obtain CO2 from the air

B)why chemist envy green plants

One possible improvement for the Article Review

put more pictures of the chemist and the processes