Due to the rising cost of gasoline and heating oils and the diminishing supply of fossil fuels as well as concern over our dependence on foreign oils many people are turning to biotechnology in alternative energy resources as a viable option for supplying fuel. Biomass is a result of biotechnology in alternative energy resources. Biomass is organic material made from plants or animals and comes from agricultural and forestry residue, municipal and industrial wastes and terrestrial and aquatic crops grown specifically for energy purposes. Biomass can be converted to energy and used as an alternative to petroleum. It is a renewable resource and is evenly distributed over the Earth. The use of biomass in biotechnology in alternative energy utilizes environmentally friendly technology as well. Paper mills produce the most residue used in biomass as a means of biotechnology in alternative energy resources to generate electricity and power. Ethanol and biodiesel are derived from agricultural crops such as corn and soy and are on the rise in use.
Bio-fuel is defined as any fuel that is generated from biomass. Soybeans and corn are currently being grown specifically to be used to make biomass fuels The use of biotechnology in alternative energy resources has allowed for many bio-fuels to be discovered from using biomass including ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, biocrade and methane. These bio-fuels are produced by turning the raw material of the starch and cellulose into a usable form o. They are then made into transportation fuels by a biochemical or thermo chemical process. Of all the bio-fuels available ethanol is the most widely used and is an excellent alternative to gasoline. It is also used to boost the octane level and reduce pollution. Ethanol is an alcohol based fuel made from sugars and starch found in corn, grain sorghum and wheat by fermentation and a distillation process.
Biotechnology in alternative energy resources has also uncovered bio-power, which uses biomass to generate electricity using technologies such as direct firing and co-firing, gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestions. In the direct firing method the biomass is burned to produce steam which drives a turbine that turns a generator to convert power to electricity. There is currently enough bio-mass available to replace 30% of all current gasoline consumption. The use of biotechnology in alternative energy resources has indeed turned up a great many options for our future to reduce dependence on foreign oil and become more self sufficient and environmentally friendly. Using biotechnology in alternative energy resources may be the wave of the future and could very well power to cars and homes of the future.
