Burmahl, B. (2022, November 10). Biofuel on the road to energy, cost savings. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.anl.gov/article/biofuel-on-the-road-to-energy-cost-savings

Beth Burmahl’s “Biofuel on the road to energy, cost savings” article discusses recent research done by Argonne National Laboratory on biofuels for different engine types in the US. Burmahl brings to light that not only can biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 60%, they can improve fuel efficiency and become cost-effective competitors to non renewable energy sources. According to research done by Argonne, the Pacific Northwest, and Idaho National Laboratories, engine design is the key to advancing the efficiency of biofuels as well as maximizing vehicle performance. This research included using forestry byproducts like wood waste, agricultural byproducts like corn stover, and new tech such as fermentation, catalysis, and pressure. The results showed that many forms of biofuel compete with current costs of petroleum fuel, and ten of them “have the potential to reduce greenhouse gasses by 60% compared to petroleum gasoline.”

This November 2022 article discusses the more recent advancements of biofuels and focuses on the research, as it is published by a research facility. This means that it is likely to omit some of the important negative consequences of the new technologies, so it is important to take everything with a grain of salt. That being said, the fact that this research indicates such a high potential to reduce greenhouse gasses while being affordable is exciting and hopeful news. In addition, I’m glad that there are ways to create biofuels using the waste products of industries that are already present, instead of planting new crops and introducing much more nitrogen oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.